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Super Mario World (スーパーマリオワールド, Sūpā Mario Wārudo?, commonly abbreviated SMW) is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It has gone on to become a tremendous critical and commercial success, becoming the best seller for the platform, with 20 million copies sold worldwide. Like in previous games in the Mario series, the plot involves Mario traversing different lands on a quest to rescue Princess Peach who has been kidnapped by Bowser.

In Japan, Super Mario World is also known as Super Mario Bros. 4 and it was one of the launch games for the system, along with Pilotwings and F-Zero.

The game has been re-released three times, first as part of a combo with Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES in 1993. Secondly, on the Game Boy Advance with modified gameplay, as part of the Super Mario Advance series. The third re-release was for the Wii's Virtual Console in North America in 2007; there were no changes from the original SNES version.

Gameplay

Super Mario World is a side-scroller as in previous Mario games, and it takes advantage of the Super Nintendo's 16-bit graphics and stereo sound. The game consists of a journey through levels in seven worlds: Yoshi's Island, Donut Plains (later a series of tracks in Super Mario Kart), Vanilla Dome, Twin Bridges Area (including the Cheese & Butter Bridges and Soda Lake) terminating in Cookie Mountain, Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island, and the Valley of Bowser. There are also two secret worlds - Star Road and Special Zone (accessed via the Star World) - which can be found by finding a key and a key hole in certain levels. Experienced players can utilize the Star Road to reach the end of the game in only 12 levels.

Super Mario World contains an overworld, which provides a passive overview of all the game's levels; each level is accessed individually from the world map. The concept was previously seen in Super Mario Bros. 3, and World's execution is similar but more elaborate. The game features 72 courses laid out across the seven worlds, and 96 exits (some levels have more than one exit; these levels are usually marked as a red dot on the map rather than yellow). Secret exits open up new routes on the overworld map, often leading to secret levels. When a player reaches the completion of the 96 "goals," the beginning screen will display a star next to the number "96" in green color and beside the file the goals were completed on. Something to consider, however, is the fact that the game cover states that it contains "96 levels," implying that the number of stages and exits are equal when in reality there are only 72 true levels. Players can re-enter most completed stages (except for the switch palaces) at anytime (though pressing L and R simultaneously is required to re-enter a fortress or a castle, which does not work in the Japanese version); this is the first Mario game to allow this (without hacking).
Screenshot of the first world map, showing Yoshi's Island.
Screenshot of the first world map, showing Yoshi's Island.

Numerous changes were made to the graphics, sound and presentation, as expected when a series moves to a more advanced console. For example Princess Toadstool (Princess Peach in the Japanese versions) is for the first time depicted with blonde hair and white gloves, in line with her official character design. Mario is capable of a variety of new moves, including a "spin jump". Mario can pick up and throw items, but is now also able to throw them upwards or set them down gently. In addition to the classic Fire Flower ability to project fireballs, the Cape Feather allows Mario to fly with a cape. He can also use the cape to glide down slowly and thus traverse wide distances while airborne. Conveniently, Mario can receive cape and fire power-ups even when he is regular Mario, eliminating the need to "power-up" to Super Mario first. Mario can also spin jump in this game allowing him to ricochet off hazardous surfaces, break through blocks (only when "Super"), and destroy enemies he would normally bounce off; a caped spin jump will cause the cape to hit enemies adjacent to Mario, while a fire spin jump will launch one fireball each to Mario's left and right. Mario can also look straight up, although this ability is not useful in-game, other than controlling "direction coins," coins that move up, down, etc., from blocks. Mario also has the ability to scroll the screen to the left or right by pressing the respective shoulder buttons, very useful in a forced scrolling level. Finally, Super Mario World introduced Yoshi, a dinosaur that Mario can ride.

The Yoshis appear in four different colors (green, yellow, red, and blue), each with different abilities. Upon eating a shell of any color, blue Yoshis can fly, red Yoshis can spit fire, and yellow Yoshis stomp the ground, hurting nearby enemies. A yellow shell that has been entered by a Koopa becomes multicolored, allowing Yoshis of any color to fly, stomp, and spit fire all in one. There are also Baby Yoshis in the Star World levels which can be picked up by Mario. After eating five enemies, three berries, or any power-up, they will become a fully grown Yoshi of the same color.

Super Mario World contains several new types of blocks, one of which is the yellow block, which spins on its horizontal axis when hit, rendering it temporarily passable, then reverts to its solid state after a few seconds. (To destroy these blocks permanently, Mario must get a Super Mushroom and then spin jump on top of them. Blocks that are not destroyed using this method have items or a vine in them.) There are also blocks which Mario can pick up and throw, but disappear after a few seconds. New red triangular blocks grant Mario the ability to walk on vertical surfaces such as walls or pipes, or can be used as a trampoline when riding on Yoshi.

Enemies hit by fireballs from Fire Mario will turn into coins which can be collected, rather than getting knocked off the screen; the same is true if Yoshi spits out a red Koopa shell (which becomes a trio of fireballs). Koopa Troopas jump out of their shells after being stomped on. Paratroopas become regular Koopa Troopas if stomped on. Stomping on the shell-less Koopa will completely defeat it. Once they are completely defeated, they will not reappear if the player returns to that area unless the player exits and then re-enters the level. Additionally, for the first time Bowser does not breathe fire in the game, and uses a machine to attack Mario.

When any powered-up form of Mario gets hit by an enemy, he will revert back to "Regular Mario". However, when Super Mario receives another power-up, his previous item is transferred to a "reserve box" at the top of the screen. When he is hit, the item drops down and he can catch it. For example, Fire Mario can interchange with Caped Mario at any time as long as the reserved item is held. However a Super Mushroom will never change Fire or Caped Mario, as he is already "super". Getting hit to the point to Regular Mario or pressing SELECT releases the item in the box.

Super Mario World was the first Mario game to provide the option of exiting a level without losing a life or completing it. This capability is only activated after the player has finished the level at least once. When replaying a level, players can exit to the map screen by pressing the START button to pause the game, then pressing SELECT. It was also the first Mario game to use a visible halfway point marker in levels; if the player is able to activate the marker, and dies or exits the level before reaching the end, they will arrive at the marker's location when re-entering the level. The marker will stay "set" even if the player does not immediately re-enter the level, and will not be reset until that level is completed. The marker will even turn Regular Mario into Super Mario (if Mario is small when he crosses the line).
Switch Palaces are bonus levels of different colors (yellow, red, green and blue) which have a giant switch at the end of the level depending on the palace color. The switches have the capability to change intangible "dotted-line blocks" (of a corresponding switch color) in several levels to solid blocks, thus allowing the player to more easily finish the level.
Switch Palaces are bonus levels of different colors (yellow, red, green and blue) which have a giant switch at the end of the level depending on the palace color. The switches have the capability to change intangible "dotted-line blocks" (of a corresponding switch color) in several levels to solid blocks, thus allowing the player to more easily finish the level.


In 2-Player mode Mario and Luigi, using the Select key on the World Map, can freely exchange extra lives but can never be left with less than one life.

When this game first came out, i was so amazed by it i think i played for 15 hours straight... There was nothing out during that time that was like this... and who could ever forget the hidden isle where you can get any powerup you want