I could remember I was among those children who didn't have a Super NES while we eventually had the first Playstation. Back then, Super Mario World was highly coveted by many. I was thinking that the Exceedraft episode could've used the game as an advertisement. Instead, it focused on the Gundam Knight game - something I never heard of until I saw that particular episode where the child was whining about him as the uncool kid who doesn't have a Super Famicom. So, I was thinking about how I was able to finally play the game through a PS2 emulator called SNES Station (which isn't legit). But it was more or less the "real deal" in contrast to the abomination made by the Hummer Team - something I had, thought it was legit, and later discovered it was a fake. It was a game that I really nearly did a lot of stupid stuff for.
Unlike the first three games (or four, if you still consider The Lost Levels) - this was the very advertising power of the 16-bit Super NES. Super Mario is a Nintendo-exclusive product until today since the Nintendo systems still sell unlike what happened to Sega's exit from the console market. Super Mario Bros. 3 was the farewell swan song for the NES or Famicom. It was now time to move on to the 16-bit era though the Super NES didn't really last long as the PS1 was coming in. The Super NES was practically replaced by the Nintendo 64 - a game that had lower power but higher loading speed than the PS1. Take note that I also never had a Nintendo 64 either. The game was practically the booster of the Super NES - something that created the term Nintendependent - that's when children get too addicted to Nintendo. I was a Nintendo addict too in some way.
The game's new setting and new world...
Super Mario World had to be a very cool game. Until today, I still find it to be very cool, unlike some older games that I could discard. The game discarded many of the old suits in the third game in favor of quality over quantity. A new item called the Cape Feather replaced the Leaf from Super Mario Bros. 3. Now, Mario could fly for longer periods but it also required him to run really fast and jump, and the flying had to be done with UTMOST caution. It wasn't like the P-Wing which could be easily controlled. Well, the P-Wing was a cheap item that was best kept for the more difficult stages.
Yoshi was also added as the dinosaur companion. For some reason, Yoshi wasn't added to the NES and they (Nintendo) said it was hardware limitations. IMHO, I think it's more than just that. I bet they had a LOT of plans for Yoshi to be more than just a companion and couldn't fit in. Though Yoshi ended up getting abused whenever a player dropped him to the pit. What's so illogical is that you could get Yoshi back by simply getting another Yoshi egg. It's somehow explained in future games that Yoshi teleports when he's dropped. It's also noticeable that there are three hidden Yoshis with three different abilities. Red Yoshi spews fire regardless of what shell it takes. Blue Yoshi can fly for a limited period until it swallows the Koopa shell in its mouth. Yellow Yoshi can produce tremors if it has a Koopa Shell in its mouth.
The game started to introduce Dinosaur Island - a strange new world taken over by King Bowser. King Bowser is way too obsessed with Princess Peach for some reason. I find the whole obsession of King Bowser with Princess Peach to be rather disgusting. Mario and Luigi must rescue her (again) which can be a tired running gag. However, it seems that there's no real Mario timeline. Super Mario Bros. 3 was a stage play and Super Mario Bros. 2 was a dream world though it does seem to be a play in itself. I mean, the whole Super Mario franchise seems to be a game show and you're that participant. I mean, the end of EVERY LEVEL has a huge goal tape that grants you bonus stars. Get 100 stars and you get to play a BONUS GAME. How's that for realism?
The game now features multiple paths that you can cross. For example, the very first world (Yoshi's Island 1) has an alternate path that leads to the Yellow Switch Palace. Uncovering these can be VERY TRICKY unless you have the game guide. Some were easy to find but others weren't. There was a clue of the red dot on the world map if the place had more than one exit. There were clues dropped everywhere though a game guide always made it easier. These multiple paths can lead you to really challenging stages and some levels have a very frustrating level design. The Super NES also had limitations where you could only save after a ghost house or a palace. However, you started off in your tiny state AGAIN. Talk about very limited anti-frustration features!
The creativity in dealing with the CPU enemies
Old and new enemies return. For some reason, Koopa Troopas now have hands and feet. However, the Green Koopa Troopas still remain as stupid as ever. The Red Koopa Troopas still kept turning around like zombies. Newer dinosaur-based enemies can be found here and there like the Rex and the Dino Rhino. A new variety of Goomba arrived which couldn't be defeated by a normal jump and can be picked up and thrown. The Magikoopas can be a pain in the ass because of how often they teleport in and out. Then there's the Super Koopa which some of them carry the cape feather. I think the new and old enemies did manage to blend in well one way or another.
King Bowser and his seven children return to cause trouble again. This time, they have caught at least one Yoshi in each palace. Yoshi requests that you save all his friends from each and every one of them. The bosses are now given a more creative battle than they were in Super Mario Bros. 3. Back then, three stomps or several fireballs were all that was needed. Now, you had to figure out how to defeat some of them or some of them even had a whack-a-mole type battle. This time, King Bowser even uses a clown balloon and it took six hits from his Mecha-Koopas towards his head to win the battle. These battles are significantly tougher than what Super Mario Bros. 3 had to offer. This time, their castles can be harder to navigate and require utmost attention.
There were also bonus places. For example, the fortresses introduced a boss called Reznor. Reznor was four fire-breathing Triceratops that you had to jump under to defeat them while the floor was banishing. There were also some Ghost Houses that were optional and led to secrets. For example, the Donut Plains has a secret ghost house with a secret boss called the Big Boo. You had to use some of the power blocks to defeat it. In fact, it also led to the Star Road which I could also talk about.
The Star Road - a strange new secret world!
The Star Road was a secret that could be used to access the speedruns and a strange new world. If you managed to complete all FIVE sections - you could actually get into a strange new world that had very difficult challenges. Some of them were just utterly ridiculous. Finishing them rewards you with a strange new world where certain enemies are replaced with new enemies. For example, the Koopa Troopas are now replaced with Masked Koopas.
Meanwhile, the game itself could be used to have a massive speed run too. Ironically, the speed run NEVER affected your ending and you still managed to rescue all the seven Yoshis that were held captive by the others. However, doing a speedrun can be less satisfying in contrast to completely exploring Dinosaur Island with all its difficulty levels. I guess Nintendo (back then) never intended to punish speed players since it was pretty much the fad back then. I kinda wanted to have the game penalize you for using the Star Road to finish the game fast without passing through the other perimeters like how Abe's Exodus would if you didn't get all the Modukons.
Overall verdict...
For me, I think the game can still be worth digital for Nintendo system owners. I also think that the Super NES Classic is just right to include the game in its limited list of games. I may now be outdated with Nintendo but it can be a fond memory eventually.
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