Retro Sunday - June 29, 2014 - Super Mario World

Sunday is not always a sunny day, but it's always full of classic games. Today, a bright spot in the SNES library: Super Mario World.

Super Mario World was a launch title for the Super Nintendo. Mario was as big as ever, and Nintendo wanted to use his sway to sell systems. It worked, and not just because it's Mario; because it's an amazing game.

As many of you know, Super Mario World is where Yoshi first made an appearance. The green dinosaur became Mario's beloved sidekick, and has gone on to star in many of his own games. In Super Mario World, you can ride Yoshi around and let him each enemies, apples, or whatever else you can find. Some enemies give Yoshi special powers. For example, eating a red shell lets Yoshi breathe fire. Just be careful: one hit, and Yoshi runs away scared and will fall down a hole until you catch him in time.

Interestingly, since the first Super Mario Bros., the development team wanted Mario to ride a dinosaur, but it was considered technologically impossible until the Super Nintendo beefed up graphical possibilities. Makes you wonder what Super Mario Bros. 3 might have been like with a Yoshi.

Every Mario games has unique powers, and Super Mario World is no different. The headline power in this game is the feather, which gives Mario a cape which he can use to fly around levels, assuming he can get a running start. The cape makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and in the new Super Smash Bros. gaming coming out later this year.

There are plenty of other baddies that get their start from this game. Wiggler, the giant caterpillar that turns red when you stomp on him; Monty Mole, the goofy mole that pops out of the ground at often-inopportune times; and Magikoopa (later named Kamek), who uses magic to help Bowser try to defeat Mario.

Super Mario World also is the first Mario game to allow you to save an item. If you have a mushroom and you grab a flower, the mushroom becomes your backup item, which you can release whenever you see fit. This feature has been seen in a number of other Mario games since.

Like Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World has a map which you explore. Only instead of separate worlds, there is basically just one big map. Plus, there are lots of secret levels and shortcuts, so you can beat Bowser without finishing all the levels.

The thing about Super Mario World is that it's just plain fun. It's full of Nintendo magic from start to finish, which is why many gamers today still call it the best Mario game ever. That never-duplicated SNES charm still holds up today.

So, let's take a day and play some Super Mario World. It doesn't take long to realize why it sold over 20 million copies, and that doesn't even include GBA or Virtual Console sales. Go catch a Yoshi and eat some stuff! Tell 'em Ben sent ya!


Super Mario World is available on Virtual Console for Wii and Wii U for $7.99