Super Mario World is one of the best Mario game i’ve ever played, and also one of my favorite video games in general. It’s a game that is very special to me, as it’s one of the first games I ever beat.
The game follows Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach on vacation to a new place called Dinosaur Land. However, Peach disappears as she has been kidnapped by Bowser and his 7 Koopalings once again. While searching for Peach, the brothers run into an egg that hatches into Yoshi. Yoshi tells Mario and Luigi that his dinosaur friends were also sealed in eggs by Bowser. With that in mind, Mario and Luigi head across Dinosaur Land to find Peach and the other dinosaurs. The plot of this game is very simple, however that’s to be expected in a mario game since the platforming is the main focus.
The platforming in this game is some of the best I’ve ever played. It has some of the best 2D Mario controls ever; the platforming is pixel perfect, and it controls effortlessly. This goes hand in hand with the amazing level design. Not only are the platforms in the levels well placed, but so are the enemies.
This game brings back the super mushroom, the fire flower, and the super star from the first mario game. In addition to this, there are some new power ups. This includes the super cape. Which allows mario to glide and fly similar to the raccoon leaf in mario 3, but the flying in this game is so much more fast paced and is only limited by any obstacles you may come across. There is also the P balloon, which allows Mario to float for a short time. This powerup isn’t that great, as it only lasts for a few seconds and just feels like an inferior version of the super cape.
If mario gets touched by an enemy, he loses the powerup he has and goes back to small mario. This game lets you store an extra powerup in a box at the top of the screen, which is really helpful if you need another powerup after getting hit. This feature is also useful for switching between power ups, depending on the type of level you’re playing.
This game also adds yoshi, a dinosaur companion. Mario can ride on yoshi, and use him to traverse the levels. Yoshi can eat enemies with his tongue, and spit out certain enemies such as koopa shells. Yoshi can also provide the player with an extra jump, however doing so sacrifices yoshi.
The levels in this game vary. The levels can consist of simple levels, more platforming focused levels, auto scrolling levels, and castle levels. In addition, this game adds in ghost houses, which are new to the series. These levels focus on the boo enemies, and are more exploration focused; completing these usually requires you to find a secret exit by thinking outside the box. Unfortunately, you can’t bring yoshi with you in ghost houses or castles.
This game has a world map that looks great; the levels and worlds flow into each other naturally. You can also go back and play previous levels; a feature that wasn’t in past mario games. This is really useful for finding secrets in this game. This includes secret exits, which are unlocked by finding a key and keyhole in a level. These unlock new levels, switch palaces, and star road; an extra world with more challenging levels. Completing Star Road unlocks a new world; Special Zone. This world has the most challenging levels in the game. Completing these extra worlds aren’t necessary to beat the game, but they’re nice to have as an extra challenge. Completing special zone changes the color palette and some of the sprites of the game; I’m not a fan of some of the changes, but it’s a nice little reward for clearing the extra worlds.
In the castle levels of this game, you end it by fighting one of the 7 koopalings. Although most of them can be beat in 3 easy hits, they all slightly differ from each other; this makes the fights way more entertaining than mario 3, where you could easily beat them in 3 hits. There are also fortress levels, where you fight reznor at the end. Reznor is cool in concept but is way too easy, however since it is only a mini boss i don’t consider this a big issue.
The final boss of this game is bowser, and it’s one of the most unique bowser fights in a mario game i’ve played. Instead of falling to lava or a void like previous games, he flies around in a koopa car. To fight Bowser, you have to jump on the mecha koopas and throw them back at him. After 2 hits he will fly away, but come back to start the next phase. Inbetween these phases, he breathes fire on the floor, and after this peach will give you a mushroom if you don’t already have one. This boss ends after 3 phases. It’s one of the most fun I've ever had in a 2d platformer boss fight, it’s done so well and is always a joy to come back to.
The graphics in this game are so charming. Super Mario World was a launch title for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, which makes it one of Nintendo’s first 16 bit era games. The game’s graphics still hold up really well to this day, and it’s one of the best looking games on the snes. The sprites use vibrant colors to make them really stand out; the same can be said for the platforms and environments in the game. The game also has some really well made sprite animations. My favorite animations are the ones that play after you beat a boss; a unique animation of mario destroying the castle will play each time.
The sound design in this game is really well done. Every level theme in the game has the same melody, but the instruments and pacing change depending on the level. For example, the castle theme is dramatic, whereas the underwater theme is calming. This helps to create immersion in the game, and also makes every song stand out from each other. The 16 bit sound effects also add to the immersion; every action in the game is accompanied by a charming sound effect.
Overall, I adore Super Mario World. It’s one of the most fun games I’ve ever played, and it’s one that I always find myself coming back to every once in a while. Go and play this game if you haven’t already, you won’t regret it.
The game follows Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach on vacation to a new place called Dinosaur Land. However, Peach disappears as she has been kidnapped by Bowser and his 7 Koopalings once again. While searching for Peach, the brothers run into an egg that hatches into Yoshi. Yoshi tells Mario and Luigi that his dinosaur friends were also sealed in eggs by Bowser. With that in mind, Mario and Luigi head across Dinosaur Land to find Peach and the other dinosaurs. The plot of this game is very simple, however that’s to be expected in a mario game since the platforming is the main focus.
The platforming in this game is some of the best I’ve ever played. It has some of the best 2D Mario controls ever; the platforming is pixel perfect, and it controls effortlessly. This goes hand in hand with the amazing level design. Not only are the platforms in the levels well placed, but so are the enemies.
This game brings back the super mushroom, the fire flower, and the super star from the first mario game. In addition to this, there are some new power ups. This includes the super cape. Which allows mario to glide and fly similar to the raccoon leaf in mario 3, but the flying in this game is so much more fast paced and is only limited by any obstacles you may come across. There is also the P balloon, which allows Mario to float for a short time. This powerup isn’t that great, as it only lasts for a few seconds and just feels like an inferior version of the super cape.
If mario gets touched by an enemy, he loses the powerup he has and goes back to small mario. This game lets you store an extra powerup in a box at the top of the screen, which is really helpful if you need another powerup after getting hit. This feature is also useful for switching between power ups, depending on the type of level you’re playing.
This game also adds yoshi, a dinosaur companion. Mario can ride on yoshi, and use him to traverse the levels. Yoshi can eat enemies with his tongue, and spit out certain enemies such as koopa shells. Yoshi can also provide the player with an extra jump, however doing so sacrifices yoshi.
The levels in this game vary. The levels can consist of simple levels, more platforming focused levels, auto scrolling levels, and castle levels. In addition, this game adds in ghost houses, which are new to the series. These levels focus on the boo enemies, and are more exploration focused; completing these usually requires you to find a secret exit by thinking outside the box. Unfortunately, you can’t bring yoshi with you in ghost houses or castles.
This game has a world map that looks great; the levels and worlds flow into each other naturally. You can also go back and play previous levels; a feature that wasn’t in past mario games. This is really useful for finding secrets in this game. This includes secret exits, which are unlocked by finding a key and keyhole in a level. These unlock new levels, switch palaces, and star road; an extra world with more challenging levels. Completing Star Road unlocks a new world; Special Zone. This world has the most challenging levels in the game. Completing these extra worlds aren’t necessary to beat the game, but they’re nice to have as an extra challenge. Completing special zone changes the color palette and some of the sprites of the game; I’m not a fan of some of the changes, but it’s a nice little reward for clearing the extra worlds.
In the castle levels of this game, you end it by fighting one of the 7 koopalings. Although most of them can be beat in 3 easy hits, they all slightly differ from each other; this makes the fights way more entertaining than mario 3, where you could easily beat them in 3 hits. There are also fortress levels, where you fight reznor at the end. Reznor is cool in concept but is way too easy, however since it is only a mini boss i don’t consider this a big issue.
The final boss of this game is bowser, and it’s one of the most unique bowser fights in a mario game i’ve played. Instead of falling to lava or a void like previous games, he flies around in a koopa car. To fight Bowser, you have to jump on the mecha koopas and throw them back at him. After 2 hits he will fly away, but come back to start the next phase. Inbetween these phases, he breathes fire on the floor, and after this peach will give you a mushroom if you don’t already have one. This boss ends after 3 phases. It’s one of the most fun I've ever had in a 2d platformer boss fight, it’s done so well and is always a joy to come back to.
The graphics in this game are so charming. Super Mario World was a launch title for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, which makes it one of Nintendo’s first 16 bit era games. The game’s graphics still hold up really well to this day, and it’s one of the best looking games on the snes. The sprites use vibrant colors to make them really stand out; the same can be said for the platforms and environments in the game. The game also has some really well made sprite animations. My favorite animations are the ones that play after you beat a boss; a unique animation of mario destroying the castle will play each time.
The sound design in this game is really well done. Every level theme in the game has the same melody, but the instruments and pacing change depending on the level. For example, the castle theme is dramatic, whereas the underwater theme is calming. This helps to create immersion in the game, and also makes every song stand out from each other. The 16 bit sound effects also add to the immersion; every action in the game is accompanied by a charming sound effect.
Overall, I adore Super Mario World. It’s one of the most fun games I’ve ever played, and it’s one that I always find myself coming back to every once in a while. Go and play this game if you haven’t already, you won’t regret it.