Star World



Star World is the secret eighth world of Super Mario World. It can be reached by finding one of the five hidden Star Roads.

The levels have different-colored Yoshis in them, and there is a Baby Yoshi in the beginning of a few of the levels so the player can exit the stage with a new ride.

To progress in Star World, the player needs to find the secret exit of each level, with the exception of Star World 5. Through finding Star Roads and clearing stages in Star World, the player can take shortcuts in completing the game. The Star Roads link to Donut Plains, the Vanilla Dome, an island downstream of the Twin Bridges, the outer area of the Forest of Illusion, and the Valley of Bowser.

By finding the secret exit in Star World 5, another Star Road leading to the Special Zone can be accessed.

Star World reappears in Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge. The moon featured here now appears in the top right rather than the top left.

According to the Japanese Shogakukan guide for the game Yoshi, Star World played an instrumental role in the history of Yoshi's Island. Five shooting stars (implied to be the Star Road) came from the light of Star World one night, and one of them knocked the top half of a fossilized egg to its lower half inhabited by contemporary monsters, resulting in Yoshi hatching. These events also resulted in the resurrection of other dinosaurs, and the islands came to be known as Dinosaur Land.

Appearances in other media
Star World appears in at least two episodes of the Super Mario World animated series, although here it is referred to as the Star Path. Unlike in the game, the middle hill has a visible door, similar to the domes in Dome City, and the course itself visibly has pipes and lacks the red course marks.

The Star Path first appears in the episode "Send in the Clown," where it was used by Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Princess Toadstool to transport themselves to Neon Castle. In "King Scoopa Koopa," the Star Path is used by Mario and Princess Toadstool to escape from several cave-people (as well as from Luigi and Yoshi), who have been mutated into Chickadactyl-monsters.

What appears to be Star World also appears in "Party Line," when the caterpillars are lost in space. It appears as a background object, and it is shown to be very tall.

Trivia

 * The music that plays in Star World is a slowed-down version of the Super Star theme.
 * In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Star World music can be heard as part of a medley titled "Super Mario World Medley", alongside other songs from Super Mario World.
 * The tilemap for Star World is labeled "majikant" in Super Mario World development assets, indicating that it may have originally been named after Magicant from the Family Computer game Mother.
 * Superstar Road from New Super Mario Bros. U is similar to Star World. Not only is it star-shaped in appearance, but it is accessed from the main overworld through a star-shaped portal similar to a Star Road.
 * Though it does not have as many similarities, World 9 of New Super Mario Bros. Wii is likely meant to be a similar reference.