Super Mario World

I remember the night pretty vividly. My older brothers were excited to unbox the Super Nintendo so we could hook it up to our tiny, cheap TV that didn't display colors properly. They had asked for Street Fighter 2 alongside the SNES, and that was their real driver. They wanted to fight each other, but all I cared about was Super Mario World. I sat patiently...well, maybe not patiently. That part I don't really remember, but I sat and waited for my turn to get to try out our new console.

Gimme That Dinosaur

I remember thinking that the graphics looked so much better than regular Nintendo graphics. Not only were the colors so fun to look at, but everything was rounded in a way that made it feel more like what I wanted out of a game. I adored the first three Mario Bros. games, but this was obviously something new. This was uncharted territory, and I was hooked.

Once I saw Yoshi, I not only wanted to ride him everywhere, but I also wanted to know more about him. Why is there a dinosaur in Mario Bros. now? Where did he come from, and what's his relationship to Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Peach? None of those questions were answered, of course. This was before the internet was widely available, and really all I had to go off of was the screen in front of me. It also didn't really matter, though, because the game was incredibly fun to play, and I quickly stopped wondering where Yoshi came from.

Secret Secrets

Mario Bros. was always filled with secrets, and Super Mario World introduced us to some new ways to explore secrets. In Super Mario Brothers, the first secret that comes to mind is the hidden one-up in the first level, just after a pipe and before a hole. Jumping reveals a hidden coin box that contains the one-up. Super Mario World included optional levels that might be accessible only if you find a key and bring it to the keyhole that takes you to the hidden level. This just seemed so much more innovative to me than any of the previous Mario Bros., and I was here for it.

Brave New Worlds

Each area had its own vibe, and it made the journey so exciting. What is going to be next? Plus, you can see what's next on the world map. Super Mario Brothers 3 also included a world map, but this new one was so much more filled out because of the capabilities of the SNES. It also felt much less like "You beat world 1, and now you're going to travel to world 2." Instead, it was fluid. When you climbed up the ladder to the second area, it felt very fluid. This gave the world a sense of unity in a way that was very new to me.

When paired with the secrets that can unlock other areas to explore, the fluid map made exploration pure joy. It felt like an accomplishment to arrive at a new area on the map and fill it out with pathways after beating levels. It made me feel like a pro on any playthroughs after my first one because you can skip areas if you know how to. This efficiency was the kinda thing I learned to live for, and it still shows up when I play games like Dark Souls today. It makes me feel like a pro to play a game in a way that isn't cheating, but maybe also isn't the obvious path.

The Cape

When I first collected a feather and got the cape, it didn't immediately click how I was supposed to use it. I'm sure this was the case for most people, and that's part of the experience. I probably just wanted to pull a Superman and take off. Still, I had to learn to look for opportunities to use the cape naturally and then also get used to the mechanic I'm going to refer to as "arear arear arear"...that's how it sounds in my head anyway. To keep Mario in the air, you have to learn to press back at just the right moment to cause Mario to dip in the air and boost himself back up. This allows him to continue gliding through the air. So, taking off like Superman isn't possible, but the end result is a lot of fun either way.

The cape also just looked so cool. The colors were vibrant, and the way it flopped in the wind was so new compared to the 8-bit graphics of the regular Nintendo. It could also catch the wind as Mario was doing his arears, and again, this just wasn't the kind of thing you got from the Nintendo. Super Mario World truly felt like a huge leap in gaming to me.

Star World

Star World is an area that you can unlock in Super Mario World, and it adds a lot to the innovative feel of this game compared to previous Super Mario Bros. titles. It contains levels that feel unique to the area and it's specifically designed to feel like a new set of trials that are going to test everything you learned about the game up unto that point. Plus, there are new colors for Yoshi in this area, and some of them ALLOW YOSHI TO SPIT FIRE AND FLY! I was obsessed with the little wings, and I wanted them everywhere I went.

Additionally, Star World leads to some of the hardest areas I've played in a Mario game to this day if I remember correctly. Tubular is one level that comes to mind that is guaranteed to stress you out, but beating these levels feels like such an accomplishment.

Must Play

There's no world in which this game should be skipped by literally anyone who plays games. It's a classic for a reason, and you're missing out if you haven't gone back to play it.