During the mid to late 80s Nintendo dominated the home game console scene. It wasn’t until Sega launched their 16-bit Genesis console that there was any real competition. With their market share being eaten up, Nintendo had no choice but to release a 16-bit console of their own. With every launch, there must be at least one standout title to convince gamers to invest their money in the hardware. Mario worked the first time around, and so Nintendo decided to give him another go. Does Mario’s 16-bit outing top his previous efforts? Read on to find out.

Super Mario World faced some stiff competition at its release, in the form of Sega’s own mascot Sonic the Hedgehog. The blue blur’s second release came at around the same time as this new Mario game, and you’ll many gamers on both sides of the argument over which one is the superior game. I’ve personally gotta go with Mario.

Super Mario World

This outing pits Mario and Luigi in dinosaur land on vacation with Princess Toadstool. Upon arriving Toadstool is kidnapped by Bowser once more in typical fashion. It’s up to the brothers to save her along with their new dino-friend Yoshi. Sure it’s typical Mario fare, but at least it introduces a new (and later recurring) character while offering a dramatic change of scenery.

World is based on the same mechanics as the earlier titles in the series. It’s a side scroller where you defeat your enemies mostly by stomping on their heads. The game also features power-ups that fans will recognize from previous installments such as the super star or fire flower. Super Mario World does away with many of these found in Super Mario Bros. 3 such as the animal based suits, sacrificing them for the new flight ready cape and trusty companion Yoshi.

These two new basic power-ups add some new dynamics to the series’ gameplay. In the past, you could only fly for a short time, but with the cape Mario can fly for as long as he pleases; provided there are no obstacles in the sky. Yoshi himself can eat enemies, fly, shoot fireballs, shells, and more. This may not sound earth-shattering, but they are ultimately what make this the most memorable 2-D Mario game.

Traversing across Dinosaur land is handled with a map. Through accessing this you can select which level you would like to enter, and you can even go back to ones you’ve since completed. Exploration is emphasized because most levels have more than one exit which will often open a new path on the map. The map is divided into 6 different worlds each with their own theme. These are greatly diverse, nicely designed, and many are quite imaginative (Chocolate Island, for example).

If the game has any one particularly strong point it’s the level design. The levels are, for the most part, laid out with a lot of thought put into them. A lot of the time they offer up small puzzles to challenge the player which works nicely to stir up the action a bit. There’s a lot of hidden items in blocks, or secret platforms up in the sky to be found. What’s more is that the hidden exits are mostly hidden quite cleverly. Much the time they will require genuine thought and exploration to uncover them. It’s this particularly strong level design that sets Super Mario World apart from the other side scrollers of the era.

The levels also feature a lot of variety. Some will find Mario swimming through the water, and others may find Mario crossing chasm after chasm avoiding certain death by falling. The ghost houses in particular are extremely well designed always forcing the player to think a bit more than usual to find the block activated exits. You’ll find everything from daunting underground mazes to tall and treacherous castles. There’s even a haunted sunken ship to explore. One thing’s for certain; there’s never a dull moment in Mario’s world.

Enemy designs have changed a bit from previous Mario games, but this is mainly to fit better the new setting. While you’ll still find goombas, koopa troopas and many of the old series staples, Super Mario World is home to many varieties of small Dinosaurs. I still remember it feeling a bit odd to see Mario face off against dinosaurs the first time I played the game, but after initial reactions, I must say that the new and old stuff mesh rather well.

The game does have a fault though. Super Mario World is a very easy game, and only one or two levels present any real challenge. What's worse is that these stages are hidden optional areas for you to complete, and so many people won't even find them. When I was a child Super Mario World was difficult, but in modern times, I can blaze through each level with little to no thought. Nintendo really should have included a hard game option, especially after how difficult Super Mario Bros. 3 was.

Super Mario World was clearly a step ahead, graphically, of any other side scroller at the time of its release. It’s a very colorful game that looks really nice in motion. Nintendo added a lot more detail to their Mario model when compared to even Super Mario Bros. 3. In motion, the game also feels more fluid than the last release. The enemies also feature greater detail and they all look excellent. Backgrounds are a bit on the blah side, but even so, these too are an improvement. Overall this is a very nice looking game, and the 2-D graphics still hold up well today.

As far as music goes this is probably the strongest Mario title ever. The Super Nintendo featured a remarkable sound chip, and Nintendo wasn’t shy to show off some of it’s tricks in Super Mario World’s soundtrack. The music still has the same old Mario flare to it, but with higher quality composition than before. It's terribly catchy and gets stuck in your head way too easily. That's the sign of a very well done soundtrack. The sound effects are not particularly special though it is worth noting that this game was the first to replace Mario's tried and true jumping audio sample with a much softer one.

The controls work excellently. Thanks to the Super Nintendo pad having more buttons, Nintendo was able to give Mario two different styles of jumps. The controls are responsive and very easy to learn. Flying takes a bit of practice at first, but it's not really a necessary part of playing Super Mario World so you can learn how at your own leisure. Overall the controls work very well.

Final Recommendation
Super Mario World is a sure fire classic that is still fun today. I can't imagine this game ever getting old. If you don't already own this absolutely standout side-scroller then now's the time to take the plunge. Those of you who don’t own a SNES can opt to purchase it from the Nintendo Wii's virtual console store.

Recommended: Yes