Click here to view our list of the Definitive 50 SNES games. Links to each video and write-up are included.
5th place on the list of Definitive 50 SNES games belongs to Super Mario World.
This Super Nintendo launch title brought the massively popular Mario platformer formula to the 16-bit era with stunning results on August 23, 1991. It was later released on the GameBoy Advance, and is now available on the Wii’s Virtual Console.
The story in this one is that Mario and Luigi have gone on vacation to a set of islands called Dinosaur Land. It’s there that Princess Toadstool goes missing, once again at the hands of the nefarious Bowser. Upon setting off to find the princess, the Mario Bros. encounter the now famous green dinosaur Yoshi, whose friends have also been captured. It’s up to the trio to chase after the culprit of all these kidnappings, and set everyone free.
Super Mario World introduced a host of new concepts and abilities to the Mario formula.
The addition of save functionality meant players could come back again and again to plumb the depths of Dinosaur Land, and the game’s creators gave them plenty of reasons to do just that. The game consists of over 70 levels, many of which are only available to enterprising players who seek out the many secret exits hidden in other levels.
Additional buttons on the Super Nintendo’s controller led to new moves for the Mario Bros., including a spinning jump.
Mario and Luigi’s companion, Yoshi, can be used to swallow enemies and spit them back out as projectiles. Finding differently coloured Yoshi’s and/or differently coloured Koopa shells for him to swallow opens up other capabilities, including flight.
Super Mario World is the ultimate evolution of the 2D platforming gameplay established in the NES Mario games. Its tight controls, tighter physics, simplistic yet beautiful graphics, catchy music, and numerous, well crafted levels leave the game as one of the finest ever produced.
Super Mario World remains my favourite Mario game of all time. The simple joy of its gameplay is truly timeless.
