Super Mario World

File:250px-Super mario world box.jpg

Super Mario World (SMW) (Japanese: スーパーマリオワールド/Suupaa Mario Waarudo/Super Mario Brothers 4: Super Mario World) was the first launch game for the Nintendo Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System game consoles, and thereby the 16-bit console debut of Mario. It was first released on 21 November 1990 in Japan and in August 1991 in the United States.

The game was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, the music was composed by Koji Kondo, and the graphics were designed by Shigefumi Hino. Mission Once again, Princess Toadstool has been kidnapped by King Bowser and his Koopalings. Mario and Luigi must set out to rescue her. The character gallery from earlier Mario games is notably expanded with the addition of Mario's dinosaur friend Yoshi, as well as many minor characters.

[Gameplay]

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, Twin Bridges Area, Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island, and the Valley of Bowser. There are also two secret worlds--Star World and Special World (accessed via the Star World)--which can be found by completing secondary goals in specific levels.

SMW contains a map screen on which the player moves, expanding this concept which was introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3. It features 72 courses laid out across the seven worlds, 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. If you get all 96 exits you can play in a slightly different world.

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Cover of the Gameboy Advance Version of the Game

The Yoshis appear in four different colors (green, yellow, red, and blue), each with slightly different abilities. There are also Baby Yoshis in the Star World levels which can be picked up by Mario. After eating five enemies, three berries, a Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Starman, or Cape Feather, they will become a fully grown Yoshi of the same color. 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. 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 addictive 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. Though this package deal was later dropped, it helped Super Mario World on its path to becoming one of the best-selling video games of all time internationally.

External links

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