Christmas 2003, dad got me this game and I opened it pretty early during the gift opening. It did blow my mind, but I was distraught toward the end, as I didn't have a console to play the game, and doubted that dad got such an expensive game AND a game console to boot. "Oh look, what have we here, looks like there's one last present..." he said, and handed me my brand new GBA SP at the very end. Top ten memories contender. I played this game every available minute I had. It got confiscated a number of times because I kept playing it too heavily, and I always had to leave it with my mom before going to bed. One time I just turned the console on and off to see the intro and keep myself entertained without a game.

I had a hard time with it, of course, as one's first Mario game should be, and several sessions were spent exclusively trying to beat Bowser without really nailing the "kick shell upward" mechanic. That is, I didn't know how I did it, I just sort of flicked my fingers a certain way and sometimes that did the trick. Didn't know English enough to understand tutorials, and brute-forcing game mechanics don't always reveal everything.

My favorite thing about this game was... swimming... and sliding... for some reason those were so inherently satisfying. Also flying, when I eventually got that down. My least favorite thing were those continuously scrolling levels.

The main additions to this compared to the SNES original are playable Luigi with similar physics to SMB2 with his trademark slippery run and higher jump.

As well as track-able collectables, now you can see what Yoshi Coins you have collected throughout each level, while Secret Exits had a tell in the original they’re also denoted on this screen.

There are cute little animated sequences when you hit each goal.

I think it’s a fine way to experience Super Mario World and many probably prefer it, sound and visuals have some compromise. Thinner sound and with some scrolling vertically due to the GBA aspect ratio.

There’s a fan hack of the original that adds in these systems to the SNES original.

The detail I never picked up on is the costumed bullet bills look like Kirby’s owl shaped friend or something. Very cute.

Pros: It's the Super Mario World we all know and love, with some real quality new additions and QOL improvements. For one, collecting Yoshi coins goes towards percentage, and it along with the rest of level stats are kept track of on a sub-screen menu, which is very helpful for chronicling your completion of the game. Another great new addition is Luigi! He plays entirely differently, like jumping higher, more slippery traction, and bursting every coin out of a coinbox all at once. Luigi even changes the way Yoshi plays when riding him, such as holding enemies in his mouth with the ability to spit them back out. I particularly love the intro story to the game, giving context to the adventure, and the intro even has an extended ending upon beating the game. Very charming, lovely music to it too. Other little changes to the game are also quite welcome, like Peach's new sprite, and in most cases, the lighter color palette is easy on the eyes.

Cons: In most cases, in some cases, the lighter color palette can make the game look a bit more washed out than the more vibrant appearance of the SNES original. And outside of the changes I mentioned above, there really isn't much else new to this version of the game, which, feels less substantial than the other "Super Mario Advance" games, which added quite a lot to the original games.

What it means to me: The SNES original is already my favorite 2D Mario, and a portable version was such an easy win for me, played the hell out of it, just as I did the SNES game. And playing as Luigi made it different enough to feel worth another go. I don't have any stories attached to this one, but I do remember having it in my GBA quite often.

I initially played this on my Game Boy Player for a little while, but later sold the cartridge after beating Bowser on the original through Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online. Years later, I had second thoughts and decided to emulate it using mGBA on my modded Wii, this time aiming to find every exit and collect every Dragon Coin (this version keeps track of them). In the end, I earned 3 stars on the select screen, I will not be going for 5.

I think it took a second, more thorough playthrough for me to finally "get" Super Mario World. The branching paths on the overworld map encourage exploration and reward sharp-eyed players, and Yoshi more than makes up for the shortage of power-ups compared to Super Mario Bros. 3. On top of that, the level design is more varied than ever, with cleverly implemented stage elements that make individual courses even more memorable than that of its predecessors. My only disappointment was with the bosses, save for Bowser; they were clearly treated as an afterthought, but then again, doesn't nearly every other 2D Mario game do this? I now see why the original game is hailed as an SNES icon, and I'm more than willing to recommend it to those less acquainted with retro titles.

That said, this review is covering the GBA port, not the SNES version. Many have said it already, but I'll say it again: the screen crunch is an issue, and a hard one for me to ignore. When you port a platformer to a system with an aspect ratio it wasn't designed for, you're often left with a comparatively cramped game. The level design is tweaked to accommodate this new orientation, but I noticed the screen was constantly shifting left and right at the slightest movements, frantically trying to adjust to my inputs; ironically, this only made landing jumps harder. Super Mario World is tough but fair, while Super Mario Advance 2 makes me question whether or not I really could've anticipated that Para-Koopa coming. The quality-of-life adjustments and other new features are nice to have, but to no fault of their own, the developers could not overcome the screen crunch.

I'm sure it was nice in 2001 to play a wonderful game like Super Mario World on the go, but QoL enhancements aside, there is little reason to play this port nowadays.

Nunca tinha interesse nessa versão do Mario World, mas queria rejogar e peguei ela no 3DS, e bem, foi daora cara.

É o mesmo jogo, mas as atualizações no mapa ajudam muito pra fazer o 100%, eu também acho que tem fases que ficaram mais chatas aqui por causa da camera, mas tudo bem, é um port pro GBA não tem como fugir disso.

É um jeito bem valido de jogar o World até hoje, acho que se um dia eu tiver a vontade de fazer o 100% desse jogo, vai ser por essa versão mesmo.