How To Scroll Stop In Super Mario Maker 2

The Super Mario Bros. games are full of secrets. There are pipes that you can slide down to find new, hidden areas. There are coins and power-ups hidden in regular-looking blocks. Coin-filled compartments are everywhere, as long as you're looking hard enough, while warp zones and secret exits can even unlock whole new levels.

If you're making your own Super Mario levels with Super Mario Maker 2, then you probably want to include a few secrets of your very own. Thankfully, Nintendo has made that very, very easy. Super Mario Maker 2's new scroll stop feature prevents the screen from scrolling past a wall. That means that you can hide things very easily, paving the way for secret areas, hidden "rooms" linked by pipes and doors, and more.

Scroll stops aren't something you choose from the "Course Maker" menu. They happen automatically whenever a level contains a wall that extends beyond the edges of the screen. It doesn't matter which direction Mario is traveling in, either. Scroll stops can be either horizontal or vertical, so they'll work no matter how your level is oriented.

If you want to put a scroll stop in your level, simply make a row or column of bricks, or "hard blocks," that goes all the way across the screen (other types of blocks or terrain won't affect scrolling). That's all that you need to do. 

Make sure you test your scroll stops properly, however. If there are enemies on the other side of the wall, players might see a few moving pixels when the scroll stop kicks in. In those cases, either make the barrier two blocks thick to block the view, or leave the enemies briefly visible as a hint. After all, players won't find secrets if they're not looking for them.