Gameplay: 9.5/10
The levels in this game are brilliantly done by Nintendo. Fun platforming, cool enemies, and just above all else, amazing level design. Those of you that have played a Mario game know what I'm talking about. It's the heart and soul of every Mario game; the reason every Mario game is praised so highly. Every level is done very nicely. As usual with Nintendo, brilliant stuff here.
Back when the Super Nintendo was king, Videogames were marketed more towards people ages 15 and under, so with this, the challenge of the game isn't hard. For the most part, you can just fly through these levels but there's the occasional tricky one. One thing Nintendo should do is add a difficulty setting to their games. It pains me to play such great games, but be challenged so little with them all.
At the time of this games release, games were anywhere from 5-10 hours in length, with the RPGs going 25+ hours. You can get through this one in easily under 10 hours, and possible in 5 hours on your first time. With each time you play throug it, it becomes quicker.
I would complain about the length, but for the time it came out, it was your average length. Plus the replay value is good. The levels, as I said, are brilliant, so you want to play through them more than once, and Mario=Fun, so you will want to play through this game atleast a couple times. All in all, the length disappoints for the time it is now(2003), but it's still good, and was normal for it's time.
I took off the .5 because the difficulty setting is too easy for a lot of people. These are Nintendo games, so people don't complain because they're amazing, but you have to admit, a more challenging Mario game would be a lot of fun.
Replay Value: 8.7
I touched on this already. Nintendo games are amazing, so you'll want to play through this one atleast twice. Can't complain in this department, but extras would have helped.
Music: 9.4
Nice stuff here. Easily one of Nintendo's best soundtracks. Cheery tunes in the normal levels, darker tunes for the castles, and Ghost levels. Very nice intro for the game as well. Just great stuff through out the whole game; not a bad song anywhere.
Graphics: 9.8/10
WOW. This is the Super Nintendo at it's best. Mario looks great, and the levels are bursting with color. The castles with lava look especially great. Vibrant, beautiful colors. Still very pleasing on the eyes to this day.
Overall:(Not an average) 9.6/10
Considered by many the best Mario game of all time, and rightfully so. From brilliant levels to great music and graphics. Nintendo went all out on this one.
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I'm jumping into the way-back machine and setting the time for Fall 1991. Hold on tight because it's going to be bumpy..........Fall 1991. It was a great time to be a video gamer. For the past 5 years, the NES was on top of the world and home to so many memorable games. While the Sega Master System was its rival, it enjoyed more of a cult following as the majority of video games were released for the NES. But like all good things, they come to an end as Sega ushered in a brand new console. The Sega Genesis, released in 1989, featured new technology and more horsepower to display flashier games and brought a new video games icon to rival Mario and Nintendo. Nintendo responded by releasing the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and a brand new Mario game (Super Mario World.) This was the game packed in with the console and was responsible for maintaining the large fan base the original NES had built up for years.To say this made an impact to gamers would be an understatement.
Hot off the heels of the excellent Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World was the sequel that showcased the SNES's graphical prowess and ability to display new effects. 8 new worlds to explore (plus the hidden star portals) and 99 levels lie in wait for gamers to explore. It introduced new enemy characters as well as the lovable dinosaur Yoshi. And above all, it was extremely fun to play. From the graphics to the music and the easy to get into controls, this game continued the proud tradition of the revered Mario games and set standards for all future platform games to come.
While there are many ways to track down this title (the original SNES cartridge, the Game Boy Advance title and through Nintendo's Virtual Console service for those who have a Wii that is online), any true gamer has played this many, many times and can tell you that it was one of the finest games to ever come out from Nintendo.
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I will always remember when I first learned that we got a SNES. It was the summer of 1992. Growing up in rural Oklahoma, my parents had a cow tank that we used for a swimming pool that we chlorinated. I was in that tank all the time. My father and my brother had gone to Oklahoma City (about an hour away from where we lived), and they had gotten an SNES, with "Super Mario World" prepackaged. I immediately dried off, ran upstairs and my brother and I were immersed in Mario bliss.Being the Nintendo fans that we were, we were subscribers to Nintendo Power. I poured over all the pre-cover of their latest [Nintendo] console, as well as any information we could glean of "Super Mario World". I had even known some people who won the SNES in one of those give-aways they used to do back in the 1980s and 1990s on cereal boxes. I was so jealous.
Playing "Super Mario World" was a pure revelation that first time, and a perfect exhibition of the power of the SNES. The graphics were gorgeous, the enemies were monstrous yet whimsical, and the Bullet Bills were enormous.
There has always been a debate on which is better "Super Mario Bros. 3" or "Super Mario World".. For myself, I'd give the edge to "Super Mario World". To be fair to "Super Mario Bros. 3", "Super Mario World" simply took the foundation laid by "SMB3" and perfected it, just like "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past" did with the original "Legend of Zelda".
Essentially, take everything great from "Super Mario Bros." and "Super Mario Bros. 3", expand the graphics and audio from 8-Bit to 16-Bit, overhaul the level lengths and add a ridable dinosaur named Yoshi, include a lot of secrets, and wa-la!, "Super Mario World"!
Everything "Super Mario Bros. 3" is so adored for, "Super Mario World" takes and does several steps better, with only one exception suits. "Super Mario Bros. 3" famously introduced us to Racoon Mario, Hammer Mario, Frog Mario, and Tanooki Mario (though oddly no Boomerang Mario, which we wouldn't see until "Super Mario 3D Land"). "Super Mario World" only features Fire Mario and Cape Mario. However, Cape Mario is able to fly for unlimited amounts of time, unlike Racoon Mario which is captive to a P-Meter and can only fly for short bursts.
The story, always the same in the core Mario series, is simply that, while Mario, Luigi, and the Princess are on vacation to Dinasaur Land after the events of "SMB3", Bowser and his seven children kidnap seven dinasaur eggs and also abduct Princess Peach. It is up to Mario to free the Princess and rescue the dinasaurs. Don't worry though, the story's not important. Mario is never about the story, it's always about the gameplay. And what gameplay it is!
"Super Mario World" is famous for introducing the world to Yoshi, the ridable dragon. Miyamoto wanted Mario to ride a dinosaur in the original 1985 "Super Mario Bros.", but was not able to implement this new character until this game. It is strange Yoshi doesn't appear in "Super Mario Bros. 3"; after all, ridable steeds appeared in "Adventure Island II" and also the later game "Little Nemo: Dream Master". [Regardless, you are given four types of Yoshis the basic green one, the blue one [(who, when swallowing any type of turtle shell]]
Regardless, you are given four types of Yoshi, each with a special power according to their colour: green, red, blue, and yellow. The green is the most common. Upon injesting a turtle shell, the red blows fire, the blue flies, and the yellow creates a dust storm attack. The green is able to do all of these, if he swallows the same color turtle shell (red = fire, blue = flying, yellow = dust). The special color yoshis are only available in secrect Star levels, where they appear as babies which Mario must feed five enemies for them to become full grown.
Yoshi is also famous for eating. Strangely enough, Mario must punch Yoshi in the back of the head before Yoshi sticks out his tongue, looking for goodies.
One of my favorite additions is just how Miyamota and company added to the lenght. One legitimate weakness of "SMB3" is simply how short so many of the levels are many times, you complete the level just when you feel you are about halfway done. Even Miyamoto commented on this on one of the reissues of "Super Mario Bros. 3", asking his developers if the game's original levels were really that short. Once a level is beaten, you cannot go back. No so with "Super Mario World". Indeed, due to the secret exits and alternate paths, Nintendo encourages you to go back and explore levels already beaten, and the levels themselves are consistently much longer than those found in "SMB3".
Taking the overworld map first introduced in "SMB3", for the first (and, until the 2012 "New Super Mario Bros. U", only) time on a home console Mario game, the map is connected and completely visible, unlike its predecessor. Previously, the worlds were divided into individual maps, but not "Super Mario World". From the get go, you could view the entire game map. Dinasaur Land comprises seven different areas, played in this order: Yoshi's Island, guarded by Iggy Koopa; Donut Plains, guarded by Morton Koopa Jr., Vanilla Dome, guarded by Lemmy Koopa, Twin Bridges, guarded by Luwig von Koopa; the Forest of Illusion, guarded by Roy Koopa; Chocolate Island, guarded by Wendy O. Koopa; and the Valley of Bowser, home to not only Bowser but Larry Koopa as well.
You cannot underestimate how the world map truly effected gameplay. For the first time on a significant level, you could choose your own path. The map also afforded the game developers the opportunity to made the game chock-full of secrets, alternate paths, and hidden areas. The secrets were not so esoterically hidden to be inaccessible to the average player either if a regular level had a secret exit, the level would be a red dot; if no secret exit existed, then the level is represented as a yellow dot.
Each world is thematically diverse. The first world features basic levels that ease the player into the gameplay, teaching you the rules and dynamics of Mario's new adventure. The second world is set in the plains, the third world is set in caverns, and the fourth world is set on dual bridges, along with some mountain levels.
By the fifth world, the Forest of Illusion, the challenge has been ramped up, and to proceed you MUST find those deviously hidden secret exits. We then have the "tasty (but dangerous!)" Chocolate Island, which also features a level that how fast you beat individual sections determines what the next segment of that level will be. Then we have the challenging Ghost Ship (which, according to the instruction manual, is a wrecked ship from "Super Mario Bros. 3"), and the only boss level that Yoshi will enter. After that, naturally, is the Valley of Bowser.
One of the best features are the two secret worlds the Star World and the Secret World. Unlike other Mario games, there are no warp zones present in "Super Mario World". However, there are levels called the Star Road, which enable you to get to different parts of the map quickly and effectively by accessing the Star World and completing the levels. To connect the Star Road, you must find the secret exits. Once you find the fifth and final level on the Star Road, you are then taken to the Secret World, a world of eight gruelling, ultra-challenging levels that will truly test your Mario metal.
"Super Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World" (the official Japanese title) is the best 2D Mario out there, though perhaps "New Super Mario Bros. U" will usurp this game from its lofty throne.
Interestingly enough, Miyamoto has said that he was not entirely happy with "Super Mario World", as he felt the game had been rushed to publication and not completed to his exacting standards. However, just like "Mega Man 3" (a game also apparently rushed), "Super Mario World" is as good as it gets. I wonder what further changes Miyamoto would have made. Unfortunately we'll never know.
Those who love masterpieces of excellent 2D platforming action would be amiss without this purchase for their SNES and better yet, "Super Mario World" is also available on the Wii and Wii U's Virtual Console. Pick this one up! You won't regret it.
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[This was written separate from the review back in May 2012 about the Mario games' development history. Notably, Miyamoto said that "Super Mario World" began development with a team of sixteen people, and took about three years to make. As "Super Mario World" came out in November 1990, that means Nintendo began production on this game sometime in 1987 the same year they were working on "Super Mario Bros. 3". On a game forum someone asked why Nintendo did not release "Super Mario Bros. 3" on the SNES, instead of the NES, and was complaining they should have released the game on the more powerful system. This was my answer:]
Let's look at some Mario history, shall we? SMB3 came out in Japan in October 1988. That means it was completed, finished, and ready to be published by that point in time.
If you look at the Japanese publication dates, SMB came out in 1985, Lost Levels came out in 1986, Doki Doki Panic came out in 1987, and SMB3 came out in late 1988. Given the fact the game was finished and released by 1988 I would hardly call that "late in the NES hardware cycle". Actually, the NES had only been out three years when SMB3 hit Japan, although the Famicom came out in late 1983. However all the heavy hitters for the Famicom came out in 1985 and beyond.
Essentially all Nintendo had to do at this point was release it on cart; the code was written and completed. If have a sequel to the biggest game for your console, and the sequel SMB2 is also a massive hit why wouldn't they release SMB3 which was already completed and published in Japan? They had a massive financial interest in getting this game out.
There are very few differences between the Japanese SMB3 and the western SMB3 (namely if Mario gets hit with a powerup he goes to little Mario rather than Super Mario, ala Mario with a mushroom). There's nothing like the major differences between the Japanese and the Western versions of Zelda II The Adventure of Link.
All four 8-bit NES titles were completed in a three year period, 1985-1988 (and were published in Japan as well, though SMB2, there called SMB USA, came out in 1992).
I've read SMB3 took about two to three years to program, meaning Nintendo began work on it possibly by late 1985 (though that does sound entirely too early) but definitely by early 1987 and possibly even late 1986 given it was released in October 1988 and both Doki Doki and Lost Levels would have been finished (in the case of Doki Doki, it would have been closed to being completed if not already completed).
In comparison today, that would be like saying Nintendo should not have released "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" back in 2009 (three years into the Wii lifecycle) because obviously the Wii U is coming up and they should save it for a new system. The timeframe is the same. And according to your logic, for this generation we definitely SHOULD NOT have gotten Skyward Sword for the Wii, despite the fact it has had a five year development timeframe was began shortly after Twilight Princess came out..
I do find it strange that they had problems with Yoshi (which for the record Miyamoto has said he wanted to put in the original 1985 SMB). After all, Hudson's Adventure Island series, the same company responsible for the abomination that is Super Mario Bros. Special, the first ever sequel to the Mario franchise, were able to get ridable dinasaurs, and the 1993 Capcom title Little Nemo Dream Master had ridable creatures too.Then again, Adventure Island II came out in April 1991, two and a half years after SMB3.
Basically, I said all that to say you should research your Mario history more. When Nintendo began development on SMB3 (late 1986/early 1987) the Super NES was nowhere on the horizon, at least not publically. Even in late 1988 when the game was published, we were still over two years away from the Super Famicom which came out in Japan in November of 1990.
So that's why they didn't develop it for the Super Famicom.
Honest reviews on Super Mario World
...the greatest game I have ever played. There's nothing else to say. It is a necessity for any gamer to own this game. If you have not played this game, pick up a Super Nintendo and this cartridge. It'll only put you back about 30 bucks. IT'S WORTH IT.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Super Mario World
With the myriad of titles now available for the next-generation systems, you'd think Super Marioworld would be one no one would buy. If you own an old SNES and don't have this title, you're missing out on one of the greatest titles ever produced in the system's hey-day! Playability, graphics, sound, it's all here, and even if you're not a Mario fan, give this game a spin and you won't be disappointed. Give this classic a try, and you'll find yourself humming the Mario theme well after the game is done.
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