As good as the graphics and music are, Super Mario World is very uninspired. Assets are reused constantly and the levels lack the unique set pieces that made Mario 3's levels stand out. Considering that game was on inferior hardware, Super Mario World should have trumped its predecessor in this area. If that were the case, I have no doubt the secret exits would have thrilled me.
So the levels disappointed me, but what about the controls everyone raves about? I'm sorry to say, but Super Mario World easily has the worst controls in a mainline Mario game. The plumber doesn't have much traction on the ground, which would be fine if that also applied to jumping like in Mario 3, but that's not the case. Being able to turn on a dime in the air at max speed is unintuitive because of the slippery ground controls and I lost track of how many times I barely missed jumping over a pit or onto an enemy. Even after getting 100%, I never got used to how Mario feels, and that's a shame.
So the levels disappointed me, but what about the controls everyone raves about? I'm sorry to say, but Super Mario World easily has the worst controls in a mainline Mario game. The plumber doesn't have much traction on the ground, which would be fine if that also applied to jumping like in Mario 3, but that's not the case. Being able to turn on a dime in the air at max speed is unintuitive because of the slippery ground controls and I lost track of how many times I barely missed jumping over a pit or onto an enemy. Even after getting 100%, I never got used to how Mario feels, and that's a shame.