Kaizo Level

A Kaizo Level is a type of level in Super Mario Maker that takes inspiration from ROM hacks, such as Kaizo Mario World and Item Abuse. Kaizo levels are extremely difficult levels that feature trial-and-error gameplay and force players to use items in unintended ways.

Comment Elements

Kaizo Traps

Main article: Kaizo Trap

An example of a "kaizo" block.

Kaizo levels are often filled with many hidden and unfair instances of level design, also known as "kaizo traps." The most common of these is the placement of Hidden Blocks in the path of a where a player might jump causing them to immediately fall to their death. Other common traps include enemies falling from out of nowhere and instant death rooms.

Techniques

Main article: Category:Tech

An example of a backshot shell jump.

A very common trait of kaizo levels is the use advanced techniques, also referred to as "kaizo tech" or "item/glitch abuse." This includes manipulating shells, P Switches and other items in unintended ways, such as by jumping off them in midair, as well as exploiting in-game mechanics. The use of glitches is also very common to see.

The difficulty of these techniques vary and can range from fairly simple to requiring a frame-perfect execution.

Indicators

Main article: Indicators

A very common element of Kaizo levels is the use of indicators, onscreen visuals that help guide the player through a level to make it easier to blind read. They can indicate where to jump, what trick is coming up next, which enemies have a key or even hint at the locations of Kaizo traps. These are often in the form of arrows, tracks or coins.

An example of an indicator for a "Kaizo" block.

Styles

Classic

Classic Kaizo levels try to emulate the style and design of Kaizo ROM hacks. They usually feature little or no advanced techniques and instead rely on extremely precise platforming and the use of unfair traps (such as "kaizo" blocks).

A popular subgenre of this style is known as Precision Kaizo. In these type of levels there is a further emphasis on precision movement, without the inclusion of unfair traps. This often makes heavy use of Spike Traps.

Item Abuse

Item Abuse levels focus specifically on techniques that involve the use of manipulating items in unintended ways, and are inspired by the pit hacks of the same name.

Speedrun

An example of a 30 second speedrun level.

Main article: Speedrun Levels

Speedrun levels are a type of fast-paced nonstop levels, usually with a tight timer, that is often combined with kaizo elements. These types of levels are most popular to see in the New Super Mario Bros. U game style and commonly make use of Triple Jumps and Wall Jumps.

A common subgenre of this is known as Time Attack (or TA) levels, which place a greater emphasis on heavily optimizing movement. These kind of levels generally feature very little advanced techniques or enemies, with often times the timer itself being the only hazard in the level.

TAS

TAS ^Note"TAS" levels are named such after tool-assisted gameplay only to imply difficulty. They are not cleared or intended to be cleared with the help of tool-assistance. levels are a type of kaizo level that are inspired by pit hacks and focuses on the use on pixel and frame-perfect techniques, such as Wall Clips, Pixel Jumps, Midair Shell Jumps and other 1 frame jumps. Due to this high level of difficulty they are usually much shorter in comparison, often times being less than 20 seconds long.

Training

Training Kaizo, or Practice Kaizo, levels on the other hand are much more forgiving and are designed to teach players how to learn advanced techniques or become familiar with other common elements of real kaizo levels. Every trick in the level is usually retry-able with no consequences for making a mistake.

A common subgenre of this is known as Consistency Levels, which focus on a single trick that is repeated multiple times across the level. This can be in the form of having to retry a trick a set number of times within a time limit, or having to do the trick multiple times in a row without making a mistake.

History

Kaizo levels first gained popularity in late 2015 when PangaeaPanga created his Pit of Panga: P-Break and U-Break levels. These levels were widely popular and inspired a new wave of kaizo level creators. The popularity of kaizo levels eventually lead to the creation of a weekly Blind Kaizo Race and various tournaments held on Twitch, such as Kaizo Wars.