Once upon a time, there always was this sense of excitement when a new video game system’s release was imminent. Something that, at least for me, isn’t quite the same now because it feels like the visual improvements can be summed up by “a bit of additional detail added to the amazing amount of detail already present”.
But back in the day? Those improvements could be massive and you could count on any number of big-name companies to immediately deliver excellent games showing off what the new system can do. We’re talking new installments in venerable series, such as when the Super Nintendo’s release coincided with that of Super Mario World.
That game had a high bar to clear, as the old Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. 3 was about as good as a person could hope to experience. Even now, looking back at it, the only real flaw I can come up with has more to do with that era than anything else. Like many pure action titles of the time, that game didn’t have any way to save progress, meaning that to beat it, a player either had to devote sufficient time to advance through all eight of its multi-level worlds or skip the lion’s share of the action via its warp pipes that allow one to bypass massive amounts of real estate.
And Super Mario World corrected that issue, allowing players to save upon beating several of its stages. You might not be able to do so every single time you make a bit of progress, but complete one of the game’s myriad castles, fortresses, ghost house and probably a few other places and, if necessity calls, you can shut the game down, knowing that you’ll be able to pick up from where you left off whenever it’s convenient to do so. Now, that’s progress!
Credit: Nintendo
Credit: NintendoOh, and everything else about the game is really good, too.
As time has progressed, I’ve found that my patience for older games can be lacking and I’ve regularly abandoned ones I know I would have loved if I’d gotten to them back when they were fresh and new. But now, they’re just frustrating and feel like they’re way past their expiration date. Super Mario World is the opposite of that — a game that’s closing in on the 34th anniversary of its American release, but still feels as enjoyable as anything new and modern I might take interest in. In short, it takes all the cool stuff from the NES Super Mario Bros. games and adds new elements to freshen up everything.
You’ll have the basics. The ability to control a portly plumber through all sorts of diverse settings as he goes through pipes, hops on foes and challenges a dragon-turtle creature and his offspring in order to rescue his favorite princess. You’ll eat mushrooms to gain size and durability and pick up flowers to obtain the ability to toss fireballs. You’ll find yourself hopping on platforms above bottomless pits, swimming through monster-infested oceans and avoiding all sorts of hazards like over-sized bullets flying through the air or small fireballs popping in and out of lava pits (as well as that lava!).
While the game is a bit smaller than Super Mario Bros. 3, it does look notably better and still contains a large array of challenges, including a number of well-hidden extra-challenging levels that require you to find Star Road and advance through it by finding secret exits from its stages.
Those secret exits are the neatest addition to the Mario formula presented in this game. Many of its levels have both a regular exit and one that’s more tricky to reach and tends to require you finding a key and using it on a nearby keyhole. While there are a pair of locations where you need to find a level’s secret exit to continue advancing through the game, most of them unlock new routes. You might access new levels, you might reach Star Road or you might unlock shortcuts that allow you to skip parts of the game. Hell, by hitting up Star Road as soon as possible and advancing through its five generally short levels, you can reach Bowser’s castle without even bothering to visit most of the game’s setting.
Credit: Nintendo
Credit: NintendoSaid setting is a place called Dinosaur Land — so named because of the number of friendly dinosaur known as “Yoshi” residing in it. By finding one of those, Mario will gain a very useful steed that’s capable of eating monsters and fruit in order to obtain powers, such as flight, making it a pretty useful helper.
Another boon is the existence of switch block palaces. The first one is easy to access, while the others require you to find some secret exits. Each one consists of two rooms, with the second containing a large switch block to jump on in order to cause hollow blocks of that color to become solid. Finding these places makes a lot of things in this game easier. Maybe lethal pits will be closed off. Perhaps tough enemies will become confined. Or, it might just get a lot easier to reach a particular secret exit or two down the road.
Super Mario World is one of those games where the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. By exploring its levels thoroughly, you’ll be able to access new places off the beaten path. By finding its switch palaces, you’ll make certain challenges easier. Maybe you’ll find a hidden location that exists solely to give you all sorts of power-ups. Or a secret entrance to Bowser’s palace that allows you to bypass most of its challenges…assuming you can get through the really tough fortress blocking access to it.
It all adds up to create one of gaming’s all-time best action titles. Super Mario World had me captivated when it came out and I got to experience it for the first time at a friend’s house. And now, decades later, it’s just as easy to appreciate and lose myself in its many fun and challenging levels. So many games that I loved when I was young haven’t aged all that well and are difficult for me to still enjoy; this one has done so like fine wine.
