Super Mario World

Super Mario World

SNES - USA - 1st edition

Developer Nintendo Publisher Nintendo Published 1990-11-21 Platforms SNES, Nintendo Super System Genres Action, Action-adventure, Exploration, Metroidvania, Platformer Themes Adventure, Cartoon, Prehistoric Series Mario, Super Mario Bros. Multiplayer Alternating co-op Distribution Commercial

Super Mario World is a platformer action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo and released for the SNES on 1990-11-21. It is the fourth Super Mario Bros. game and the first on the SNES. Although the main focus is on stage-based side-scrolling action, this game also expands further on the adventure elements that were introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3.

In the game, Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser and taken to Dinosaur Land where Mario and Luigi must rescue her. While on his way to Bowser's castle, Mario meets Yoshi the dinosaur who helps him defeat a new band of baddies including Chargin' Chuck, Renzor, Kamek, and a whole host of others.

Personal

Own?	Yes. Loose US cartridge.
Won?	Yes. All 96 exits.
Finished	Early 1990s.

I first saw this game at my friend Rob's house. He had just got the game a few days ago, but he had already beaten it and showed me the ending. I was immediately enamored with it and wanted my own SNES, which I got that coming Christmas. After that, I began playing the game like crazy, and, fueled with the Nintendo Player's Guide, I was able to not only beat the game, but eventually uncover every exit. I find this game to be, not only one of best Super Mario Bros. games, not only one of the best SNES games, but one of the very best video games ever made.

Review

10	10	9	9	10

Best Version: SNES

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• The game has fantastic graphics. The sprites are wonderfully detailed and cute while the backgrounds are beautiful and unobtrusive.
• The game has great character control. The new movement mechanics like the spin jump, running up walls, cape flying, etc., are learned pretty naturally. The camera pans around or locks in place as needed.
• Koji Kondo composed another amazing soundtrack for this game, and the sound effects are unique and fitting.
• There is a wide variety of monsters and hazards, each fitting to its environment.
• I like how the overworld map not only reveals multiple paths as you beat various levels, but also animates the process.
• The addition of the hidden Star Road, allows players to warp through the game quickly, but those who wish to play each stage can still do so.
• Having multiple exits for each level was a great idea and added a lot of play time. And changing the level's circle color to and size to reflect the level was also a good idea.
• Yoshi is a wonderful side kick, and adding colored Yoshis with intrinsic abilities was a great idea too.
• The scenes of Mario destroying the castles are fun to watch, and the ending is very nice.
• The game has a great manual.

Bad

• Some of the optional levels and secondary exits can be frustratingly tough.
• The engine has a few minor bugs, but they rarely manifest.
• I don't like the spin-jump mechanic. Why does Mario suddenly not take damage from spinies or chainsaws just because he's spinning, but he still died from spikes?

Ugly

• Nothing.

Media

Box Art

• 

  The original Japanese box uses a fun cartoon style. Mario rides Yoshi in the foreground, and the background is a whole planet filled with various images from the game. It's a bit busy, and I don't like the yellow background, but it's well-drawn.

• 

  The North American box eliminates everything except Mario and Yoshi and places them on a nicer blue field. Although it's a bit plain, I prefer this box over the very busy and very yellow Japanese box.

Documentation

• 

  Manual - USA.

• 

  Manual - USA - Rev 2.

• 

  Manual - Japan - Digital.

• 

  Strategy guide - Super Mario World: Game Secrets - The Unauthorized Edition.

• 

  Strategy guide - Nintendo Player's Guide: Mario Mania.

• 

  Super Mario Adventures cartoon from Nintendo Power.

• 

  Advertisement - Japan.

Maps

• 

  Overworld.

• Maps

Screenshots

• 

  Learning about checkpoints.

Fan Art

• 

  A huge collage of the Super Mario World themes.

• 

  The Super Mario World map rendered in ancient style.

• 

  A map of earth using the Super Mario World map style.

• 

  Fan art by Ryan Brinkerhoff, "Mario World Mashup."

• 

  Yay Monday... by FableFire.

• 

  Fan comic by Big Foot Justice.

Videos

Review - SNES Works, part 1.

Review - SNES Works, part 2.

Review - SNES Works, part 3.

NESComplex.

Review - What's So Great About Gaming?

Son of a Glitch - Orb glitch.

Son of a Glitch - Cloud glitch.

Retro Game Mechanics Explained.

Boundary Break.

Region Break.

Speedrun progression.

No coin run.

Longplay - All exits.

Developers

• 

  Most of the development team: Hideki Konno, Toshihiko Nakago, Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, and Koji Kondo.

• 

  Most of the development team: Koji Kondo, Toshihiko Nakago, Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, Hideki Konno.

Representation

Strong female character?	Fail	The only woman is a damsel in distress.
Bechdel test?	Fail	There is only one woman.
Strong person of color character?	Fail	Everyone is white.
Queer character?	Fail	There are no queer characters.

Titles

Language	Native	Transliteration	Translation
English	Super Mario World
Japanese	スーパーマリオワールド	Supa Mario Warudo	Super Mario World

• MAME code: nss_smw

Links