So after playing Mario Wonder and generally enjoying it, I wanted to replay my favorite 2D Mario. I wanted to see if it was total nostalgia that was keeping me from not liking Mario Wonder as much as this and well maybe it still is? Either way, as I did with my other playthroughs, I had an absolute blast playing this and still consider it peak 2D Mario and one of my favorite platformers ever.

I think the main reason I really love it, is there's just so many secrets to find. There's 96 different exits in this game and like at least a third or more are secret exits. They're everywhere and they're really fun to find. Some of them can be quite tricky for newcomers, tho I've played this game so much that I know where everything is. Finding a secret exit in a normal level and then finding a secret exit in that secret level you just unlocked, man it's just so cool. Every single time I start a new playthrough, I always go to the star world really early, it's super fun.

I also love just how weird and wacky this game is, a lot of the stages can feel very dream like with how out there they are. In general the level design is very fresh and there's new ideas thrown out you even until the very end of the game. The game is also chock full of brand new enemies, even ones exclusive to this game that never returned to future titles.

The general gameplay is more slippery than Mario 3 and while some players may dislike this change, I enjoy it. It takes a little getting used to it at first but once it clicks, it feels great. It's more skill based but also never frustrating at least for me. I also think the game as a whole is never super frustrating (well maybe some of those special stages lol) but also never a walk in the park. I think this game has a perfect difficulty curve, it can get a bit challenging in certain levels near the middle and end. Though you could also easily get 99 1-UPs from that one level with the immense amount of Koopas lole.

I really love the OST, it's very simplistic with how it's just different renditions of the same song for most of it but it really works. I absolutely adore the end credits theme too. Another awesome thing this game did was give Mario a lot of personality. Whether it's his hat bobbing up and down when he jumps, to those really wacky cutscenes that play when you beat a castle, this game is full of personality.

Even though I've played this game many times, I still have trouble with it at certain points. I had a really rough time trying to get the secret exit for Cheese Bridge Yoshi-less, and then some of the special stages (specifically Tubular and Mondo) always give me a hard time. Some castle levels also trip me up sometimes too, I don't think this game is super easy like I've heard some people say idk.

So in the end, yeah it may just be nostalgia talking but I truly think this game is peak and definitely peak Mario, at least for me. I love this game so much man.

Still the king, baby.

Now, I already reviewed Super Mario World in the past and feel that I said everything I needed to say about this game there. However, as I replayed this game over and over throughout my life, I have yearned for ways to make each new playthrough feel unique. For a while, the randomizer did just that for me, and later on I would experience the joys and hilarity of the ROM hack where the game's stages and music were remade from memory. Now, I return to Super Mario World once more for another twist, focusing entirely on the soundtrack.

For this playthrough, I implemented a ROM hack titled Super Mario World MSU-1 Plus Ultra. For those unaware, MSU-1 is a custom coprocessor designed by the late Near that allows Super Nintendo games to play CD quality audio and full-motion videos. Many modders have taken advantage of this coprocessor to do insanely impressive things with Super Nintendo games. Look at this video of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, for example. This is what the coprocessor looks and sounds like in action!

Many games have been given MSU-1 upgrades over the years, and Super Mario World is no exception to this. In fact, MSU-1 mods for this game have had an interesting development history. At first, there were just mods that swapped the music for more orchestral sounding remixes of the music tracks, which is the standard protocol for these mods. Following these would come a more ambitious mod, titled Super Mario World MSU+, which not only swaps the original tracks for CD quality music, but also introduces voice clips for characters and implements the use of different remixes of the overworld music depending on which region of the map you're currently in. I've played that version and loved it, finding it to be a refreshing way to experience this game.

Years later after the release of this mod, however, we would be gifted with an even more ambitious mod in the form of Super Mario World MSU-1 Plus Ultra. Not only did this mod implement everything from Super Mario World MSU+. It also made it possible for every stage in the game to have its own unique remix. This means that the soundtrack of Super Mario World has been expanded to 130 unique tracks!

Needless to say, I've been dying to get into this mod and hear all the music within, and after a breezy 96 exit run of this game, I can say genuinely that this is an amazing way to experience (or re-experience) Super Mario World. It's exciting to drop into a stage and hear an entirely new remix. It could be orchestral, jazzy, rock, or something else! Your ears are certainly in for a treat with this mod!

The best part of this and other MSU-1 mods is that they are fully playable on the most recent models of flash carts, such as the FXPak Pro, for example. You're going to be hearing CD quality music and voice lines from characters in a day 1 Super Nintendo game all on real hardware! It's beyond impressive, and every so often as I play mods like these, I can't help but think of how much these advancements blow me away.

If you love the Super Nintendo and want to see what their games would be like if they had a bit of that Sega CD energy (complimentary) in them, I highly implore you to check out the MSU-1 Hacks Database and try some of these mods for yourself! They take a bit more of set-up to get running than your usual ROM hack, but the extra work is worth it to see and hear how these games get enhanced by this technology!

Simplesmente uma OBRA PRIMA.

Esse game é simplesmente o AUGE da franquia "Mario". A maior diferença pros jogos anteriores (E a mais genial pra mim) é que o jogador agora pode explorar as fases do seu próprio jeito e no seu próprio ritmo, olhando cada canto da Dinosaur Land em busca de seus atalhos, segredos e de todos os caminhos alternativos possíveis. As ramificações inesperadas e segredos aumentam ainda mais essa consistência interna do mundo, adicionando uma espécie de "mistério" ao game.

O jogo é uma aula de TUDO que um game pode oferecer ao jogador e mesmo entregando uma história superficial, o jogo envelheceu igual vinho de tão bom.

(Esse é obrigatório zerar ao menos uma vez na vida).

não dá pra dar uma nota menor, se não serei espancado nas ruas, porém de fato o jogo é bom, muito bom, bom demais
esperava que seria um pouco mais fácil, mas a cada mapa vai realmente dando uma complicada a mais em minha opinião

não demorei muito pra zerar, mas como tava em japonês teve muita coisa que eu não sei se é mal explicada no jogo ou se eu só não soube ler, como por exemplo o esquema todo do yoshi voador, aquilo lá eu não entendi até ler no google... mas aí a culpa deve ser minha mesmo

zika
pika
maneiro

Finally got around to this in preparation for Mario Wonder. I've been meaning to play this for ages and knocking this off my backlog has meant I've finally got around to all the 2D Zelda's and Mario's I've got access to (apart from 2 and SMW2).

The overworld design in this one is great with the amount of secret exits and levels. The sprites are great, the new powerups like the cape are awesome, and the controls are tight. I don't think the individual levels are as good as 3 and 3's worlds have more of a clear theme (desert/big and small world etc). There are also one too many fortress and ghost house levels that reuse a lot of the same assets, lessening the variety of levels.

The game is generally a lot easier than 3, which is fine, but there are still some pretty challenging levels especially in the special zone and the later fortresses. The level design never feels as punishing or unfair as 3 with the exception of some of the special zone levels.

Other than that its pretty much exactly what I expected and wanted. The platforming is fun and beating bowser feels like an achievement. As a console launch game, this is probably tied with Halo for the best of all time. Can't really go wrong with Mario.

Super Mario World feels weirdly disappointing to me as a follow up from Super Mario Bros 3. Whereas SMB3 will take an idea, iterate on it, and try and push it in a bunch of different directions sometimes to the verge of breaking point, SMW hops from one idea to another so quickly that it doesn't really give you room to breathe. It makes the whole thing less satisfying, I want to see what these ideas are capable of but the game is so desperate to move onto the next idea as quickly as possible. Maybe this makes for a more varied experience on some level, except there's less of a chance for the ideas to leave an impression on you due to this lack of iteration turning the game into kind of a blur as a result.

It sounds like a nitpick, but I'm also frustrated with the step backwards regarding bonuses. The lives system found in many of these older platformers is a deeply antiquated system in myriad ways that I don't really want to go into (I'd be here a while), and a sad result of this system is many games leant heavily into treating extra lives as an exciting reward. SMB3 got that extra lives aren't actually rewarding really and so instead gave your piles of power-ups and strange items you could store for later use, something that was genuinely pretty cool and a ton of fun! That's largely gone here though sadly, with all the minigames you find just ticking your total lives ever higher.

It's hard to argue against Super Mario World being a more sophisticated game than what came before it, and it has a more consistent aesthetic too. It's certainly a very solid game, one that's easy enough to have fun with and would clearly have seemed incredible at the time of its release. From today's perspective though, compared to Super Mario Bros 3 I guess I just find it lacking in quite as much soul. Decades after its release I played SMB3 for the first time and could feel the energy bursting through it, this constant feeling of innovation, trying to see how far it could push its ideas, that feeling is baked into its very being. Super Mario World may be more polished (and has certainly aged better), but paradoxically as a result it somehow makes me feel so much less.

Ok…sega have started pushing their sega mega drive (genesis) all over and are showing that Nintendo don’t have full control over the video game market…so how do Nintendo respond? Give us an amazing Mario 2D platformer straight after they had released super mario bros. 3…they’re too nice to us.

This time you’re in dinosaur land with your new friend yoshi as you travel to find princess peach and finish off bowser once and for all (joke). This game definitely tried to push the snes as much as possible and it shows…it’s beaming with colours, the music is wonderful, and the gameplay is a lot more expansive then any other Mario game before it.

Overall, it’s a beaming with life 2D platformer that showcases the snes’s power and proves that mario was still going strong!

Great levels, wonderful music, and many yoshi’s were sacrificed…

Super Mario World is an absolute classic, and is my favorite 2D Mario game due to it being one of my most beloved childhood games. I would always come home from school to play Super Mario World, the bright, cheerful aesthetic and music combined with the addictive gameplay always made me happy and left an impact on me to this day of being very much partial to the SNES, and sprite-based games. Eventually I would branch out and start playing Super Mario World Romhacks way back in the early 2000's as a kid. Romhacks like Kaizo Mario really opened my eyes to how much potential the mechanics of this game had, and Brutal Mario being my personal favorite, showcased just how customizable and adaptive platformers could actually be, it was an incredible experience. This is one of those games I play every other year, so I like to think I have a pretty deep understanding of this game. Today, I'd like to point my critical eye though and see just how good or bad Super Mario World really is.

First thing I think makes Super Mario World incredible is the World Map. Right from the first world, Super Mario World makes it clear that there isn't always one way to go when progressing. You start the game with a fork in the road, the path on the right clearly indicates it'll lead to the first castle, as well as teasing a few levels ahead, such as the first water level which I really enjoy. On the left however, it's a path that leads somewhere we cannot see yet, which adds mystery and curiosity on where exactly it will lead. Progression versus curiosity is a strong opener since either way, both choices are correct and will reward the player regardless. Curious players who decide to take the left path will make their way to the Yellow Switch Palace which will make every level after activating it that much easier by providing blocks that will prevent you from dying to pits or make certain sections easier, and also give you additional super mushrooms in the levels. Going this path also allows you to see the next upcoming World, which not only could excite the player for the future, but also present a great sense of scale in that the first world you're on is just a small island compared to the infinite possibilities ahead of you once you leave it. Even if a player decides to not take the left path, they're rewarded with faster progression which will allow them to leave the first world faster, allowing them to take in that sense of scale still just by comparing how much bigger and open the next world is compared to the island you were just on.

This stays true for the remainder of the game, as every World after this always has multiple paths that can lead to shortcuts, Switch Palaces, hidden levels, and of course, the Star Road. One thing I love about Super Mario World though is how they present striking landmarks to inform you that there might be an alternate route from the one you're taking. Take the pipe in the upper left of Vanilla Dome as an example. The pipe itself seems completely unreachable and potentially just a decoration, but its contrasting coloration and what pipes represent in Mario will make the player notice it and wonder where it'll go. Just as well, Donut Plains does something similar with more pipes and even a Boo House that seems impossible to reach, but since Donut Plains establishes Boo Houses as levels, it becomes immediately apparent to the player that they probably can reach it and be able to play it. However, even with these visual cues, it could be far too vague which levels lead where which could be very frustrating and demoralizing. Thankfully, this is not the case, as levels with multiple exits are marked with a red dot rather than a yellow dot, which is an incredibly important distinction that they establish early with Yoshi Island levels all being yellow dots and the World itself being incredibly linear. Even if you didn’t know what the red dots represented, their presentation alone should indicate some sort of difference that would be easy to distinguish with a bit of thought..

One of my favorite additions to Super Mario World though is The Star Road. Star Road is a secret World that has special teleports to other worlds you can find. Star Road also has five unique levels of its own that upon finding the secret exits for, will connect to another different teleporter. These teleporters can be used anytime, though some of them will lead to dead-ends, but give you a substantial clue to what levels have secret exits in order to unlock them which is a nice consolation and encourages replaying and thoroughly exploring more levels. However, one specific teleporter will actually lead you straight to Bowser’s Castle with the path unlocked for you, allowing you to finish Super Mario World in record time. Star Road by all means is the definitive evolution of Warp Zones from previous Mario games, though instead of just being some pipes, or a world select, they took the time and care to not only make it visually striking, but also give it unique levels that, while short, are very fun to play and find the secret exits to. It doesn’t end there for Star Road however, as by completing every level’s secret exit, you will gain access to a secret sixth teleporter which will lead you into the “Special Zone”. The Special Zone is the final challenge of Super Mario World, as the eight levels here are tremendously more difficult than any other level, even harder than Bowser’s Castle. While these levels are very hidden, I love their inclusion because the levels themselves justify putting so much time into this game, from the amount of effort it takes to unlock, to gaining the mastery of the game itself to overcome these levels. While it’s a staple now to have this sort of “secret final world” in Mario games, I feel like the requirement is less cumbersome from future incarnations, such as New Super Mario Bros. Wii’s 9th World which requires grabbing every star coin in a given world to unlock the correlated level. While it does serve the same purposes of putting in time and mastering the game, it also requires 100%’ing the whole game, whereas Special Zone only requires you find it to play it, which I vastly prefer. Also, I feel as though the final reward for completing the Special Zone is so much more interesting since it could allow someone to play the entire game again and get so much out of it. I personally don’t, but it’s enough to make it feel meaningful and worth doing, which I very much love.

I haven’t even gone into gameplay yet, Super Mario World’s gameplay is amazing. Mario controls like an absolute dream, combined with the SNES graphics, this game not only plays perfectly, but looks fantastic. Every innovation from Super Mario Bros. 3 is here, as well as some new inclusions like Yoshi, the Cape Feather, and the spin jump. Yoshi brings a lot of unexpected depth to Super Mario World, as Yoshi can eat enemies and spit out shells. Koopa shells of different colors give Yoshi different abilities and attributes, such as shooting fireballs, gaining a stomp, or even wings. Yoshi provides you with an extra hit, but he’ll run away, forcing you to chase after him and remounting him to stop. A lot of the time he’ll run into a pit and that’ll be the end of it, but it does require some skill to get him back if you lose him, which is a good negative to have since Yoshi provides you with so much utility You can use Yoshi to gain a lot of extra height on a jump if you think you can’t make it, and is even used for a secret exit or two which rewards the player for learning it. There’s even some niche mechanics utilized as well, like Yoshi being able to eat objects through walls which is also used for a secret exit, which is really clever and makes use of the programming very well. Yoshi cannot enter castles or boo houses, or any level with an anti-Yoshi sign at the start via a cutscene, which I like because becoming too reliant on Yoshi can make this game even easier than it already is. There’s even different colored Yoshi’s that will provide the same ability no matter what shell is eaten, but can only be found in Star World usually, giving Star World even more benefits. Very rarely however, you can find a pair of magic wings in question blocks that you can grab as Yoshi to turn him into a Blue Yoshi. Blue Yoshi is arguably the best one since any shell consumed gives him wings, and wings pretty much allow you to skip levels with ease, as well as find secrets in the skies.

Speaking of wings, the cape feather is the only new power-up in Super Mario World, and is only one of four in the entire game, the others being the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Invincibility Star. It’s definitely arguable Super Mario 3 had the better selection of power-ups, but the cape feather has so many applications, I think the depth it brings to the table is just about equal to Mario 3’s power-ups. You can spin with your cape to deal with pretty much any enemy with ease, but cannot reflect projectiles like it can in Smash Bros. The cape also allows you to fall slower than normal, providing much more control on where you land, and being able to make longer jumps. There is one capability however I think trivializes the entire game a bit too much, and that's flying. In Super Mario Bros. 3, the Super Leaf granted flight upon filling your P-meter and you’d be able to fly for a little bit before you stopped and would float back down. The only time the Super Leaf could fly through an entire level was if you had a “P-Wing” which made your P-meter full at all times for an entire level, essentially letting you fly over it without any issues. The caveat was once you used the P-wing for one level, the effect would go away, reducing it back to just a super leaf in the next level. In Super Mario World, this isn’t the case, with enough practice, the Cape Feather’s ability to fly is endless. You can fly over any level without a ceiling with very little effort, as long as you had a cape feather. It makes so many levels feel so meaningless when you can just fly over everything, it becomes especially bad as a crutch if a level is too hard or feels unfair, you can simply grab a cape feather, practice a bit, and skip the level. That is until you reach a boo house, castle, or most of Vanilla Dome since these levels have ceilings that pretty much disable the ability to fly over them, which is great. Had every level allowed you to skip it by flying, Super Mario world could feel really meaningless and boring, but I think they strike the balance really well here having enough levels that prevent you from doing that. There’s also levels that won’t scroll up for you while flying, which makes the visual cue for timing your flying harder, but unfortunately doesn’t stop you entirely from doing it, but makes it a bit harder which I can appreciate. Overall, the cape is certainly flawed a bit, but I think the amount of mechanical depth it has that is really pushed in Romhacks is incredible, and I think in the original game, it’s a bit over-tuned, but not fully compromising, definitely the largest flaw in the game. Though I will say, mastering the cape is incredibly satisfying, and I quite like the idea of having to get good with it compared to the Super Leaf in Mario 3, though even the Super Leaf has its difficulty curve with utilizing the tail swipe effectively since it’s so small.

The last addition Super Mario World added was the Spin Jump. Spin jumping allows you to jump onto dangerous hazards and enemies by bouncing off them rather than dying, you can also destroy yellow bricks underneath you if you’re big Mario. Spin jumping to me was an amazing idea because it now allows you to jump on enemies like spinies without having to break all of your momentum to slow down and jump over them like hurdles. It helps level pacing, and adds much needed variety to how you tackle obstacles in this game which I think makes this game stand out a bit more. Interestingly, spin jumping on an enemy you can normally jump on crushes them, but you immediately land afterward, you aren’t able to jump off them to gain extra height and momentum, so the spin jump rewards you especially for using it on the correct enemies as well, which helps the balance of both jumps being consistently useful in different scenarios. Spin jumping also has less jump height which is another interesting difference. On obstacles such as the buzz saws, Mario can continuously jump on them with the spin jump, but it requires finesse as well, as you need to keep readjusting to the moving object in question to keep bouncing on it, but spin jumping onto something usually pushes Mario around some, so you really have to make minor corrections every time you bounce off to ensure you don’t die or mess-up, once again, it’s just a minor detail that makes spin jumping incredibly fun, but also requires effort to get good with, it’s not always the best universal option, but when it is the solution, it’s not so simple that you can relax or be neglectful, you really got to pay attention. Yoshi’s boots have the same attributes as the spin jump as well, though the bouncing effect seems a bit more severe, making it a bit harder with Yoshi specifically.

A lot of the new enemies in Super Mario World are very iconic, so much so they’ve been staples in the series ever since. Though their popularity is one thing, what they bring to the table for the game itself is more interesting. Charging Chucks to me are the most interesting new enemy introduced as they have many different variants that make each encounter with one interesting. From triplicating themselves, to throwing different sports balls at you, some of them have unique one-time attributes like the whistling Charging Chuck underwater that wakes up the sleeping Rip Van Fish. You have the underutilized Banzai Bill that really demonstrates the SNES’s capabilities, but also just the potential extent to the size of enemies. You have a lot of very popular enemy debuts here as well like Fuzzy, Wiggler, Magikoopa, and Monty mole, each with their own unique mechanics like Fuzzy following lines, Wiggler getting mad when you jump on it, Magikoopa being able to turn blocks into something different, and monty mole that jumps out of the ground and walls to surprise you. A lot of the level design becomes so much better having these enemies present since it can completely change how you approach a level, and a lot of enemies will have a higher priority to dispose of, which gives levels more depth. Overall, there isn’t a single new inclusion in Super Mario World as far as enemies that feel poorly integrated, or just unbalanced, they’re all great and fun to interact with.

A lot of the music in Super Mario World is awesome, but the level theme is actually always the same song, just with different instrumentation and tempo. It’s a lot like Luigi’s Mansion in that regard actually, and I don’t think it’s a negative. While it is the same song every level, the vibe always changes to fit the theme of the level it’s played in, so it makes it come off very differently every time, and because it’s done so well, it doesn’t feel repetitive, uninspired, or bad, it works really well. Without that though, the world themes are all amazingly well done that really enhances them a lot. I specifically really love Vanilla Dome, Forest of Illusion, and Valley of Bowser the most.

There’s really not much left to say really. While I didn’t go into too much of the staple gameplay of Super Mario World, that’s because at its core, it’s still Mario. I much prefer talking about what the game added to the formula that made it (for the most part) a better, more refined experience. While not everything is to its benefit, I think Super Mario World is an utterly amazing game worth playing. A lot of people I know write off this game in favor of Super Mario Bros. 3 which is such a shame because I think a lot of what Mario 3 introduced was improved substantially here, like the World Map and the amount of different routing choices you have to explore and complete the game. While I don’t think the power-ups are better, I do appreciate the attempt to make a power-up with a skill curve only for the reward to be far too good for the game’s own good. Yoshi was a phenomenal addition, and spin-jumping helped Super Mario world increase the enemy variety a lot more without having to compromise the pacing of levels too much which was another plus. Overall, I think if you’re looking for a game to get into Mario with, I’d easily recommend this one because it’s not too difficult of a game, certainly easier than any previous Mario game, but the charm is unmatched, and it’s just an incredibly fun game with a whimsical and really bright aesthetic. It makes you wanna keep playing it, and can put you in a good mood if you’re feeling down, I know it has for me many times over the years.

Thank you all for reading! It’s been close to three months since I’ve written any reviews. I’ve definitely been in a slump as far as video games go, and I’ve definitely been busier than before, but I’m definitely getting back into things by writing this review. I have since restarted Final Fantasy IV in hopes of finishing it this time. I've also been gearing up to play some other games like VA-11 Hall-A, so please look forward to those reviews and more this year. I also just want to say thank you everyone for the support lately, I’ve broken 60 followers and over 400 combined likes on my reviews, so thank you all so much for that. I’ll try not to fall into another slump this year, but do forgive me if things get a bit slow here and there. Thank you all for reading, I’ll see you in the next review!

Everybody's favorite italian plumber makes his jump to the Super Nintendo, with Super Mario World, and it shows!

While future SNES games would look better and utilize the console's capabilities more efficiently, as a launch title, Mario World looks pretty good. Sprites looks nice, colors are vibrant and background are more detailed than before!
Additionally, Mario World has a different set of environments than last time. Of course, you still have your underground levels, your athletic levels, and so on, but it doesn't exactly follow the "Grass-Desert-Water" level tropes from last time. I appreciate the variety this game has, and it even introduces the Boo Houses, which are nice little puzzles in the form of a stage. Although I'd say that overall, this game does not have a much variety as last time, in spite of the new themes.

In terms of music, this game coined what I like to call the "Super Mario World Syndrome", where most, if not all of the soundtrack is a rendition of the main theme in some ways. It feels like it could get stale, but surprisingly, they managed to pull it off very well!
Each theme is instantly recognizable, and they all sound really good!

In terms of gameplay, it continues a lot of the concepts of Mario 3, but introduces some new stuff as well. The ability to Spin Jump was added, which allows Mario to break certain blocks and even bounce off of certain enemies!
Koopa Shells and other objects can now be thrown up, which allows for new approach in how to defeat enemies or break blocks that are too high to reach.
And of course, this game introduces Yoshi, one of the most iconic Mario characters! He serves as a sort-of power-up, that does not substitute any of Mario's other power-ups. He's more like an add-on, being able to swallow most enemies and can act as an extra jump (I'm so sorry, Yoshi!).

And we have new power-ups too! Many of the ones in Mario 3 did not really return, but we do have the Cape Feather and the P-Balloon.
The P-Balloon is pretty situational, but the Cape Feather is awesome! With good timing, you can make Mario pretty much fly forever with the Cape Feather, and it breaks levels. I love it!

Besides that, the Koopalings return, and they have new patterns to beat, which is nice. And the final boss against Bowser is also nice, utilizing the ability to throw objects up pretty well.

But wait there's more! If you thought the game was done after you've beaten all the main worlds, think again! This time around, we also have special levels in the Star World!
And by beating them, you gain access to even more levels, that are probably the most challenging in the game, and have the most excellent names!
Some of them can be a bit annoying, but I find these a nice little piece of extra content.

Unlike Mario 3, the difficulty in Mario World is actually pretty solid. It can get a bit hard later on, but it never becomes the roller-coaster ride of last time.

Overall, Super Mario World is a great 2D Mario, and I actually struggle to think of many flaws with it, outside of the variety of environments. It's a great time, check it out if you're curious!

Back when Nintendo launched the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, they came blasting out the gates immediately with Super Mario World, which is quite possibly one of the greatest launch titles for a console ever made. It is absolutely fantastic, and while I wouldn't consider it my favorite 2D Mario game, it is quite close to that bar, as it does practically nothing wrong in its execution.

The story is what you would expect from a Mario game, except now with dinosaurs, the graphics are extremely appealing and well done, the music is iconic, catchy, and wonderful, being great to listen to even to this day, the control and movement is extremely fast, responsive, and fun, the gameplay is 2D Mario at its absolute finest once again, the amount of things you can do in the game, including all the levels and the secret exits, are extremely fun to clear out, the difficulty is just right, the boss fights, while easy, are all different and varied enough to be entertaining, the powerups are all very creative and fun to use (except for the P Balloon), and not to mention, it introduced Yoshi, one of the best characters in the entire series, and he shines in this game, being very fun to use, with plenty of different types to use and experiment with.

Seriously, I can't think of a single bad thing about this game, it is THAT good. It does everything right for a Mario game, and it would pave the way for many more games to come in the future.

Overall, this is without a doubt one of the best SNES games ever made, and one of the greatest in the Mario series. While it may not be my favorite Mario game, or my favorite 2D one, it definitely deserves all of the praise it gets.

Game #47

About thirty years too late to be presenting any fresh takes about Super Mario World, but here comes my thoughts regardless! This game's a classic, launching off the SNES and entering fierce competition with the contrasting Sonic 1 a year later.

Let's start out with the positives. The introduction of Yoshi is a nice touch, functioning as a power-up with his own unique rules such as being able to get him back after being hit or eating enemies for power-up variations. I quite enjoy the overworld's system of secret exits in tons of levels to unlock alternate routes, warps and secret worlds, and when I thought about it I'm actually shocked more games haven't really used this system given how popular Super Mario World was? Most games that use level selects are either pretty linear or have more direct branching paths (just look at Super Mario 3D World for example), rather than the complex web of exits that Super Mario World has. I will say though that, and this comparison will pop up a few times due to the games being connected and being my favorite 2D Mario (currently), I do prefer Super Mario Bros. 3's overworld. It doesn't have the complexity of exits, but the different ways you can tackle pathing is very interesting, and I always liked the way you could use items before entering levels.

The game doesn't FULLY utilize the SNES' power, unsurprising for a launch title, but Super Mario World is still a pretty looking game (even if I prefer SMB3's a bit more dusty, even "realistic" feel at times), and some parts of it particularly ooze quality such as Bowser's overworld or the Forest of Illusion. I really like the small touch of lightning flashes in the Bowser level overworld giving you a glimpse of the final boss! This game also does all the little things right, stuff like Peach in the final battle helping you out, that help elevate it beyond what would feel like bog standard New Super Mario Bros fare. This game clearly seeks to iterate on the NES Super Mario games and loves introducing new concepts such as springs, the aforementioned Yoshi, the cape's movement, and a toooooooon of gimmicks to mess around with. Super Mario World doesn't play it safe and when it is on, it is on! My favorite levels would probably be most of the Bowser levels, Forest of Illusion levels, Chocolate Island 2 (what a crazy cool gimmick!), Chocolate Island 3, and Ludwig's Castle off the top of my head.

This game had a lot of problems for me too, though, and when it was off it was pretty off. The most obvious thing that hurt a lot of the cool level design was the physic. Mario feels waaaaay floatier and loose compared to the NES titles, is this just me a thing? I hear a lot of people complain about SMB1 or even SMB3's physics, but when I was replaying SMB1 recently I was able to consistently bring myself to a halt on the edges of platforms and do crazy tricks. But in World, Mario retains much more of his momentum when he lands from a jump while also being floatier in the air. Great when you have lots of open space! Not so great whenever you jump on something small. I legitimately had an easier time with a bunch of the Bowser levels because they asked you to do daring, risky, precision platforming but onto large platforms than sometimes I had with simple "hit a block, jump on the block" stuff because it is so easy to slip off of one block if you get the momentum even a bit off.

Similarly, I would say I prefer the P-Speed of Super Mario Bros 3 to Super Mario World's dashing system. World feels a bit squished onto an SNES controller frankly, with both the power up and dash buttons on the same button leading to awkwardness if you want to both run and attack. You also basically want to be holding down dash 80% of the time, which can feel kinda weird to then also jump and led to me often letting go of dash to jump when I really shouldn't. You CAN just fat finger the dash with the jump and spin jump, but it often feels off and with the spin jump in particular not great. I also had a few troubles with my fingers being a bit big for the buttons for this, but I won't really dock points from the game for that because on the SNES (which it was designed for) the buttons were bigger and more spread out than a Pro Controller, so it'd work better with its intended design. P-Speed also feels more skillful, needing to find ways to keep up your momentum and plot out how to move and platform through a course, versus holding down a button. It also allows you to build it up while attacking and felt super smooth with the fire flower.

While the base graphical quality is solid, the game is sorely lacking in variety. The Ghosts Houses and Castles looking the same isn't the issue, but Donut Plains and Chocolate Island for example feel like they could easily be the same "area". It feels like for the main game at least the game has about 3-4 themes that it stretches out compared to the extreme variety of Super Mario Bros. 3 or some other platformers, without having a "unifying" feel that would make it be more logical. Valley of Bowser and Forest of Illusion not only had some of my favorite level design but were some of the only levels that had a truly unique aesthetic which I think really helped them stand out.

Thirdly the game has some VERY uneven level design, to the point by the end I was getting into a rhythm of liking about 2-3 levels fairly well then coming across one I rather disliked. Pretty much every castle level except for Iggy's, Ludwig's and Bowser's sucks. Lemmy and Larry's are probably the worst offenders here, the start of Lemmy's castle is just a needlessly annoying gimmick (and I don't think Ieven ended up clearing it the "right" way lol) which sours a fun latter half, while Larry's has a very boring snake block segment at the start that is RIDICULOUSLY easy but takes like a minute, which if you have to retry the level multiple times starts to feel like brain rot. Wendy's level also suffers from me finding the spin jump onto sawblades or wrecking balls unreliable, leading to frustrating deaths. Sunken Ghost Ship was also a level I disliked.

And while I know many people describe one of THE moments of Super Mario World as getting the cape...I gotta be honest, Donut Plains 1 is one of my least favorite levels in the entire game. The placement of the enemies feels all wrong! The start of the course clearly wants you to be able to get a cape from a Cape Koopa, then learn how to use it to fly, except they placed them in such a way that the enemies at the start will respawn super easily and make it tremendously annoying to do so! The entire level was annoying and actually one of the ones I had the most trouble with, on top of that I get the appeal of how the cape controls but I wasn't exactly a great fan. It does feel pretty nice whenever you get a very wide open space (unless there's enemies), but anything not meant for you to basically skip over everything feels trashy.

Unsurprisingly the story is very barebones and I don't think it has setpieces that match up to taking down Bowser's entire army in SMB3, but I did really enjoy all the little skits after clearing each castle. Were they necessary? Not at all. Were they one of those little things this game does quite well? Absolutely! I looked forward to seeing what each one would do, and of course this is the kind of thing that is enjoyably abusable in the SMW modding scene.

Overall, Super Mario World was a good game with some great highs and frustrating lows. It's easy for me to understand why people consider it a masterpiece, particularly anyone who really gels with the physics (watch people who REALLY know how to play this game and they can pull off soem crazy stuff!), but too much dragged it down for me for it to reach that level. I got half the exits in the game and it was fun enough I'll probably go back some day to get some more, though, so I'd say mission accomplished...and I'm pretty excited to play Yoshi's Island sometime soon. :)

I have very simple tastes: if a game has dinosaurs in it, then that means it's a good game for me.

It's very hard to talk about Super Mario World without sounding too repetitive, I mean you could almost say all that for all of the Mario's but for this one is especially true. It's considered by many the pinnacle of 2D Mario, and for many others just second to Super Mario Bros. 3, and its community is still thriving to this very day: Rom Hacks, speedruns, video-essays, you name it, this game's fans are more than pleased to talk about it. So coming as a newcomer, what I have very few news perspectives to bring, other than one particular thing that I realized while I was playing half-way through: it's a game that seems to be having fun.

The game itself of course it's fun, mechanically speaking it's (almost) perfect. It takes Mario's preexisting move set and expands on it, introducing the spin-jump and Yoshi, the first changing completely how you can approach both enemies obstacle that would otherwise kill you and can be used to do incredible tricks that reward you from experimenting with it (the Kaizo community definitely didn't pass on that) and Yoshi it's just a straight up upgrade, it kills most enemies with one jump, eating is fast and can let you pick items, and eating colored shells can grant abilities like spitting fire and flying, and that adds yet another layer how you approach the levels. However, Mario still retains the slipperiness form the past entries, and while this shouldn't be a problem, after all in past games this helped to go as fast as possible through the levels, in Super Mario World it's a much prominent problems, you can still go fast in some levels no doubt, but this game demands more precision, and while Mario's momentum and weight do help make the game feel more mechanically sound, it can still be a pain in some of the harder levels. The levels itself are a weird can of worms on its own, there are stellar designs here, and because how the map it's connected it does feel like a world and levels share themes, but aside from some of the castle levels and one of two levels that introduce a new obstacle, it's really hard for me to remember a particular level past world 1. They are all competent, there's not a level I could call ''bad'', but most of them just aren't that memorable. Also, one thing I just found plain underwhelming is how the reward for most things, like secret areas or getting enough points after ending the level, is 1-Ups, and when every time you boot the game again they reset back to 5, most actions you do to get them just feel... pointless. And despite of that, despite of the few minor problems, I still had a ton of fun, 'cause again, the game itself is fun, but as I said earlier, it seems like the game itself is having fun as well.

It's by far the most experimental out of all the 2D Mario's, it isn't scared of implementing brand new things or changing what once known; it toys with the idea of being a soft reboot for the series, and after this one, many of the ideas it implemented would remain staples of the series, with others being limited to this game only, which gives it a fairly unique aura that few other titles in the series have. it's PACKED with secret, from switches that once activated affect all the levels, to two entirely secret worlds with totally unique levels. As I said before, the levels itself may not be the most memorable thing in the world, but the mechanics and enemies are; in that regard, it's like these things were perfectioned to the extreme, and the levels were more of playground to make you use all that the games give you, and just have a blast.

I know I've been critical to the game, but that's just because I ended up loving it, and as such some of its flaws became more apparent. The fact of the matter is that there's no other game in the whole series as this one, it may not be the best one for many, but is sure is unique and incredibly fun, a true jump forward that was needed for the series to continue, and a really, really fantastic game.

realized i'd somehow gotten away with not reviewing super mario world despite covering the majority of the classic mario line-up prior, so here goes. in short - i think super mario world vs. super mario bros. 3 is a pretty legitimate argument and not nearly as far to one side as many would have you believe. that said, based on what i look for in mario games, and just as likely based on the fact that super mario bros. 3, being my first video game period, set the standard for what i was going to expect, i do feel that mario world comes up just a tad bit short. to elaborate -

i feel that super mario world is defined by excellence in simplicity. there's only two major power-up routes in the game - fire flower and cape - as opposed to mario 3's wide arsenal of abilities. you could argue yoshi balances this out, and i could see where you're coming from, but i often feel as if mario world doesn't really know what to do with him there. there's not really enough yoshi brings to the table in this debut title that really benefits from his being here. compare this, even, to his implementation - successful or otherwise - in titles like mario sunshine or galaxy 2. here, yoshi feels more like an extra hit and a temporary bulk to mario's powers, but not all that essential to the core game design. levels were designed around exploration with flight in mario 3, and that's still true here, though i do find that the cape is far more cumbersome to use. interesting mechanic but less reliable and enjoyable. and frankly, the lack of really cool abilities like the tanooki and hammer bros. suits are a bit disappointing.

is the level design better than mario 3's? sometimes. sometimes you have some really excellent challenges at hand like a plethora of the star road levels or the more uptempo platforming challenges, but just as commonly you'll get a level with poor enemy placement or confusing 'dungeon' mechanics. i love a good deal of mario world, but the amount of times i've hit forest of illusion and gone, "eh, i'll come back to this" and never do... it's pretty remarkable.

what's the point of lives here? since the game incentivizes you to seek out secret exits and with a half hour of gametime rewards light exploration with infinite flowers, capes, and lives, any potential threat of a game over - which also means next to nothing in this game - is rendered moot. for a console leap forward, this is the type of archaic design that, unless carried over with a deliberate purpose, really should've been left behind with the nes.

you might read all the above and think i find this game overrated or something. what do i look like? it's fucking mario world. the soundtrack manages to implement a single motif so many ways it's astounding. the visuals are great with some of the most iconic spritework in the series. the characters and enemies are timeless. prefer mario 3 as i may, i've played through mario world so many times i couldn't possibly count. there's a reason it's one of THE most iconic games ever made.

Writing a semi-negative review of Super Mario World is something I feel a little bad about. This is Super MARIO World. Anyone even vaguely interested in videogames has been told time and time again that this is not only one of Mario's best outings, but one of the best 2D platformers ever made. While the blind loyalty for 8-bit games has mostly gone away this past decade, the classics of the 16-bit generation are still largely untouchable. I guess I'm part of that problem. You'll never see me miss an opportunity to talk about how much I adore games like Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Ristar, Kirby Super Star, and Donkey Kong Country 2.

Super Mario World, though? It's okay, I guess.

My biggest criticism lies with the level design. Nowadays, Nintendo's platformers are well known for following a pretty predictable philosophy:

1. Introduce a unique mechanic/obstacle for the level

2. Reiterate on introduced mechanic/obstacle

3. Put a "surprising" twist on the mechanic/obstacle

4. Make one final gauntlet to test the player on what they've learned

This format is repeated throughout most stages in modern Nintendo titles and while it can lead to levels being a bit too similar and "design by committee", it became a staple of their games for a reason. It's a really effective way of teaching new elements to players while giving the designers a chance to fully flesh out a mechanic and tell a mini story of sorts within a single level.

Super Mario World does not follow this template. If anything, it does the exact opposite. It genuinely feels like many elements were added to levels at random. So many levels lack any strong identity and are a seemingly aimless mess of enemies and obstacles. Ideas can be introduced early in a level and then go completely unused for the rest of it. Some obstacles only appear once in the entire game despite being prime material to expand upon. This might be something longtime fans have become desensitized to but as someone that has only played through World a handful of times, it's never stopped weirding me out. Rarely do I feel any sort of flow within these stages and the less said about the amount of auto scrollers and slow swimming levels, the better.

Another issue with the level design is how the game is structured in a way that defeats its own rewards system. You are constantly showered with 1-ups, making them feel worthless only a couple worlds in. Even if they came in lesser numbers, they'd still be rather pointless due to the generous save system. Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset that SMW allows me to save my game, but it and the 1-up system don't mix well, though this is hardly a problem unique to World. A problem that's persisted with nearly every 2D Mario game is how power-ups aren't a good reward for exploration either. SMW doesn't punish you for revisiting levels to reacquire power-ups and there's even a "super secret" level early on in the game that is literally one screen long and gives you a Yoshi, a Fire Flower, and a Cape, and YOU CAN REVISIT THIS LEVEL AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT! It's such a self-defeating secret because it invalidates the need to look for items elsewhere. It's not like most of World's levels have much in the way of alternate paths or hidden sections anyways. Compared to something like Sonic 2, World does a terrible job at encouraging you to look around its frequently vacant-feeling levels.

Maybe the less coherent level design wouldn't be such an issue for me if the game made up for it in other areas. For example, Sonic CD has messy level design with no sense of flow to it but the game is at least backed by stellar controls and superb aesthetics. Sadly, the controls don't do much for me. Outside of the cape, which is an excellent Mario power-up that's fun to master, Mario's basic moves are pretty one note and I've never been a fan of his insane level of inertia in World. In most platformers I can either slowly let go of the d-pad to stop my character's momentum or hold the opposite direction for a similar result. With World, Mario keeps his inertia in the air even if you let go of the d-pad. To make matters worse, he'll retain most of his inertia if you hold the d-pad in the opposite direction. Actually getting Mario to land on small blocks is far more stressful here than in SMB1 or the New Super Mario Bros games. I never feel confident in my landing skills when playing World, which is a pretty big issue for a platformer. That said, since so many people don't seem to have this problem I can only assume this is mostly a problem specific to me and a very small percent of other players.

One last area I think World fumbles is with its art direction. For being an SNES launch game, I would never expect World to have the technical prowess later games on the system exuded, but the big issue is that SMW feels painfully sterile. I'm sure if you have a deep nostalgic attachment to this game you might find many of its environments to be iconic but as someone whos first Mario was Super Mario 64 (and first 2D Mario game was Super Mario Land 2), I don't feel anything upon seeing these levels. The muted color palette (especially compared to the previously released SMB3) and lack of detail does little to sell me on Dinosaur Island as anything more than a wahoo-scrimblo-bimblo level. The soundtrack fares a lot better but there aren't many tracks in total so the main theme of the game gets a bit tiresome towards the end.

Honestly, I'm not sure how to even end this review besides being a pretentious ass and saying SMW reminds me of many Disney movies during their renaissance era. It's a game that's perfectly competent on the whole but is elevated to unreachable heights due to the prestige behind the Nintendo brand at the time. I'm not saying anyone is wrong for loving Mario World, but I'm curious as to what their other favorite games from that generation are.

Growing up, Super Mario World was one of the few games I had on the SNES. Because of this, I used to spend a lot of time playing it, and I loved combing the game's levels, trying to find as many of the game's secrets as I could. There always seemed to be a new hard to reach area to get to or a secret exit to find, and I needed to do it all. I have always considered Super Mario World to be one of all-time favorite games, but I recently decided to replay through it to see if it still stood up after all these years.

I am happy to say that is has stood the test of time incredibly well. Better than I expected, even. The game world is just as charming as I remembered it being, with everything being brought to life through vibrant visuals, stellar sprite design, and an incredibly catchy soundtrack. The levels were well designed and fun to explore, and I loved how their aesthetics matched where they were on the world map (levels in the cave area took place in underground environments, for example). I feel that the game's controls were spot on too, and I felt like it was my own fault whenever I died (usually, anyway). Lastly, I really enjoyed the game's power ups (especially the feather/cape), and I thought the addition of Yoshi was a lot of fun too (though I didn't end up using him too much in this playthrough).

My one complaint with this playthrough was that it all felt too familiar. I had already seen these enemy types before and had defeated these bosses a dozen times or more. I had already mastered the challenging stages, made my way around star road, and knew how to activate all the secret exits. It was still fun, don't get me wrong, but even with it being over 15 years since my last playthrough I couldn't shake that feeling of it all being just so darn familiar.

That complaint aside, I had a fantastic time replaying Super Mario World. The game controls great, the world is charming and fun to explore, there are an incredible number of secrets to find, and simply put, the game it is a lot of fun to play. This is still considered to be one of the very best platformers ever made, and for good reason. I had a great time with this playthrough, and I still consider Super Mario World to be one of my all-time favorite games.

Super Mario World is a follow up of the divisive, yet iconic JRPGs, Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3. Like its predecessors, Super Mario World is basically just series of 25 minute long cutscenes that all follow the same basic structure over and over. And that is its main flaw.

After this game the franchise dove away from the JRPG genre and the mainline games became primarily platforming based. This game however is still a boring JRPG with a rough plot and almost no gameplay,

This time it repeats the idea of the previous games, starring Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad however this time they include the new protagonist Yoshi who is voiced by Andrew Sabiston. Yoshi however doesn't really add much to the plot but to give Mario another character to work off of. Later games would flesh out Yoshi as Mario's mount along with some extra features which I think was for the better.

Most Chapters revolve around a generic plot that they repeat with minor variations over and over and it gets very boring very fast. The entire gameplay can be summed up as the menu that brings you to the level select and everything after that is just cutscenes that go on for too long.

The only redeeming quality of this game is that the characters are kind of fun. Plus every Chapter starts with this groovy little song that sound slike they're trying to emulate cave man noises in reference to Yoshi being prehistoric. Its neat and the cast is fun (yet can sometimes be annoying.) Thats all I have to say about it. I don't understand why this game is so well loved by everyone. Its definitely overrated.

There are 904 reviews on this site for Super Mario World, with countless more video essays and articles and retrospectives gunking up the net. Everyone has played it, everyone has an opinion on it, nobody has anything new to say about it. I don't have a friend group large enough to pretend like anyone is going to feign interest in my white bread opinion, but since I committed myself to writing something about every game on my bucket list:

Super Mario World stands side-by-side with Sonic 3 & Knuckles as being the platformers of the 16-bit era. It is timeless, nearly flawless, and one of the easiest games to pick up and play. It pretty much set the standard for 2D platformers and its impact is every bit as present and powerful today as it was in the 1990s.

There is no greater joy than jumping off a yoshi halfway over a pit of lava

Super Mario World feels a rather bizarre coming directly after SMB3 for a few reasons for the ways it can be seen as such a significant step forward and back at the same time for the way the series was exploring. On one hand, the presentation and general level design is a much smoother ride overall, shedding the last janky remnants of the NES as it gracefully makes its transition over to the 16-bit era. At the same time however, there are a lot of elements that feel like strict downgrades that lead to a game that feels like it clearly went more for a polished experience as opposed to the wildly bold and ambitious nature of SMB3, with a lot of the more unusual elements taking place feeling more along the lines of being a bit strange rather than instantly feeling like a cool and clever addition to the series. This isn't really to say that the game is bad be any means either, in fact, I do still prefer it to SMB3 for a few different reasons, but it's nonetheless interesting to see how such an endlessly iconic Mario title still ends up feeling like such a bizarre outlier in a lot of key areas when stacked against a lot of what else has gone on.

The most immediately apparent way in which this game improves upon SMB3 is with the movement of Mario himself. There's still a distinct sense of weight and momentum, but it's been tweaked in a few key places to stop the player from feeling as if they're slipping around a bit, instead having enough control to be made to feel reasonably confident in most situations thrown towards them while still having enough nuance to allow for some awesome manoeuvres. This is further elevated with tools such as the Yoshis and the cape feather being powerful enough to allow you to bypass sizeable portions of levels while keeping it feeling relatively balanced due to how easily this strategy will lead you to taking a hit and immediately having that power torn away. The way these different types of power are handled is an especially neat little shakeup to the formula that further adds to this sense of risk-reward while also allowing for greater flexibility. It's an idea that has quite a strong impact on the way levels are able to be designed without feeling outright frustrating too, with more specific moments that expect you to use a certain powerup for particular paths being feasible to include without horribly tanking the flow of everything.

These sections either being put on levels with multiple exits or simply to put down extra items further helps this by ensuring that you still feel like you're able to make progress even if you can't immediately access these areas that are out of reach. The level design in general just tends to have this rather strange quality about it for a lot of the best stages too, with a lot of moments that almost feel like something you'd find in a Mario Maker level, with so many slightly off ideas using existing mechanics rather than explicitly making something wholly unique to fulfil this one purpose. It works really well for the most part too, usually leading to a sort of vibe where you're always slightly on your toes because you're just not entirely sure which convention will be mildly messed with next and where you should potentially look to find another secret. I love how the very first level of the game establishes this with the random giant bullet bill that comes out of seemingly nowhere as the player runs through a mostly flat field with a few enemies scattered around. It's such an interesting way to kick off a game even if it doesn't especially follow a lot about what one might expect an opening level to involve. Really the main problem is the fact that the game is perhaps a bit too cursory with some of the entirely unique mechanics they bring in with the way they often serve as such minute obstacles that never get expanded upon and end up never moving past the initial phase of being introduced to the player. While it's a bit of a double edged sword, where you want to include a decent variety of scenarios for the player to deal with while also organically increasing the complexity of what's already there, I definitely get the feeling that this just led that tiny bit further into the former category.

I'd also say that there are a few too many levels that feel like rather uninspired experiences, especially a lot of the fully linear ones where it becomes a more pure platforming exercise. This is especially egregious with the autoscrollers, which move at a snail's pace and often set the player up in such a way that they're likely to get caught off guard by something they could not have forseen. I'd honestly say that this is the worst the autoscrollers have been in the series from what I've played, as while the amount of them in SMB3 was pretty ludicrous, it at least came with some seriously imposing atmosphere and they helped contribute to the final world being as wonderfully memorable as it was, where comparatively, these ones just embody all of the most infamous elements of them and roll them up into one huge ball of boredom and mild frustration. On the topic of other steps backwards in the series, I find it bizarre how this game feels like it focuses on gaining extra lives as strongly as it does, especially after the way that the significance of them had already been de-emphasised in SMB3. Making most of the optional challenges just provide extra lives just takes some of the value away from such ideas, especially since the game is both relatively easy and also has multiple quick and easy ways to gain a ton of 1-ups. The decision to do things this way is also incredibly off the mark when taking into account the way that both lives and points don't seem to transfer over in-between play sessions, which ends up undermining a lot of the reward of exploring to begin with when your prizes fade the moment you want to fully put the game down.

With all that said, with all the complaining I've done, I still think that this is absolutely the best Super Mario game I've played so far, because while it might be lacking in a few regards that stop it from fully coming together, especially with the last world being fairly weak and there being a handful of truly horrendous stages, this is such a comfy game with an amazing foundation that breathes life into so many interactions, no matter how small. It's a great time and one that undoubtedly has the power to make me want to return to this for another chill playthrough almost immediately, and I'm glad that I finally got around to playing it for the first time after so long.

Super Mario World might be the most acclaimed platformer of all time. It is extremely beloved universally and it makes sense why; it's very charming, it's got a plethora of content and it might be the most distinct feeling 2D Mario out there. Yet I must admit, I'm not fond of it for a very particular set of reasons.

Super Mario World's level design is something I have to consistently question, time and time again, in spite of its beloved reputation. The game is full of heart and yet it echoes an atmosphere where no ideas that the developers poured in actually got finalized or expanded upon. Think back to the Koopa Shells that home in on you; they could have done a lot with those, and I think we can agree a Mario level is at its best when it repeatedly iterates on ideas to create complexity and new challenges throughout the duration. That said, these homing Koopa Shells are only used a few times and are slapped at random parts of a level, with practically no iteration. Almost any unique concept is more so tossed around rather than slowly expanded upon. The ability to run up walls with those little smiley face blocks is practically completely underutilized for any serious platforming, and you don't really see Yoshi or the Cape get any serious usage either besides just being... there to trivialize levels. This wouldn't be so upsetting to me if the game at least had entertaining platforming by default, but Super Mario World clearly butchered not only stages of their creative gimmicks, but also any chance for interesting platforming due to overall flat, empty level design that doesn't engage you much. This is all addressing Super Mario World as a standalone platformer and not as a sequel mind you, and then I feel the need to bring up how the best elements of SMB3 are completely ditched here. No more dynamic levels that appear on the map, no more branching map gates, no more item shops, no more minigames and worst of all, no more P-Meter: the saving grace mechanically for even SMB3's least interesting levels. Even basic things that could have been tweaked to improve from that game just didn't get tweaked; does anyone else love when they get to the right of an auto-scrolling level and just have to sit there waiting for it to move even though you've already gotten through the obstacles? How about having every single level play a track you've probably heard in the first world before? There's even arguably a downgrade of precision, since although World controls extremely smoothly, you actually have a lot less leeway in regards to your jump. In 3 both the P-Meter and physics are teaming up to give you very smooth inputs. You lightly tap jump, Mario lightly jumps. You hold it down, he does a larger jump. Combining this with the momentum system and horizontal movement and you have a very dense but extremely controllable movement system. Mario's jumps in World don't have much room to compare though, since no matter how precisely you input they almost always have the same velocity and height, with only two notable variations if you really lightly tap jump, or heavily tap jump, neither of which offer much complexity or variety for segments that might need it. It ultimately leaves me sour on a game which, I really do appreciate for the sheer conceptual quality it has in so many departments. But I just can't bring myself to say that the game is more than average for me.