Minus World

The Minus World is a glitch level found in Super Mario Bros. It is an underwater level (exactly like World 2-2 in geography and enemy locations) that cannot be finished (the pipe at the end is glitched and takes the player back to the start), meaning that once there, Mario or Luigi is doomed to lose all of their lifes by either running out of time or being defeated by enemies. The level got its name from fans because, when in the Minus World, the top screen says that Mario is in World -1. This is because of a glitch in the panels displaying the numbers. Because the Minus World is actually World 36, the game displays a space (its graphic for the never-used number "36") for the World number, leading to -1.

Mario can get to the Minus World by going to World 1-2 and standing on the pipe that leads to the Flagpole at the end of the level. Mario should break two blocks, leaving the one on the far right. Now, Mario should move to the far left end of the pipe, then duck while facing left. While ducking, the player must jump. While in the air, Mario should move right, so that when he comes back down, he moves through the pipe and then through the wall and appears in the warp room. It may take the player several tries, for Mario must land in an exact spot on the pipe in order to travel through it. If everything was done properly, Mario will see the three pipes in front of him from the Warp Zone. If Mario enters the pipe to the far left, he will find himself in the Minus World.



The Minus World glitch has been removed from remakes of Super Mario Bros.. In Super Mario All-Stars, if the trick is performed, the Warp Pipe will still take Mario to 4-1 as if the pipes were gotten to by walking along the ceiling. In Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, the ability to perform the trick was removed. However, the Super Mario Bros. that is available for download off the Wii's Virtual Console is an exact copy of the original game, meaning that gamers can once again enter the Minus World. Using the same trick in All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario Bros. 2 will take Mario to the room where the player should get out of the pipe at the end of the level, where the player come out of a pipe and see a stair and the pole.

If one is to use a gaming tool that can set the level that Mario is on, the Minus World goes all the way to -8. These levels are very strange and may have been used as test levels when the game was being developed. Specifically, World -2 is a version of 3-4 with water graphics; world -3 is a version of 3-4 with overworld graphics, and world -4 is just a blank screen.

Famicom Disk System
In the Famicom Disk System version of Super Mario Bros., the Minus World is accessed the same way, but is very different in design. World -1 is just like World 1-3, but with underwater gameplay (despite lacking actual visual water) and featuring bizarre elements such as multiple floating Princess Toadstools and a floating Bowser, as well as an overall glitchy palette for several objects. It marks the only instance of underwater flagpole (sans the flag), which can easily be swam over if touched too high; if touched halfway down or lower, however, this flagpole will actually take Mario to World -2, a level identical to 7-3. There is finally a World -3 after this level; -3 is a version of World 4-4 that lacks its False Bowser and maze elements, is colored differently, and is filled with flying Bloopers that can be stomped. (Though intentionally-programmed Bloopers nearly identical to this would be featured in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.) Beating World -3 takes the player to the title screen as if the player had beaten the game. If the player starts the game again after going through the Minus World, it will replace all Goombas with Buzzy Beetles and will be like Mario's second quest. Touching any of these flagpoles and generating a fireworks display will stop the game from progressing.

Trivia

 * The Minus World is widely regarded as the most famous glitch in video game history.
 * In Super Paper Mario, The Underwhere is called "World -1" by its residents.
 * Also in Super Paper Mario, there are three pipes in a secret room in the underground section of 3-1, referencing the way to enter the Minus World (as well as the warp zone).
 * The Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest manual's description for Minus Barrels makes a Minus World reference by jokingly attributing the ability to take the player to the Minus World to them.
 * On Smash Bros. DOJO!!, when demonstrating how to send Target Smash! videos, one of the Wii Friends was called "World -1.", which is perhaps referencing this level.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Luigi's Final Smash Negative Zone may be a reference to World -1, due to its name.