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Super Mario Maker 2's Zelda update lets you wield the Master Sword

Point taken.

The Legend of Zelda's Link and Master Sword come to Super Mario Maker 2 this week, on Thursday, 5th December.

The free update also adds in all manner of other Mario items (P Blocks, Dash Blocks) and enemies (Spike, Pokey). But it's the Zelda stuff which is the big draw.

Picking up the Master Sword will transform Mario into Link and unlock a suite of new abilities themed around Hyrule's famous hero.

You can slash away at enemies, use your shield, pull off a dash attack, aim and fire arrows or blast down walls with bombs. There are even different coloured Link tunics for use in multiplayer.

Cover image for YouTube videoSuper Mario Maker 2 - The Master Sword, new course parts and more! (Nintendo Switch)

The original Mario Maker also let you play as Link, of course, as well as dozens of other Nintendo characters via its unlockable costumes. The removal of this feature for Mario Maker 2 was a sore point for some fans.

But those costumes really were just a change of skin for Mario, without any of the new moves or items listed here. This update offers a far better experience of playing as Link in a Mario platformer - and it may help soothe some of those complaints.

Finally, elsewhere in this update, there's a new speedrun mode. This lets you compete against the ghosts of other players, Super Meat Boy-style, against the clock for the best times. See it all in action in the extended gameplay trailer above.