I like all of the ideas you guys have, but sadly I think they're all a fair bit more complex than Mario. Mario is pretty straightforward (as, I guess, is classic 'Vania -- if Konami got into the game, as well as classic Mega Man if Capcom would)... but Metroid or Zelda are seriously in depth so I dunno if they could simplify it down to the Maker style.
Dunno about Kirby, confession time I've never really played it.