Super Mario World (SNES Review) by Carl B.

Super Mario World
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
System: SNES (Also re-released on the GBA and Wii's Virtual Console)
Release: August 13th 1991, North America

September 20th, 2009, by Carl B.-- Super Mario Bros. 2 changed gameplay styles from its predecessor, Super Mario Bros., significantly. Then came Super Mario Bros. 3, a game more like the first but with a great number of changes to make the game more accessable to players. Enter Super Mario World -- the successor to Super Mario Bros. 3, and an SNES launch title. Does Super Mario World add enough to the franchise to remain fresh, yet still retain the core mechanics?

In Super Mario World players take control of Mario, the famous plumber from the Mushroom Kingdom. The plot is everything we've come to expect from Mario games, both old and new. Bowser has once again kidnapped Princess Peach, and it's up to Mario to traverse through Dinosaur Land to save Peach, taking down Bowser's Koopa Kings and saving Yoshi eggs along the way.

Levels are progressed through in classic Mario form -- left to right platforming, reaching the final goal to clear said level. There are several hazards along the way, made to prevent the player from reaching the goal. These hazards are platforms Mario jumps on, chasms he must clear, danger he must avoid, and enemies he must take down. Levels are made up of solid ground, tall mushrooms to jump across, mountainous regions, underwater areas, forests, and more. Throughout levels there are also warp pipes players can go through to access hidden areas and shortcuts.

Players start off with 5 lives, and if all are depleted a Game Over occurs. When this happens, players are sent back to their last save spot. If the timer during a level goes to 0, Mario dies and the player looses a life. If Mario is hit when small, he dies and the player looses a life. When players get the Super Mushroom to make Mario bigger, it takes two hits to kill Mario. If players have the Fire Flower or Cape Feather powerups, it still takes two hits to kill Mario. Mario also dies if he falls into a chasm or lava. 1-up Mushrooms can be found throughout levels to give players an extra life. If players collect up to 100 coins at any point, they'll be rewarded with an extra life. In the middle of most levels, there is a checkpoint. When players jump through the checkpoint it makes Mario bigger, and they'll start there in the level if they die.

Jumping mechanics are perfect, which was a small problem of Super Mario Bros. 2. There are two types of jumps in Super Mario World -- the basic jump and the spin jump. The basic jump is used most often, since it has greater distance the longer players hold down the button. The spin jump has a shorer distance than the basic jump, but it can kill certain enemies with one hit.

Enemies have some pretty cool variations, they aren't just your typical Koopas and Goombas. In fact, Goombas are seldom encountered. Some enemies have different stages, for instance, a triceratops enemy has a big version and a small version. When Mario jumps on the small version, it dies. When Mario jumps on the big version, it poofs into the small version.

As to be expected, the power up system makes a return in Super Mario World, as it's a staple of the series. Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Cape Feather, and Star Man can all be obtained from "?" blocks throughout levels. The Super Mushroom and Fire Flower both have the same effect as past Mario games, that being making Mario bigger and giving Mario the ability to throw fireballs, respectively. The Cape Feather is a new item, and it's very similar to the Racoon of Super Mario Bros 3. It gives Mario a cape, and if players get a running start they can fly for a short period of time.

A new feature to Super Mario World is the ability to have one extra powerup on "stock". This extra powerup can be called upon at any time by pressing the Select button, and drops down automatically if Mario gets hit and looses a stage.

Another new feature in the game is the ability to ride Mario's pet dinosaur, Yoshi. Several "?" blocks throughout Dinosaur Land contain the green dino. Yoshi can eat almost any enemy by gulping them up with his tongue. If Yoshi eats a Red Koopa, he'll shoot out three fireballs that can be used to take out enemies.


Like its predecessor, Super Mario World has an overworld type view when selecting levels. But unlike its predecessor, however, each world doesn't have its own "screen". In Super Mario world, there's one huge overworld, Dinosaur Land, with eight worlds spanned throughout it. This different style gives the game a more streamlined presentation. The eight worlds within Dinosaur Land are varied, and all have their own levels. For each world, the same goal is in place: progress through the levels and defeat the Koopa King in their castles. The eight worlds are as follows: Yoshi's Island, Donut Plains, Vanilla Dome, The Twin Bridges, Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island, Sunken Ghost Ship, and Valley of Bowser. Every world has its own theme, with the levels within the world following that theme. Two worlds are unique from all the rest: The Forest of Illusion and Chocolate Island. The Forest of Illusion requires players to find hidden alternate routes to reach the world's Castle. Chocolate Island requires players to complete a goal in one of the levels -- going through that particular level without collecting any coins, or collecting as many coins as possible, depending on which path on the world players decide to take.


There are two types of castles -- Mini Castles and Towers. After completing any type of castle, players will be asked if they want to save the game, making the castles "checkpoints" of the worlds. Mini Castles and Towers have very similar level structures, with the exception that Towers are much more difficult and a Koopa King are the Towers' boss. Mini Castles and Towers are indoor based levels, with an emphasis on platform jumping over lava and avoiding blocks, spikes, and saw blades. In addition to Mini Castles and Towers, there are also at least one Ghost House in each world. Ghost Houses are similar to Mini Castles and Towers in the fact that they offer save points after completion and are more challenging than regular levels. Ghost Houses are filled with Boo's, ghost enemies that will follow Mario when his back is turned, and stop when Mario faces them. Ghost Houses are more "puzzle" based. For instance, one Ghost House has a ledge too high for Mario to jump onto. Earlier in the level, there are three Boo's side by side that turn to stone when Mario faces them, and follows Mario when his back is turned. Players have to lure the three Boo's to the high ledge, then quickly turn back facing them so they turn to stone, and jump on the block Boo's and onto the ledge.


After players travel through all of Dinosaur Land, beating the levels of each world, they'll eventually come to Bowser's Castle. Bowser's Castle is very different from other Mini Castles and Towers throughout the game. Bowser's Castle has eight "mini levels" in it, all with different themes and techniques required to get through them. However, only two of the "mini levels" need to be completed to get to the game's final boss, Bowser. The first set of selectable mini levels are 1-4. When one of those are beaten, players are taken to choose from 5-8. When that level is cleared, players are taken to a short dark level, and then to Bowser.

Bowser has 3 stages he goes through for players to adapt to and defeat, but overall, Bowser is a fairly simple final boss. In the first stage, Bowser floats from left to right in his vehicle, which looks like a flower pot. The second stage has Bowser floating left and right at a faster pace, and occasionally dropping a giant ball. The final stage has Bowser pounding on the ground as he moves from left to right in his vehicle type device, and players have to sprint under his pouncing to avoid being hit. During each stage, Bowser will drop enemies that resemble small toy versions of Bowser, and players have to jump on those enemies then throw them up at Bowser and hit him. Two hits for each stage does the job, and between each stage Princess Peach will drop a Super Mushroom for Mario.

There is also a multiplayer mode to Super Mario World, which allows a second player to play as Luigi in a turn based system. This doesn't change the gameplay experience at all, but is nice to have a second player helping out with the levels.

The Verdict

Sound
13/15- Super Mario World has a very nice soundtrack. None of the tunes are any extraordinarily amazing, but they get the job done and put off a "Mario-ish" vibe to each level.

Graphics
19/20- For an SNES launch title, Super Mario World has beautiful graphics. Backdrops to levels look great, and all of the outdoor levels have a fun feeling to them. The framerate does take a few hits however, when there are a lot of enemies on screen when Mario is jumping around.

Appeal
20/25- Players will have loads of fun going through Super Mario World for the first time, but unfortunately there isn't much replay value. There are hidden "Star Worlds" to go back and find if they aren't discovered during the first playthrough. On top of that, the game is pretty short and there aren't as many levels to play as past Mario games.

Gameplay
36/40- Every core gameplay mechanic we love from the Mario series is safe and sound here. The great thing though, is that there are a ton of new features to Super Mario World that make it different from other Mario games. The ability to have a powerup on stock? Riding Yoshi? Yes, please. A very streamlined World presentation also makes Super Mario World that much better.

Overall
88/100- Super Mario World is by far one of the greatest 2D platformers of its generation, and all time -- if not THE best. Mixing beautiful graphics, classic Mario gameplay mechanics, and new features to the series, Super Mario World should NOT be missed by gamers anywhere.