LogFAQs > #951461060

#5 Super Mario World (SNES, 1991)

This is peak 2D platforming. I have not found anything that comes close in 30 years now. Everything about Super Mario World is sublime: the level design, the music, sound effects, aesthetic, length, secret areas, and more. Every game of its type that I have played since has always had to be compared to this one, and nothing has measured up.



And I really could leave it at that. But seeing as I ranked this game and not Super Mario Bros. 3, I thought I could speak to that decision. I think SMB3 is a great game, but it just did not make the cut for this list. And there are a number of reasons for this. First, SMB3 has a lot of levels that I do not really like. In particular, the autoscroller levels, whether they are airships or not, do not appeal to me. SMW has only a few of these, and is a better game for it. The length of the levels in SMB3 is too short for my taste. The raccoon tail is not as versatile as the cape. The Boo Houses are one of my favorite additions, and the design of those levels and the castles is beyond anything seen in SMB3. And I think most importantly, Super Mario World added the ability to go back and replay any level at any time. That was huge, and really gave an incentive to scour every level for secrets.

Super Mario World has a ton of secrets, and discovering those secrets as a kid was just so exciting. Whether the Star Road entrances or the Top Secret Area or something else, I felt like I was an explorer finding things that nobody had seen before. This was all prior to the prevalence of the internet. And despite having beat it over and over, it's a game that I love coming back to and playing again. It just feels so much nicer to play than any other of the SMB games. Like I said, nothing has come close for me.

---

At least your mother tipped well