SMW marks the fourth superb game in the series with its incredible level design, solid controls and amazing charm.
THE GOOD
-Exciting level design
-Solid controls
-Cool power-ups
-Outstanding graphics
-Good music
-Lots of optional bonus levels
THE BAD
-Weak bosses
OVERVIEW
After making three revolutionary games, for the NES, the Super Mario series takes its first steps in the next generation with Super Mario World. SMW does a great job of bringing over all the excitement, from the previous games, to the Super Nintendo console. Now of course it wouldn't be a Mario game without Bowser kidnapping the Princess again, right? Well, Mario and Luigi have to, yet again, rescue the fair damsel of the Mushroom Kingdom. This time around you won't be navigating through the kingdom of mushrooms because Bowser has taken the Princess to Dinosaur Land. In this exciting new world, Mario and Luigi will not only have to fight the nostalgic Goombas and Koopa Troopas, but they also have a few pre-historic threats to deal with. Luckily, the plumbers find some unexpected help from a green dinosaur named Yoshi. Yoshi may seem cute and loveable but don't be fooled because he can devour just about anything. Super Mario World is a fun platformer that is easy to pick-up and proves, yet again, that Nintendo's famed Mario series is here to stay.
GAMEPLAY
Dinosaur Land, much like the Mushroom Kingdom, contains over 90 uniquely themed levels broken down into eight worlds. Mario and Luigi will have to travel through places like Donut Plains, Chocolate Island and Illusion Forest. This amount of variety keeps things fresh and makes playing SMW extremely enjoyable. Just like Super Mario 3, Super Mario World requires you to do plenty of running, jumping, swimming and even a fair amount of flying. Each level is filled with a wide range of enemies and plenty of platforming. Bowser's Koopa kids make a return and occupy castles at the end of each world. Now their respective castles offer quite a bit of challenge but the boss battles are disappointingly easy; even the final boss. The first time I confronted the boss of World 1, I was somewhat nervous but after sending Iggy Koopa into the lava after 5 seconds was pathetic. Some of the other bosses are a little more difficult but not by much.
Aside from taking the straight path through each world, conquering the boss and moving forward, you also have the option to discover some extra levels. Majority of these secret levels require a bit of platforming skill and exploration to unlock. Once you finally unlock these special levels you'll find out that they'll serve one of three purposes: a short-cut, a safe place to power-up or a difficult challenge. The Special World is an optional but extremely challenging set of levels. This is where your platforming skills will be put to the ultimate test so bring plenty of extra lives with you. There is a reward at the end of the Special World and you'll definitely feel good about yourself when you complete it. The bonus material, in Super Mario World, is definitely adds greatly to the replay value.
Super Mario 3 was noted for its fun power-ups and while SMW doesn't offer same amount, there are still a few useful enhancements that are enjoyable. Besides the mushroom, fire flower and star man there are two other power-ups worth mentioning. The two I'm talking about are the cape feather and Yoshi. After touching a feather, a gold cape will appear on your character. This cape can be used to dispatch some of the weaker enemies, give you a "parachute" effect when falling and most importantly give you the ability to fly. Unlike Super Mario 3's Raccoon suit, a caped Mario can fly forever. Flying in this game does require some skill but when you do master this technique it can become very useful. The other great power-up involves riding in on the back of a green dinosaur named Yoshi. Like I said before Yoshi can devour almost anything in his path. He can also earn other powers like the ability to shoot fire and fly by eating the certain colored Koopa Troopas. There may not be as many cool power-ups like before but the ones used in SMW definitely rock.
The controls in Super Mario World are exceptional. The intuitive control scheme will give you the ability to maneuver freely without having to worry about any hiccups. Most of the controls are the same as Mario 3 in that you can run, carry items, and jump. There is also a new spinning type jump that'll destroy almost any enemy in one stomp.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The visual design in Super Mario World is stunning. There is a great amount of detail in the characters in the foreground and the background animations are great too. The level design is cleverly done to provide the right mixture of challenge and enjoyableness.
Ever since the first Super Mario game, backing the 1980s, the musical soundtrack throughout the series has been extremely popular. Super Mario World does a great job in adding to this greatness with its memorable music. Each of the songs fit their corresponding levels like the up beat somewhat jazzy piece used for out-door levels to the somber (almost spooky) orchestrated theme for the hunted houses. The sound effects also work well and will pretty much remind you of all the things you've heard before in the series.
CONCLUSION
Super Mario World does what the other three games in the series do; which is create an extremely fun platforming experience that will keep you coming back for years to come. The simple controls, incredible level design, and outstanding presentation make this game a gem that you shouldn't miss. I would recommend this game to anyone and especially to Mario fans. Now with four superb games in the series, it doesn't look like Mario is going away anytime soon.