Gnarly

"Amazing! Few have made it this far. Beyond lies the Special Zone. Complete it and you can explore a strange new world. GOOD LUCK!"

- Message Block

Gnarly is the first level of the Special Zone in Super Mario World. It is mostly a vertical level in which Mario or Luigi has to scale ropes or vines and use spring platforms or Jump Blocks to reach the top. It takes place in the sky.

Overview
Gnarly consists of two areas on which Mario and Luigi have 300 seconds on the timer to complete. This level contains eight Dragon Coins. This level contains no secret exit.

The player starts next to a Message Block, which tells the player there is a surprise at the end of the Special Zone. To progress through the screen, the player must first go upwards. There are a few spring platforms the player can jump up, which leads them to a platform with four Rotating Blocks. Upon hitting these Rotating Blocks, they all sprout Vines which the player can climb up; however, only the rightmost vine leads to anywhere useful, as the rest get stuck below Empty Blocks. Once the player climbs up to where the red Koopa Paratroopa is flying, hitting the right Rotating Block results in another vine growing, and the left gives the player a Switch Block. The player should use the Jump Blocks on the right side to take the Switch Block to the top. Once at the top, the player should hit the Switch Block (which makes several ? Blocks appear) and fall down against the right wall, and then enter the Warp Pipe the player ends up next to.

In the next screen, the player encounters three Dragon Coins to the left, and three 1-Up Mushrooms to the right. The 1-Up Mushrooms are invisible. After collecting the items, the player can simply fly over the pit to the right if they have a Cape Feather. Otherwise, the player must use the blue Switch Block to make ? Blocks appear, defeat the Amazing Flyin' Hammer Brother, and use its platform to reach solid ground. There is a Lakitu tossing Spinies at the player right before the Giant Gate. The Spinies can be turned into Gray Coins with the Gray P Switch found next to the blue switch.