while I've explored most of mario's journeys throughout my life, SMW always sort of felt like more of a mysterious adventure, most likely due to what was, at the time, my very young brain's limitations in discerning how to solve each level's varying puzzles & secrets. as a child, i felt frustrated that I was clearly missing something in vanilla dome. by the time i had reached the forest of illusion, i just stopped trying altogether.

i'm glad that I gave this gem another shot as an adult, where i was really able to appreciate the tight controls, beautiful artwork/sprite design, puzzles, and progression. taking a lap around dinosaur island was colorful and rewarding as I was able to find nearly each secret and see for myself a fully explored world & uncovered paths. while the music did sort of blend into the background after awhile, i seldom felt as though any given level felt exactly like the last.

despite giving it some thought, I'm not sure what could push this game, for me, from a 4/5 to a 5/5. it could be that its kept here due to limitations of a generation or the simple boss fights, but who is to say. for a game that came into existence about thirty five years ago, i found that this light-hearted and joyful experience had me feeling content from start to finish.