An early SNES game, and divisive member of the Mario Bros. series—some claim it marks the beginning of Nintendo Dumb Bullshit, others appreciate its open, playground-like feel.
Super Mario World was first released in 1990.
In 1994 a slightly altered version was included with a new version of Super Mario All-Stars, titled Super Mario All-Stars + World. Here Luigi is given his own sprite.
In 2001 one a Game Boy Advance port was released, titled Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World. The many changes include another new Luigi sprite, tacky voices, the removal of multiplayer, and much more illustrated by the following videos:
In 2006 Super Mario World was released on the Virtual Console service.
And, at some point, an unlicensed NES version was made.
'The Ghost Ship Level consists of three areas, each more memorable than the last:
First, Bullet Bills firing at you underwater. This is the only part of the game (or… any game?) where you can experience the sweet, syrupy sensation of riding a Yoshi, underwater, as you bounce off a steady stream of Bullet Bills. The closest thing to this is the Torpedo Teds in certain other underwater themed levels, but I recall those having a different gravity to them — not nearly as satisfying as the Bill's familiar rate of progression. This section also establishes a sort of Bullet Hell baseline, re-appropriating the unstoppable scrolling context of the airship levels in Super Mario Bros. 3.
Next, the Red Light Green Light section with disappearing and reappearing ghost patterns, which is when the Bullet Hell theme is at its most apparent. I am not typically a Bullet Hell person, but every time I play this level the feeling of navigating a huge mess of deadly things all around you clicks for me in a way that the whole genre of 12 year old girls on broomsticks does not.
Finally, the most important part — the freefall. After the literal interpretation of the previous segment, this section reinterprets the Bullet Hell concept in a uniquely Mario fashion, fulfilling a deeply held fantasy within the darkest part of your heart since the third time you missed a jump in the original Super Mario Brothers. Here is the true journey that is implied to await Mario below every bottomless pit: spiky spheres and hordes of monsters, both flying and falling, engulf you as you desperately cling for life from star to star — and, should you miss one, you find yourself in a platformer where there are no platforms but the skulls of your enemies. It is the single most thrilling version of the level's (and every ghost house's) theme that Everything Here Will Kill You. When you finally hit the water, the world comes crashing down around you, all of the objects you've deftly avoided plummeting towards you once more. If you've survived this far, you swim to the surface of a floating stone ziggurat, grab a mystery icon which is not seen anywhere in this game before or since, and the world map changes forever.'
'There are a few more great things about the Ghost Ship Level (ie the decision to let you swim through the ghost maze as opposed to walk for the sake of preserving the Bullet Hell feeling, the sudden inset of gravity as you hit the water after the fall, how the Boss Clear Music plays when you grab the icon), but that's the first time I've ever organized my thoughts on this subject.'
The Japanese version of the game uses a different naming system for the levels in the Special Zone.
| Level | English name | Japanese name | Japanese name translated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gnarly | おたのしみ コース | Fun Level |
| 2 | Tubular | おたのしみ コース | Fun Level |
| 3 | Way Cool | マリオスタッフもビックリ コース | Mario Staff Also Surprised Level |
| 4 | Awesome | マリオスタッフもビックリ コース | Mario Staff Also Surprised Level |
| 5 | Groovy | スペシャリストのためのコース | Level for Specialists |
| 6 | Mondo | スペシャリストのためのコース | Level for Specialists |
| 7 | Outrageous | チャンピオンシップのコース | Level for the Championship |
| 8 | Funky | チャンピオンシップのコース | Level for the Championship |
In the English version of the game the last stage (Funky) features the text, written in coins: 'YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER!!'. In the Japanese version the 'A' gets left out, making: 'YOU ARE SUPER PLAYER!!'
Super Mario World "credits glitch" by あんた (Anta)
[HD] TAS: Super Mario World "glitched" in 2:36.40 by Masterjun