Super Mario World is a great entry in the Super Mario series, and is a classic adventure.
The story of this game is different from other Mario games. On vacation in Dinosaur Land, Peach gets kidnapped by Bowser. Trying to find her, Mario and Luigi stumble upon a Dinosaur Egg, which hatches Yoshi. Yoshi tells the bros that the other Yoshis were kidnapped by Bowser and his Koopalings. Now, the bros. are lead on a quest not only to rescue Princess Peach, but to also rescue the Yoshis. The only problem with this story is that it isn't told in the game, but by the instruction booklet on the VC channel.
The game-play in this game is the same top-notch game-play as before. You have to simply get to the end of the level by jumping over obstacles and enemies. The inclusion of Yoshi makes the game funner. In several levels, you will hit a ? block that gives you an egg, where Yoshi hatches from. You can then ride Yoshi. Yoshi can eat items and enemies, and can jump higher than Mario. There are also items in this game. The same items from the series are here, but along with two new ones, the P-Balloon and Cape Mario. Cape Mario works perfect, but the P-Balloon is hard to control with the classic controller. Just like SMB3, you can store an item. It works well, but it has some flaws. When you get hit by an enemy, for example, you will turn back to regular Mario, AND the item you keep will also travel downward from its box, leaving you frustrated that you cannot reach your items when you get hit. You can also take an item out whenever you want, but it always falls in the same downward motion, so you have to be directly under the box to get the item. This is sometimes frustrating.
The level design of the game are mostly great. Most of them are hard, and sometimes the checkpoint for the level is out of reach. The castles in this game are also problems. They do not have checkpoints, and most of these levels are very hard, and it will be frustrating to start all over again even when you make a simple mistake. Some level designs are downright cheap, such as in a castle, there will be two fire spinners moving at the exact same time, making it nearly impossible to get hit. The ghost house levels are also downright mean. The usually include a puzzle element, such as hitting the right button to get through a door, or walking in walls. The boss fights in the game are also fun and varied. For instance, the first boss has you trying to push the boss off the moving stage into the lava.
The maps of this game are also pretty good. They are easy to move around on, but in order to advance on the map, sometimes you'll have to find secret exits for some levels, making it annoying for some people who want to simply advance a la NSMBW. The worlds aren't called by numbers anymore. They are called by a certain land, like Chocolate Land.
The graphics in this game are good looking for the SNES. They are bright and colorful, while making the castles dark. The mood fits well, but the music is forgettable, for the most part. Some theme's, such as the game's main theme, plays great. The sound is pretty low throughout the game.
The controls work very well for this game. On the classic controller, you use the analog stick to move, and B to jump, while Y is to run.
There is also excellent replay value, making you play for more long after you beat Bowser. There are two secret worlds, and a secret level in each regular world.
The only things to complain about this game is the raging difficulty, some level designs are very cheap, the item holding doesn't always work right, and the P-Balloon.
Overall, this game is a worthy, if flawed, entry in the excellent Super Mario series.