Mario and Zelda crossover comes to Super Mario Maker 2 in new update

Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening on Nintendo Switch (Image credit: Nintendo)

Hold onto your Minish Caps, Legend of Zelda fans: Nintendo has announced a medley of new features and items available in Super Mario Maker 2, one of which lets you don the green garb of the Hylian hero.

An incoming update for Super Mario Maker 2 lands on December 5, and includes a 'Master Sword' item that turns Mario into Link from the Legend of Zelda series.

The item is only available in the retro Super Mario Bros. Game Style, meaning you won't see any 3D Links running about – like, say, in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – but you do get to enjoy his 8-bit pixelated presence. And it's not just the Master Sword you get to play with, either.

A press release from Nintendo stated: "After downloading the Ver. 2.0.0 update, the new Master Sword item will be available to use exclusively in the 8-bit Super Mario Bros. style. When this new course part is picked up, Mario will transform into Link, equipped with a new set of moves like attacking with a sword, shooting arrows and dropping bombs."

While the Zelda crossover is most notable part of the video, you can also see Mario making use of the other items being added below:

  • Dash Block: Available in the Super Mario 3D World style, the Dash Block course part gives Mario a major speed burst when stepped on.
  • Frozen Coin: These coins are surrounded by a block of ice and can only be released if melted by fireballs or other fire elements, including a certain angry sun.
  • P Block: When a P Switch is hit in the course, invisible P Blocks temporarily turn into hard platforms, or vice-versa.
  • Spike: This classic enemy coughs up massive spike balls and launches them at Mario. If used in the snow environment, Spike will toss snowballs instead!
  • Pokey: The iconic stacked cactus from multiple Super Mario games joins Super Mario Maker 2 for the first time. Players can even edit the height of each Pokey.

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Henry St Leger

Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.