In 1981, Nintendo introduced a legend to us: Mario. He originally had to share the spotlight with that Donkey Kong, but in 1985, he starred in the revolutionary platformer Super Mario Bros. The game had 2 sequels, both on the NES. But with Sega's hedgehog gaining popularity, Nintendo knew they had to eventually enter the 16-bit war. Thus call in the creation of Super Mario World, one of the finest platformers ever made.
Super Mario World, first off, was 100 times prettier than its NES cousins due to the power of the SNES. Second, it featured far more levels and worlds, with about 96 levels in total. Finally, it added multiple new moves and items to Mario's collection, some of which have become his signature moves. Probably the biggest contribution was the inclusion of the loveable dinosaur Yoshi, who could jump higher, eat enemies, and swallow shells to fly, shoot fire, etc. Two more important inclusions were the Spin Jump, which could break blocks under your feet, and the Cape Feather, which acted like the Racoon Leaf (from Super Mario Bros. 3), but you could fly forever if you could control it right. The levels are imaginative, and are much longer than the quick-fix Mario 3 levels. The variety of levels is astounding; one level you're riding a lava platform, the next you're avoiding spiked pistons from crushing you. The game's challenge was evenly set, with the early levels being fairly easy and the later levels being very hard (though nowhere as hard as Mario 3's final levels). And just when you think you've beaten the game, there's two bonus world to explore; one allows you to jump to the game's world on the fly and the other one will take your Mario skills to the max. The game all accumulates in inventive Boss battles, especially the final showdown with Bowser.
There are some small complaints, though. The underwater levels have never been fun, and this game is no exception. Also, gaining lives is far too easy, some levels give you 5 1-ups graciously, while others have none at all. These complains are relatively minor, though, and you'll probably ignore all of these due to the sheer funness of the game
VERDICT
Gameplay: Very fun. Even though some levels are tedious, the funner levels make you forget those other ones. 9.75
Audio: Very well done. You'll be humming it in no time. 9.5
Overall: This is one of the all-time great platformers. If you love the genre, this is a must-play now. Buy it on the Virtual Consle now for only 800 points
9.75/10
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