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(Very first I have to apologize some of the pictures in this review and their quality. I wanted genuine pics for my review but not many of the photos succeed. They been taken from an old fashioned TV since this review is about the original release of this title.)
First imp(ression) that is named Mario
As I popped my Super Nintendo on my mini TV and did some quick picture settings and then I was ready to go. I turned on the console and immediately the familiar and nostalgic, times million, tune started to play. If someone doesn’t recognize this childishly lovely tune they are either dead or simply too old (sorry, but that’s the truth, gurl) or they don’t just play video games (which would be the most likely option.)
I don’t know what to put in to this section of “first impression” since my first impression is left in the early 90’s when I was like 7. All I knew that this game looked a way better on my friend’s SNES console than any of my games on of my old NES. I remember envying the better console and playing it for the first time must’ve been ecstasic and the wow—factor through the roof.
I try to think my first impression as now and as I began to play the very first stage I could recall everything about that level. Of course it is much different to recall everything especially the order of upcoming things since this is 2D game and you have a small portion of the view of the level at time.
I must say; the game and console works like a charm for being over 20—year—old machine. Nowdays nothing lasts since they are built that way so consumers would buy a new one. Yes, that is the sad truth about our world and how it revolves around us.
But Super Nintendo (or Super Famicom depending where you live) is from era when the world wasn’t as greedy place as it is now and it has been built to last at least another 20 years.
I have played couple new games on my PS4 recently that doesn’t even work. They have bugs and glitches that won’t let me go forward. And this old thing can outbeat them in a fight just like that? Come one, please. Something is wrong with everything now days. We should move on to better things that wins older things just like that. Feels like we are going on reverse.
With that said; the game looks beautiful, crisp, sharp, playful… and it works 101%!!
Controls
God have mercy on my soul how much my finger tips hurt after playing hours with the old controller. I have the genuine controller since I don’t buy or collect ANY non—official gaming related things. So this controller is literally used a lot. Even thought it has been used over two decades it still works as it should be. I have no idea how the original controller used to work back in 1991 but I have feeling that it was much like it is today since I can recall of my fingertips getting painful of playing. This same things is with NES—controller, too.
If I try to forget the hellish pain (jk, miss thing) and how the controllers work instead. The short answer is that they work like a charm but as I needed to push very hard the buttons to make sure it’d take the command and the controller squeaked and creaked under my fingers and I thought that this grandpa is going to break but it didn’t. I could push and pull and twist and turn but the senior couldn’t be bothered.com.
Mario moves very gracefully and smooth. All of this game’s characters moves very smoothly and has lots of work done for their movements so their actions looks very natural and not choppy at all. Let say Mario runs and you let go the buttons he will slow his run until stops. Or you need to quickly turn 180° he will do the very memorable sliding move as he tries to hit the brakes.
And if anyone didn’t know how Mario kills his enemies; he jumps on them and they either *puffs* into nothingness or they goes flat and dies. I know, horrible.
First object I want to present is the famous mushroom (マッシュルーム！！ [mashuruumu]!!) and it is that familiar red—white huge mushroom that turns Super Mario to its bigger state/form.
In a detail Mario has various of “forms”. With that I mean he has many different things he can use to alter his strength. Mario turns small if he takes a hit from an enemy and turns back bigger after eating a mushroom (in a little detail the mushroom is fly agaric and it is poisonous and if consumed it makes feeling of bigerness or growing in a size.)
He can also collect a feather that turns him into a superman—like character that has a yellow cape and can fly and soar. I think this is the most valuable object you can collect in this whole game. It will make your progress easy and sometimes you can just fly through the whole level (if you wanna just run—through the game.)
Another object is a orange flower that turns Mario’s outfit to orange—white and gives him a ability to throw fireballs at the enemy. This is most valuable in water levels.
Of course there is also the famous star, and I’m not just talking about Princess Toadstool, but an object star that turns Mario to superhuman (I don’t even know if Mario is a human? Italian he is but I’m not sure if they are count as a human?! 0.o) and he can run faster and kill everything in his way. This affect is very short—lived but usually it works for you favour.
(Fun fact: Princess Peach and Princess Toadstool is the same person. Peach is just her nickname.)
I almost forgot the, my favourite thing in this whole game; Yoshi. よしすこいです！！
Yoshi is cute, Yoshi is green dinosaurus, Yoshi is… Mario’s last thing he can use to save himself. You selfish basic douchebag. But it is true, when you are about to fall in to you inevitable death you can sacrifice Yoshi’s life to safe yours by ditching him i.e. jumping out of its back to make your last jump in to the safety. We all did this and still do… it’s awful :/ But hey, the princess is in need of help so every man for himself.
If we forget this hideous act and talk about the Yoshi and how it has couple things it can do. It can eat enemies and shoot their shell out of its mouth and he can eat apples and produce a マッシュルーム。Yes, it will gives a birth to an egg that will hatch and reveal the mushroom that Mario can… eat? Fucking weird.
Story
Every Mario game is almost the same: (not all of them but the main titles) the princess Toadstool or Peach or whoever is in trouble i.e. Bowser has kidnapped her for reason of unknown. You can imagine the real reason by yourself: what would a lonely ugly monster want?
Either the princess manages to write a dramatic message to Mario asking for help or a Toad comes forth and asks for Mario’s help. As a gentleman he is he will help her by doing whatever is necessary (for an example read above) to save her.
In Mario’s way lies countless levels (in Super Mario World it’s 96) that are different to one another, some easy some difficult and some need a secret exit to be covered until you can enter to next level and so on.
The story is… there. As a platform game it is more important you to jump over obstacles than read a story so Mario goes from level to level and castle to castle (every castle has a Bowser’s offspring as a ruler who is need to be taken down) until to the bitter end where he saves the Princess (I wonder where the king and queen are, anyway).
Sound
As of a 16 bit game the sound is what is and by that meaning the sound effects and music aren’t that amazing like now days video games but how the, sometimes annoying, music been delivered is beautiful. It’s not that high pitch peeping in different lengths like in most of NES games it is much more than that and the compose of most levels are well known and people will recognize them immediately.
As of sound effects they are basic SNES platform but has personalized sound to it. I am 100% sure if you play one little sound effect of this game to any 25—35—year—old they would very likely put the sound effect to a 90’s Mario title.
Graphics
This game is beautiful. SNES can’t offer super—high—quality graphics, of course, but the power it has it can do a lot. The game is beautiful, vibrant, colourful and the cute graphics sucks you in like a black hole where from you can’t escape anymore.
It is hard to describe how the graphics looks — it has to be seen. Nintendo has put their best, as of this game is from 1991, and back then even the computers were kinda in baby steps as of a gaming console so having this kinda of graphics on a console back then must’ve been amazing to consumers and I don’t wonder why this game and console was so successful.
Gameplay
I think you already know that this is 2D game and you move from left to right and jump over obstacles, enemies, pitfalls, traps, etc. And sometimes you move to the left but somehow and somewhere it became a norm to move from left to right. Thinking now, if it were from right to left would’ve it been odd or just a norm? Well, I don’t know.
What makes this different than previous Mario titles (meaning NES’ Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3) is the ability to fly freely and collect an extra item to your inventory to be used in—game as you please. In Super Mario Bros. 3 you could also collect items but they were to be used only one item at time chosen before entering the level. Yoshi is also “a new thing” as of a companion that helps you.
I almost forgot to mention that there is “tiny Yoshis” that you hold on to take with you and it will eat every enemy from its way and finally of eating enough innocent bystanders it will grow to a full size Yoshi!! There are different colours you to “collect”.
I also found secret levels that are sometimes extra difficult but that’s the idea behind it that you are so skilled player you can find them and so you might as well enjoy little bit of extra challenge.
What I must say about the level names like: “Vanilla Dome” “Yoshi’s Island” “Donut Plains” “Forest of Illusions” etc. and they also indicated the theme of the area you are in at. Level design is very advanced for being 1990—1991 video game. What I found the best levels were the castles and the haunted mansions where everything isn’t always as it seems.
I must address that this game has 2 player mode but I don’t know how it works since I have only one controller with me right now (other is somewhere over the rainbow) and I couldn’t try it out. But what I think it is Mario and Luigi jumping on the same screen. That’s it.
Difficulty level
Anyone could play this piece of history. Well, not anyone; I’m talking about anyone in gamers. The game isn’t super difficult at the beginning like many NES and SNES games were, absolutely too difficult. In Super Mario World (as in any Mario —game) the difficultiness is built up level by level. The very first levels are cute and easy and you can collect as many lives as you wish and then try your luck with the first castle.
Towards the end it might get little bit tricky. I personally haven’t played this game in years and I managed to go through the last level with no lives lost. I was surprised. I didn’t know was the game that easy or am I just good player? That I do not know but the very last levels at “Valley of Bowser” was the easiest (as for me) in this title.
So take all this information as you like since I can’t say is this game difficult or not. At times yes but there is a way more difficult Mario games out there than this. This is more like a softer version of NES’ harsh permadeath (disclaimer: NES games didn’t have any save memory in them so if you loose all your lifes you have to start all over again. Yes I know, deep breath darling this might be a shocker to you who has born 2001 at comparing to the now day’s games). But that how it was back then and it is a part of history.
Final imp (i.e. Luigi)
Wow, the end of this came fast and now I have to have some final words of this piece. I really don’t know…
This same question again that should I review this thinking back 1991 or thinking of 2018? They are so far away from each other that it seems uncompareable but I think I should do both, since this game came many different newer consoles as a digital version so it is relevant to do the review as of 2018. Also which means it can be played on almost every Nintendo console published after 2006.
Super Mario World hasn’t lost its touch, literally it hasn’t since you need to press those frigging buttons like your life depends on it if you play this with the original SNES, but if you don’t wanna do hipster then you might find this to be very pleasant to be played with your new and shiny controllers whatever console you’re playing at.
Super Mario World (スーパーマリオワールド) is a piece of history of gaming and it is must play for anyone who likes even a little bit of these kind of games. The cute and vibrant graphics with background music and sound effects that makes you smile for all the right reasons. So if you have any Nintendo console that can have this game then you should’ve already played it. Shame on you if you haven’t.
The game is beautiful, vibrant, colourful and the cute
graphics sucks you in like a black hole where from you
can’t escape anymore.
One More Level 