Game Review

damo

Super Mario World (Super Nintendo) Review

USA Tue, 06 Feb 2007 by Damien McFerran

Super Mario World Screenshot

Mario and Luigi must once again save their favourite princess as Bowser and his minions try to take their revenge on the plumber brothers in Dinosaur Land.

It was hailed as the greatest videogame of all time when it was released, and even after all these years it still has a pretty solid claim to that title. Super Mario World is without a shadow of a doubt my favourite Mario game and when the SNES was released I played very little else until I'd discovered the lion's share of 96 exits. It's pretty amazing to consider that this was the first game ever released for the SNES.

Super Mario World Screenshot

In terms of gameplay, Super Mario World doesn't actually deviate that greatly from the successful blueprint laid down by its predecessors. The ability to move around the massive map screen at will and revisit already conquered levels to find additional secrets is an upgraded feature from Mario 3, and this really adds to the replay value. Being able to save your progress helps as well - the game is so epic that it would be difficult to see everything it has to offer in one sitting.

The additional special abilities that Mario is granted add an extra layer of playability - although it's a shame that the costume power-ups from Mario 3 fail to appear. However, Yoshi's introduction is probably the most well remembered innovation. The green-skinned dinosaur radically altered the way the game was played and several secret exits were only accessible when Mario was riding Yoshi.

Conclusion

Nintendo fans often argue over which is the best game - this or Mario 3 - and it's likely that in 50 years time they'll still be debating the considerable merits of both games, but in my opinion SMW comes out on top; the sheer scale of the challenge coupled with some beautiful visuals and classic music help to make this one of the greatest videogames ever created. It goes without saying that this should be right at the top of your Virtual Console download list.

User Comments

nintendork

1. Nintendork United States 21 Feb 2009, 21:53 GMT

Best. Mario. EVAR!!!!!!!!!
oh, and fir-- oh forget it

wiiloveitonline

2. Wiiloveit United Kingdom 22 Feb 2009, 12:50 GMT

This is the greatest 2D platformer of all time IMO, although I felt that the controls were lacking in this VC version. Either way, this game well deserves a 10/10.

crakhouse

3. hamispink United States 24 Apr 2009, 05:12 BST

Greatest game ever.
If not for this game and super mario bros, i would not be the gamer i am today. IMO, Much better that super mario bros 3, with much better controls, better level design, and much more play time.

nesnes

4. NESnes United States 13 May 2009, 00:03 BST

10/10 I love this game!!! Almost as good as Super Mario Bros.3 (they are separated by a hair's-width)

super_nintendo

5. super-nintendo United States 09 Aug 2009, 02:20 BST

Super Mario Bros. 3 has the edge because SMB3 is not easy like Super Mario World. :)

supersonic1990

6. Hyper Knuckles United States 26 Nov 2009, 17:29 GMT

This is an awesome game, I just defeated the final boss today! Later on, I'll need to complete all the levels. I don't know if this is better than SMB3 or NSMBW, but it is still a classic! :)

ryanknight717

7. Dragoon United States 22 Dec 2009, 21:08 GMT

Though not as hard as SMB3, this game is still a blast. I recommend the GBA version, though, because it controls much better

magenoobman57

8. MageNoobMan57 United States 26 Dec 2009, 19:53 GMT

I remember liking the game much more when I played it on my GBA when I was like 7.... It feels weird now for some reason..

metroid_fan

9. Metroid_Fan United States 30 Dec 2009, 13:07 GMT

A great game and definitely deserving of that 10, but as others have said, SMB3 reigns supreme (albeit by a slim margin)...

Great review, Damo...

paul_j1

10. Pj United Kingdom 31 Jan 2010, 12:36 GMT

The best Mario game of all time, I think. Yeah it's easy but the castle's are still a huge challenge and to find all 96 exits...

What makes Mario 3 hard are the tricky fortresses!

d2_s

11. d2_s Australia 02 Feb 2010, 08:22 GMT

The game is definately a classic, have very fond memories of it. Not sure whether I prefer this on SMB3, but definately one of the finest examples of the genre.

rc_1138

12. VirtualConsoleGuy Canada 15 Mar 2010, 21:49 GMT

This is a VERY good game, very much well worth 800 points. (And in my opinion, SMW is easier for me than SMB3.)

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