Played on Nintendo Switch Online | Original Release Date: 23 August 1991 | Review Date: 13 February 2025

OVERVIEW

In the pantheon of Super Mario Bros games, Super Mario World doesn’t do anything super groundbreaking, but it does refine, perfect, and evolve the platforming genre into a perfect gameplay experience. It’s no wonder that Super Mario World is consistently at the top of ‘best games ever’ lists - it’s just that good. If you know Super Mario Bros, you know what you’re getting into with this game. And if you haven’t played it yet, what the hell are you doing - stop reading this review and play it now!

STORY

Super Mario World’s story is old as time. Browser, for some unidentifiable reason, has kidnapped Princess Peach and is holding her hostage on Dinosaur Island and it’s Mario’s mission to rescue her. New additions to this story are the Koopalings - Bowers kids that challenge Mario progression along his journey. We’re also introduced to Yoshi, one of the greatest Nintendo characters ever created, and a host of new and returning enemies. And that’s really about it. The beauty of Mario games is you don’t really need much more story that than that, simply start the game and get going to find our damsel in distress.

GAMEPLAY

Run, jump, hit the question box, get the power up, destroy a dozen or so enemies, lose the power up, find another one and finish the stage….oh wait, did I miss a secret exit? Let me go back and find it. It’s such a simple gameplay loop that is easy to understand and provides tonnes of complexity. Super Mario Bros games are all about the power-ups and Super Mario World has the stalwarts of the mushroom, fire flower and invincibility star. The two standout power ups in Super Mario World are the cape and Yoshi.

The cape gives Mario multiple advantages. Make Mario run and once he’s picked up enough speed, he’ll spread his arms indicating he’s ready to jump and take flight. Jump in the air and Mario will quickly soar upwards until he reaches the apex of flight and then he can use the cape to glide throughout the level. The cape mechanics are awesome and annoying at the same time. It’s always a joy to take flight, but to maintain the gliding mechanics is inconsistent and not really that useful. It could be me, and I’m sure there are players out there that have mastered the perfect gliding control scheme, but is it really worth it? The cape also gives Mario a ground pound, when he nose dives during flight and slams into a platform or the ground in a level, thereby killing any enemies that happen to be touching the ground when this happens. The cape also gives Mario a close range spin attack that can take out pretty much any enemy, but not all.. And one of the most useful benefits of the cape is the ability to slow down Mario’s jump or fall giving you that extra split second to dodge death or reach a platform during tense moments in the game - and there are a lot of tense moments. In the inevitable internet ranking of ‘the best Mario power-ups’ I wouldn’t put the cape in the top ten. Sure it’s fun to use, has a lot of utility in the game, but the wonkey mechanics of flight - the main use of the power up - leaves me frustrated and ultimately I don’t want to take the time to master it.

The ultimate power up, and one that would definitely be on the Mount Rushmore of Mario power-ups is Yoshi. He’s cute, he eats a lot and he’s willing to be sacrificed for Mario’s personal gain - I mean, what more could you want in a power-up? The second I find a Yoshi in a level, I get a rush of confidence. Not only does it allow Mario to take an additional hit without losing his current power-up, but Yoshi opens up new abilities that can only be available when you’re riding him. Discovering these different abilities is so much fun. Eat a particular coloured enemy and suddenly Yoshi can spit out fireballs. Eat a different colored one and he’ll sprout wings and allow him and Mario to fly. Come across a secret key that is surrounded by blocks that can’t be destroyed, no problem for Yoshi he’ll grab it with his tongue, hold it in his mouth until you find the secret keyhole exit. The dynamics of Yoshi really shine throughout Super Mario World - he isn’t just a fun companion, he’s a required power-up needed to 100% the game. And one the develops clearly want the player to have fun with - expect in the haunted houses? Why can’t Yoshi go in the haunted houses?!?

Speaking of Haunted Houses, the level design in Super Mario World is a mixed bag for me. There are traditional ‘run to the left’ get to the end of the stage levels aplenty. There are automatic scrolling levels. There are the annoying underwater levels. There are fortresses, castles and end game stages that really challenge the player. Each level has their own unique challenge and I was surprised to be reminded at how many new concepts keep showing up, even in later stages in the game. I’m particularly fond of the Haunted House levels. They serve as puzzle rooms within each world of the game. I love their complexity and level of challenge. They switch up the gameplay and ask you to find secret exits while dodging a Giant Boo or a swarm of Mini boo’s who are inching closer to you. It’s challenging gameplay which rewards you with a fun sense of accomplishment when you figure it out, making each of the Haunted Houses a stand-out moment during the game. Where the level design falls short for me is the steep ramp-up of difficulty after the third world. I don’t mind challenging gameplay, and in fact some of the hardest levels in the second half of the game are my favourite, however in terms of gameplay balance, I don’t think the designers got it right. I can only assume this was a deliberate choice, as there is a moment at the end of the third world castle where they straight up tell you that it’s going to get really challenging from here on out. It makes the game feel like a game of two halves - the enjoyable and breezy first part of the game and the ‘die lots of times in each level’ second half of the game. Luckily there are enough bonus games, 1-up mushrooms, and Yoshi coin opportunities to build up enough lives, and you’ll need them, to keep you jumping back into a level to master its platforming challenge. And, I guess I should be fair to the underwater worlds, I’m sure they’re fine, I’ve just never liked them.

One other thing to mention about gameplay is the variety of enemies designed to challenge you. But because we’re in Dinosaur Island and not the Mushroom Kingdom there are familiar enemies, that are slightly different - I’m looking at you weird goombas, and new enemies that only exist in this world. And just like the variety of levels and challenges that keep showing up until the end of the game, some enemies only appear in one level and one of them only shows up in the very last level. It’s a real testament to the creativity and playfulness the designers were able to infuse throughout the game which always makes you wonder what you’ll find next and what do I do with what I find next? The only drawback in enemy variety and challenge is the castle bosses, the Koopalings. They’re fun characters in the Mario universe, but they lack any real sense of challenging creativity - I never look forward to battling them which is a shame, because the castle levels are so fun, the boss fights feel like a repetitive chore and not a sense of accomplishment, but at least the final boss fight with Bowser is inventive and interesting, if not a little too easy.

GRAPHICS

Having played Super Mario World a countless number of times, but never for review purposes, I was surprised how ‘wowed’ by the visuals I was during this play through. Sure, 11 year old me remembers thinking “graphics will never get better than this” (11 year old me was wrong) but when I started replaying SMW for review purposes I found a new sense of respect and admiration for the visuals of the game. The game really is a master class of 16-bit sprite work, using the different graphics modes the SNES has, choosing the right colors out of the 256k that the system has access to, the various animations of for the characters and enemies…alright you get the point - the game looks beautiful.

The design team’s vision is allowed to flourish given the expanded capabilities of the SNES. You can see they took a lot of joy in designing the over world map. When I first played the game I remember thinking the stage selection map was cool, but I didn’t fully appreciate all the detail, nuance and - to some extent - storytelling the designers were able to build into it. This might be too much of a leap, but the way the over world is designed feels like the early design ideas for Super Nintendo World. It’s a visual feast littered with hints and secrets that make you wonder how to reach them. Each part of the map has its own sense of character - from the Donut Island to The Star Road - each section gives you a sense of what awaits for you to discover in each of its levels. By building out the world map this way, I felt as if I was going on a journey. Rather than just going to the next stage, it feels as if you’re seamlessly moving throughout Dinosaur Island and all its geographic locations. It truly does create the sense of being in a fully realized cohesive world and there for a more immersive experience.

MUSIC

The starting ‘ping’ and subsequent title music for Super Mario World lives rent free in my head. And in fact all the music and sound effects do as well. It’s all so iconic. I even like the underwater stage music. Konji Kondo really went to town finding all the fun ways he could utilize the sound chip on the SNES. The music is light and energetic in some areas then gets dark and spooky in other areas. Each level’s music is perfectly tuned to the gameplay. I think good music in games should occupy a space of enhancing the experience without the player really knowing it’s there and SMW gets the music perfectly aligned with the action on the screen. My favorite music in the game is the underground levels, I don’t know the instruments Kondo used, but he captured the atmosphere and brilliantly enhanced the experience on these levels. And don’t forget the added layer of music when you’re riding Yoshi - it all just slaps still to this day! Along with the perfectly placed music are outstanding sound effects. We still have the classic coin sound, the well-known effect when Mario get’s a mushroom, but we now get slightly different variations of these sounds when the player collects a Yoshi coin or get’s the feather - they are similar but different enough that the player instantly knows what’s just happened. Another reason the understand levels are my favorite is the echo-ing effect that’s present with each sound effect. It’s subtle yet it draws you deeper into the immersion of the game by making each space have its own unique properties.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Super Mario World is some of the best platforming you can find in gaming. It’s pure joy from start to finish with a vast variety of enemies, level types and worlds to explore it should be on every gamers list of games they must play. It’s not perfect with it’s spike in level difficulty and lack of challenging boss fights, but you’re sure to have fun searching for all the secrets hidden throughout the game, mastering the mechanics and enjoying some of the best music Mario has to offer. And in what other Mario game can you save a princess Peach who is rocking hair straight out of any 80’s prom night?

OUT OF SYNC GAMING REVIEW SCORE | 10 out of 10

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Super Mario World Review