Super Mario World

Super Mario World (originally released in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 4 ) is a SNES classic released in 1990, 1991 and 1992 by Nintendo. The game has been hailed as one of the many various Super Mario Bros. classics, earned the title of being the best-selling Super NES game of all time, thus has been remade or re-released on various platforms including the Game Boy Advance and the Wii's Virtual Console.

Gameplay
The gameplay expands upon Super Mario Bros. 3 ' s excellent execution of the ever popular genre, and became the most prominent game released during the console's launch window. Super Mario World is a sidescrolling platformer that takes heroes Mario and Luigi through various environments and obstacles.

Perhaps Super Mario World ' s biggest bang was the introduction of Yoshi, who would later go on to star in his own series of video games such as Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Safari. Yoshi was the Mario Bros.' steed and was capable of eating nearly every enemy and fruit using his elongated tongue. He also gave them one extra bit of life and possessed special abilities that could only be triggered by swallowing a specific Koopa shell.

Stages
The game begins on Dinosaur Island, and eventually progresses to feature seven distinct areas and two secret locations. Each world features a variety of levels, many with multiple exits. There are 72 levels (not including Yoshi's House and Top Secret Area), 24 of them have a secret exit for a total of 96 goals in the entire game and finding all of them will reap a reward.

The different locations include Yoshi's Island, Donut Plains and Secret, Vanilla Dome and Secret, Twin Bridges (Cheese Bridge, Butter Bridge, Cookie Mountain and Soda Lake), Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island, Valley of Bowser, Star World and Special World, the latter two of which are the secret areas.

Normal stages take place above ground and, environmentally, aren't too drastic. They're most commonly found in the beginning of the game and will feature occasional underground segments that can be accessed via pipes.

Slopes are scattered throughout the stages as are varying levels of platforms. Every once in a while you'll find secret areas stationed far up in the sky. These places may contain items such as 3-Up moons, Dragon Coins and maybe even a secret exit.

Sometimes normal looking stages will start to scroll to the right automatically without stopping. These levels will require the best of your abilities and will oftentimes feature copious obstacles that will halt your progress. These stages need your full attention and even one minor mistake can result in a lost life. New to the Mario series are the now fan favorite Ghost Houses. These took place in haunted houses that were infested by various different types of Boo species.

In order to get through the stages you'd sometimes have to go through certain doors in set orders and solve challenging puzzles all while trying to beat the time (which, albeit, wasn't too large). Yoshi cannot enter Ghost Houses, Fortresses or Castles because whether he has a fear of ghosts or does not want to get hurt.

In the first Ghost House there is a secret location in the very beginning that'll require you to use your cape to access the very top while at the same time dodging the Boos. The secret exit will take you to the Top Secret Area, in which you'll have an unlimited amount of power-ups, 1-ups, and Yoshis. Other stages consist of water stages. Unlike the 3D titles, Mario and Luigi (as well as Yoshi) have an unlimited amount of breath and can swim quite fluidly. However, the underwater enemies will pose as a threat to them.

The underground areas have ceilings, which some enemies such as the bat-like Swoopers will crawl on. The sky stages all take place in the sky, and one wrong move could send the character falling to their death. If this occurs, you may have to sacrifice Yoshi if you're riding upon one, as it'll give you an extra jump. Finally are the castle stages. In the castles you'll find a multiple of obstacles and enemies exclusive to these types of stages. These are the only stages in which you'll be required to battle a boss at the end, which consists of Bowser's 7 Koopalings and Reznor. Many castles are based around the theme of fire, and thus will have pits full of lava that will instantly kill Mario with just a single touch.

Table of Stages
** This is a one way Star Road, that's ONLY accessible via the Special World, after completing Funky.

Mario's moves
With the introduction of the SNES controller you're given access to a plethora of new Mario abilities via the console's extra buttons. Mario can do his abilities from the previous games, which consists of running extra fast while pressing down on the B button, jumping with the A button, and ducking while pressing down on the control stick. As before, you'll be able to slide under tight spaces by getting a running start and then ducking, which will cause either of the bros. to slip under if they've been enlarged via a mushroom. Otherwise they can just walk under. As before you can also kick Koopa Troopa shells and use the many abilities that the items give you. You can also pick up items and toss them, crawl on chains and kick enemies climbing on the other side, swim in the water, do a super spin jump that'll break special blocks and enemies (as well as launch the plumbers off their steed), and so forth.

Yoshi
Yoshi has about just as many abilities unique to him that Mario and Luigi do. This is partly due to the fact that in all there are four different colored Yoshis, and that each one has a unique special ability when in possession of a Koopa Troopa shell. Every Yoshi has the ability to engulf enemies by using their extended tongues. The berries they eat will oftentimes give them special items. Special Yoshi wings will give every Yoshi the ability to fly. Special abilities that are exclusive to specially colored Yoshis include:
 * Blue Yoshi: When a Blue Yoshi gets a standard Koopa Troopa shell, they'll be able to fly for quite some time. If any colored Yoshi gets a blue colored Koopa Troopa shell, they'll then be able to fly.
 * Red Yoshi: If a Red Yoshi gets a green shell, they'll be able to spew fire. If any colored Yoshi gets a red colored shell, they'll be able to blow fire.
 * Yellow Yoshi: When a Yellow Yoshi gets a green shell, its stomps will become extra powerful, killing off any enemies on the same platform. If any colored Yoshi gets a Yellow Colored shell, they'll be able to use this move.

In all there are three different types of berries that Yoshi can eat - red berries, pink berries, and green berries. Eating a certain amount of berries will reward the player via an egg that Yoshi will eject from his body, though the amount that you'll have to eat depends on the color of the berry. The rewards include:
 * Red berry: The red berries are the most common in the game. After Yoshi eats ten of them, a Super Mushroom will come out of Yoshi's egg.
 * Pink berry: After eating two pink berries, a cloud will spontaneously appear and drop plenty of coins. If you collect them all you'll be rewarded with a 1-up.
 * Green berry: Collect one green berry and twenty seconds will be added to the timer. These are the most rare off all the berries and only found in Funky.

In the beginning of the game, you'll only have access to the green Yoshi, though eventually you'll find eggs containing the blue, yellow and red ones. Once they hatch, a baby will emerge. The baby Yoshies will only appear in the Star World levels. To make a Baby Yoshi grow into an adult, you'll have to feed it five enemies, five berries of any color, or one single power up.

Items
Items can consist of weapons or collectables or even buttons that will have some effect on the stage. Coins are the most common items in the game. They're scattered throughout every single stage, and collecting 100 will reward the player with a 1-Up. 1-Up Mushrooms are in the shape of a mushroom and are colored green. They'll give the player one extra life. The 3-Up Moon will give the player three extra lives. They're hard to find, though are worth it. Items that power up the player include Starman, Power Balloons, Super Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and Capes. Starmen will turn the player invincible for a short amount of time and will give them the ability to plow through enemies. Power Balloons will cause Mario to puff up like a balloon and float in the air for a short time so that he can cross large gaps. Super Mushrooms will enlarge the player and give them one extra bit of health. Fire Flowers will give the player the ability to shoot fire balls, and the cape will allow the player to fly.

Plot
The game begins with the Mario Brothers and Princess Peach floating over the seemingly peaceful Yoshi's Island via a large yellow balloon for a vacation after freeing the Mushroom World from Bowser and the Koopas. After landing, the boys go out exploring, only to find that Peach had been kidnapped again upon their return. They immediately set off to find her, and come across Yoshi's House. Here they read a sign that says that Yoshi has set off to find his friends who were locked up in eggs via Bowser's magic. They travel across many different lands thwarting Bowser's minor minions and malevolent children, who include (in this order) Iggy, Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig, Roy, Wendy, and Larry, saving the various different Yoshis on their way. Finally, they come across Bowser's Castle, defeat the villain and save the princess, the Yoshis, and the island.

Characters
The main characters in the game consist of Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and the new addition to the series - Yoshi. At the end of each world you'll be required to fight one of Bowser's children, excluding the final area where you'll have to take on the Bowser himself. The two paramount playable characters (Mario and Luigi) don't have many differences other than a change of clothes. In the Game Boy Advance remake, however, Luigi is more floaty and will slide once he reaches the ground. Princess Peach is the damsel in distress, and either of the two brothers will be able to save her in the last battle. Yoshi, however, will not be able to enter either Ghost House, fortress, the castle (or any other) for whatever reason. Toad does not appear in this game.

World-Map



 * World 1- Yoshi's Island
 * World 2- Donut Land
 * World 3- Vanilla Dome
 * World 4- Twin Bridges
 * World 5- Forest of Illusion
 * World 6- Chocolate Island
 * World 7- Valley of Bowser

Other Worlds

 * Star World - Resembles the Warp Zone in Super Mario Bros.
 * Special Zone - A world that will appear after you finish the Star World. The world has eight levels that are more challenging than the standard levels.

Changes in World Map
Once you beat all the levels in the Special Zone or all 96 exits in SMA2, the world map, and some of the enemies will all change. The world map changes from a summer theme into fall theme. Plenty of the enemies change with the season as well. For example, the Koopa Troopas will become mask koopas, and the Piranha Plants become pumpkin plants. The following is a list of all the changes.

Enemy Changes:
 * Koopa Troopa - All the Koopas will have masks of Mario and Luigi, as well as yellow and blue versions, depending on the Koopa Troopas' shell color. Note that the Koopa Troopa shells will also change into masks as well.
 * Goomba - All of the Goombas will wear sunglasses and are yellow. (Exclusive to Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2)
 * Piranha Plant - Each of the Jumping Piranha Plants will change into Pumpkin Plants.
 * Bullet Bill - All of the Bullet Bills will be replaced by Pidgit Bills.
 * Pokey - They will become dangerous blades of sand. (Exclusive to Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2)

Development
Development of the game started around 1986 or 1987 before even Super Mario Bros 2 (USA) was released. The game took three years to develop, and even then, Miyamoto felt the game was rushed near the end. It was the console defining video game, as it was released with the SNES. Some changes were made to the game since it initially started. For example, early on there were signs that prevented Yoshis, or a specific color of Yoshi, from entering the said section. These were removed in the final installment, and gave Yoshi access to all stages and parts of stages excluding Ghost Houses, fortresses and castles. Early on, Yoshi's English name was Kibi and his Japanese name was Lizardbuddy. Originally the Raccoon Suit, made famous in Super Mario Bros. 3, was supposed to be in Super Mario World, though was eventually replaced by the cape power-up.

Legacy
Super Mario World is best known for its introduction of Yoshi. Yoshi went on to star in his own series as well as being a regular character in Mario video games. In the sequel to Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Yoshi was the star character and was required to save an infant Mario from the clutches of Baby Bowser and Kamek. Yoshi has been a playable character in all five Super Smash Bros. games, which consists of Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.

The Yoshi's Island stage from Super Smash Bros. Melee was based around Super Mario World, and even had sprites ripped from the game and an updated soundtrack. The ending theme was featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. A television show based on Super Mario World debuted one month after the North American release, and it was remade various times on various consoles, including the Game Boy Advance, the Wii's Virtual Console, and even on the SNES itself in Super Mario All-Stars.

A Game Watch was created (note: not to be confused with Game & Watch) that was based on the game as well. A sequel was planned for the CD-i called Mario ' s Wacky Worlds, though was never released. Currently Super Mario World is the fourth highest rated game of all time, according to GameRankings.com. Within the series it is only succeeded by Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii. In both Mario Paint and WarioWare D.I.Y., in the music creation tool, one of the instruments the player can use is actually a baby green Yoshi. The sprite used is the one used in Super Mario World.

Sales Information
Overall, the game sold 20 million units. This can be attributed to the fact that it was a pack in game with the Super Nintendo when the SNES was launched. This makes it the 2nd best selling game in the Super Mario series. Of the four Super Mario Advance video games for the Game Boy Advance, the remake of Super Mario World was the best selling of all, selling an outstanding 4.079 million copies. Together the game has sold nearly 25 million copies, which does not include the sales of the Virtual Console re-release. Neither does include Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World, which featured Super Mario World as well as various other titles from the NES era in one cartridge.

Trivia

 * There is a secret area found early in the game. It has no time limit or enemies, provides a free Yoshi, and free items such as Super Mushrooms (if you're Small Mario), Fire Flowers, Cape Feathers or 1-Up Mushrooms if you have a Yoshi.
 * The sound of Yoshi coming out of an egg is the same as Tamagon from Devil World coming out of his egg.
 * The boss for the fortresses around Dinosaur Island resembles a group of Dodongos.
 * Super Mario World was featured on the cover of Nintendo Power V28, making it the first Super NES game to ever appear on the cover of Nintendo Power magazine.
 * The game won five awards in the 1991 Nintendo Power Awards: Best Graphics and Sound (Super NES), Best Theme and Fun (Super NES), Best Play Control (Super NES), Best Overall Villain (Bowser), and Best Overall Super NES Game.
 * This game is Shigeru Miyamoto's favorite Mario game.
 * Despite Super Mario World being a bundled game with the SNES, the Virtual Console port was not a launch title, and in fact took several months to re-release.
 * Super Mario World was chosen as Favorite Video Game at the 1994 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.
 * This is the first game where Fire Luigi is colored differently than Fire Mario.
 * The 2D graphics with linear transformations in this game would later be reused for Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Wario Land 4. Additionally, the Mario, Luigi and Yoshi sprites were later reused in the NES and SNES versions of Mario is Missing! and Mario's Time Machine and Yoshi's sound effects in this game were also later reused in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Mario Golf, the first three Mario Party games and in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. U.
 * In the Japanese version of the game, Yoshi could eat Dolphins, but not in the other versions.
 * In the early development, the red switch palace was placed in the Valley of Bowser, as a secret exit of Valley of Bowser 3; but was removed and was placed in the Vanilla Dome 2.