Super Mario World

Super Mario World is a Super Nintendo video game.

Super Mario World (SMW) was the first game Nintendo made for the Super Famicom for its Japanese release, and the Super Nintendo for its release in North America and Europe, thereby being the 16-bit console debut of Mario. The game has also been released for Game Boy Advance as Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World. It was first released on 21 November 1990 in Japan and in August 1991 in the United States.

In the US and Europe, its prequel is Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, though the games are rather dissimilar. This is because the original Japanese version is a stand-alone game called Yoshi's Island, as opposed to being a prequel of Super Mario World.

Less than a month after the game's American release, DiC produced an animated TV show based on the game, although some of the game's elements and names were renamed or changed for unknown reasons.

The game was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, the music was composed by Koji Kondo, and the graphics were designed by Shigefumi Hino.

Overview

SMW contains a map screen on which the player moves, similar to Super Mario Bros. 3. It features 7 worlds, 72 courses, and 96 exits (some levels have more than one exit). Secret exits open up new routes on the overworld map, often leading to secret levels.

Super Mario World featured the first appearance of Mario's dinosaur friend Yoshi. Here, Yoshis appear in four different colors (green, yellow, red, and blue), each with slightly different abilities. Later on, the 'green' Yoshi would become the norm, although the other colors would reappear later on (in such games as Super Smash Bros.). There are also Baby Yoshis in the Star World levels which can be picked up by Mario. After eating three enemies, three berries, a Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, or Star Man, they will become a fully grown Yoshi of the same color.

The plot of the game involves Mario and Luigi trying to save Princess Toadstool and Yoshi's friends from King Bowser and his Koopalings, who have returned despite their defeat in Super Mario Bros. 3.

The gameplay action is sidescrolling as in previous Mario games and it takes advantage of the Super Nintendo's 16-bit graphics and stereo audio. The game consists of a journey through levels in seven worlds: Yoshi's Island, Donut Plains, Vanilla Dome, Cookie Mountain (sometimes called Twin Bridges), Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island, and the Valley of Bowser. There are also two secret worlds--Star Road and Special Zone (accessed via the Star Road)--which can be found by completing secondary goals in specific levels.

The game has often been compared to Super Mario Bros., in the sense that both games "set the bar" for all subsequent sidescrollers released on their respective systems (although, unlike SMB, which followed Mario Bros., SMW did not follow a game called 'Mario World'). Super Mario World introduced many now common concepts to action gaming, such as giving the player the ability to revisit levels to find overlooked secrets. It was one of the first games to reward the player for "getting one-hundred percent" (finding all the secret exits in the levels, many of which lead to secret levels), an idea that has since become very popular. Super Mario World is still considered by many to be one of the greatest games ever because of its simple, yet creative and addicting gameplay.

In addition, with the augmented capabilities of the SNES, Super Mario World was a step forward for the graphics in Mario games. All of the objects and characters in the game moved from the flat sprites in the NES to a more three dimensional look. For example, in Figure 1, a Goomba is shown with careful highlighting, while Mario's front is brighter than his shaded back. This gives the player the perception that a light source is coming from the top right corner of the game screen. Additionally, Super Mario World used the SNES's multiple background layers for parallax scrolling and other background effects, as well as occasional sprite scaling and rotation effects.

A copy of Super Mario World came with each Super Nintendo upon the system's release in Europe and America. Although this package deal was later dropped, it would be revived in similar form with the inclusion of Super Mario 64 with each N64 console sold (at least at first). Due to this promotion, Super Mario World still holds a record as one of the world's best-selling video games.

The game was packaged in a special version of Super Mario All-Stars called Super Mario All-Stars/Super Mario World, which was released in 1994.

Game line-up

These are the main characters in Super Mario World:

Mario - Mario is the main protagonist, and one of the playable characters. Wearing his traditional red-hatted outfit, he returns to the screen in Super Mario World for another adventure! With his brother, Luigi, he sets out to free Princess Toadstool from Bowser's evil clutches and to rescue the dinosaurs (Yoshi's friends) from the Koopa Kids in the seven castles in Dinosaur Land.

Luigi - Another playable character is Mario's green-hatted brother, Luigi. Luigi tags along on Mario's adventures to assist him in his various quests. You play Luigi as if you are the second player in a two player game.

Princess Toadstool (Princess Peach) - The Princess is Mario's speculated love interest in Super Mario World and many other Mario games. Again, she gets kidnapped while on her holiday in Dinosaur Land by Bowser.

Yoshi - The trusted steed to Mario's knight. Super Mario World is the green, long-tongued, boot wearing dinosaur's debut. He can be ridden by Mario and Luigi and has his own powers and abilities to help Mario on his quest. Yoshi is also the general name of his dinosauroid race. As far as anyone knows, Yoshis are all unisexual and they can all lay eggs. However, Yoshi is usually depicted as being male. He can lay eggs after swallowing enemies or objects (though not in Super Mario World), and can also jump on foes similar to the way Mario can. Yoshi appears in many later games, such as Super Mario 64 and all the party/sports Mario games. In this game, Yoshi is trying to rescue his friends, who are trapped inside eggs by Bowser.

Bowser - Bowser is the main antagonist of the Mario games. He returns in Super Mario World and, again, kidnaps Princess Toadstool.

Koopa Kids (or Koopalings) - The Koopalings are Bowser's seven children that are stationed at fortresses throughout the game, ordered to defeat Mario. After this game, they reappear in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, and Ludwig Von Koopa appears in Super Mario Sunshine. In this game, though, the Koopa Kids each have one of Yoshi's friends captured in an egg at each of the seven castles across Dinosaur Land. Defeating them rescues the dinosaurs.

External links

• Super Mario World - Nintendo.com
• Super Mario World - The Mushroom Kingdom
• Speed Demos Archive - Speed Runs