Toad's Castle : SMW Review

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SMW Review

Review by supertoad

This could have been the best game ever made, but instead of getting better it somehow lost the style SMB3 had. Nevertheless, SMW is still a good game.

Replay of this game is only decent; you wont start a new game every day. But since the game is long, and allows you to enter levels multiple times, so things even out. I hate the fact Nintendo replaced the leaf with the inferior cape, but then again Yoshi was added. It's a shame the battle game was removed, and where did did mushroom houses go? Colored yoshies are nice, but I want my p-wing and suits.

[Screen Shot]

The cape is nice... but it's no tail...

Unfortunetly, every advance was countered by a draw back.

I give SMW a 9/10 [great].

Review by Master Yen

Ah…Classic Mario greatness…Released 1991 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES, Super Mario World easily became one of Mario’s pinnacle games on the Super NES.

Easily, the gameplay in this title was similar to Super Mario Bros. 3, or, for that matter, all the Mario games up ‘till ’91. However, while it was simple side-scrolling, there were a few notable changes, as well as one that introduced a completely new Nintendo star entirely. First of all, this game featured a cape power, which allowed Mario to jump high and glide around the level as long as he built up good speed. A nice, element, but the Tanooki suit and Super Leaf pulled this trick in Super Mario Bros. 3. This is probably why the cape also gave our heroes the most random ability to slam into the floor with an earthquake. Another ability in the game was the ever famous Fire Flower, around since the original Super Mario Bros. However, using the item, not all the bosses went out easily, which did add some challenge to the game. The bosses were all the same from Super Mario Bros. 3, meaning all the Koopa Kids were here for you to stomp on in Mario and Luigi’s stomping glory. There is a general pattern in the design of both the bosses and the boss fights, but as you go further, they get more difficult, as expected. However, while repetitive every now and then, the boss fights are individually enjoyable, especially since they don’t occur all that often. Other than that, the design of the levels are amazing, because once you cross area four in the game, the levels will put you in constant danger, keeping your eyes on the game as long as it isn’t paused. And, in that case, you probably won’t want to pause it in the first place, because all the enemies, pits, spikes, lava, and thin walls will have you asking for more. In addition to the levels laid out in front of you, the game throws in multiple alternate paths for you to follow and play through extra area you never thought you would ever come across, including a world that turns Dinosaur Land into chocolate! However, despite the prowess of the majority of the game, what Super Mario World is famous for is its introduction of the cute, green, dinosaur called Yoshi. This fella’ was Mario’s noble steed, and helped him trample the toughest of enemies, and got Mario and Luigi through the worst of scenarios by flying, spitting fire, shaking the ground, and much more. Most people thought of this little guy as a small addition to the game, but his importance was nearly limitless. Besides, Mario looks cool with another sidekick. The gameplay in this title is second to none before it, and it is definitely recommended if you just want to have a good side-scrolling, platforming experience, Super Mario World is definitely a title to consider.

Gameplay: 10/10

The game’s music also became revolutionary in its entirely new score to any Mario franchise. Both dungeon and outside levels were given separate, but catchy music that will stick in your head for a long time to come. Not only those, but the castle levels, and Bowser’s level, were also given good music, but not great music. Generally, the game’s music wasn’t all that diverse or large in selection, but mainly catchy tunes at the most. However, at the time, games weren’t expected to have the greatest music, besides, so the game actually did much better when it came to music. However, what the game really did great in was the sound effects. The sound effects in the game were so diverse, that practically every enemy and every movement had an individual sound to match it. However, I would believe that the most notable and recognizable of sounds had to be the sound effect for jumping. A simple rising pitch, was all that matched the jump. Such an annoying sound by itself, fits so well with a jump in a video game…It was pretty surprising how well it went over, along with all the other sounds in the game. Not the best sound, but it’s not really all that should be appreciated, anyway.

Sound: 7/10

The overall graphical layout of the game was quite astounding, in point of fact. Since the game took on a cartoon palette overall, it wouldn’t seem that hard to make a good game. Nevertheless, if you wanted it to look great for a cartoon, animations were key, and Super Mario World did this very well. Not only were all the sprites and environments beautifully colored, the animations of the sprites were well done, and showed true graphical 16-bit prowess. However, while everything looked great, the true standout in the animations had to be the animations of sparks and fires, which flowed so smoothly, it was a wonder just to look at…until it touched you and you died. But, it still looked good, didn’t it?

Graphics: 10/10

The replayability of this game couldn’t be better. Since there weren’t any cut scenes or any storyline interventions until the end of the game, you could practically replay the entire game whole, even if you’ve beaten it. That’s what’s so great about Mario games; you can play every single level in the original form that you played them, not having to force you to start a new file or anything of the sort. All you had to do was go back and select the level you wanted to play. Not only is that, but the selection of levels is above astounding. The game offers more than 70 levels for you to play through over and over again, each with an individual challenge. So, in that, you won’t be memorizing the game any time soon. Other than that, the boss fights are fairly prolonged, and do provide a great challenge for newcomers, but once you get used to them, they get pretty easy, which is a bit of a downfall, but it’s not like it ruins anything. All in all, the game is totally replayable, and replayability doesn’t get better than Mario games.

Value: 10/10

So, on my concluding analysis, Super Mario World is an amazing side-scroller, and an amazing Mario title, so I recommend it to all fans, to all Super NES owners, to all GameBoy Advance owners (You can find it on the GBA as Super Mario World 2: Super Mario World), and to all gamers in general. You can’t miss it.

I give Super Mario World a 9.1 (Not an average)

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