Nintendo Super Famicom Super Mario World SKUSFM10

Nintendo Super Famicom Super Mario World SKUSFM10 is a 1990 platform video game developed and published by Nintendo and is the fifth game in the Super Mario series. The game centers on the quest of Mario and Luigi to save Dinosaur Land from King Koopa, the series’ antagonist. The two brothers must travel across seven worlds to restore order to Dinosaur Land. It built on the gameplay of previous Mario games, introducing new power-ups that augment character abilities, and established conventions that were carried over to future games in the series. Super Mario World marks the first appearance of Yoshi, Mario’s dinosaur sidekick and riding mount.

Gameplay

Super Mario World is a two-dimensional platform game in which the player controls the on-screen protagonist (either Mario or Luigi) from a third-person perspective. The game shares similar gameplay mechanics with previous titles in the series—Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3—but introduces several new elements. In addition to the running and jumping moves found in past games, the player can float with the aid of special items and execute new types of jumps such as the spin jump.

The player navigates through the game via two game screens: an overworld map and a sidescrolling playfield. The overworld map displays an overhead representation of the current world and has several paths leading from the world’s entrance to a castle. Paths connect to action panels, fortresses, ghost houses and other map icons, and allow players to take different routes to reach the world’s goal. Moving the on-screen character to an action panel or fortress will allow access to that level’s playfield. The majority of the game takes place in these levels, populated with obstacles and enemies, with the player traversing the stage by running, jumping, and dodging or defeating enemies. The player is given a certain amount of lives, which are lost when Mario is attacked by an enemy while small, falls into a pit or lava, or runs out of time. If all lives are lost at any point in the game, the “Game Over” screen will appear, in which the player can continue from the last level played by selecting “Continue”. Each world features a final stage with a boss to defeat; each of the seven worlds feature fortresses controlled by one of the Koopalings, and the player also battles Bowser in his castle in the seventh world. In addition to special items from previous games like the “Super Mushroom” and “Fire Flower”, new power-ups are introduced that provide the player with new gameplay options. In addition, the “Spin Attack” jump is initiated with the “A” button. The spin attack allows Mario or Luigi to break blocks beneath him.

The new suit in the game is the cape feather, which gives Mario a cape and allows him to fly. This suit is also similar to the Tanooki Suit from Super Mario Bros. 3 in terms of gameplay mechanics but with a few alterations: you can now hold the B button to fly when Mario is able to do so, and can glide using the cape as a sail. Unlike Raccoon Mario in Super Mario Bros. 3 when powered up with the cape, Mario may fly across the level indefinitely.

The power-ups from Super Mario Bros. 3 did not return: Super Leaf, Tanooki Suit, Frog Suit, and Hammer Suit. The game also introduced the ability to “store” an extra power up in a box located at the top center of the screen. Example: If Super Mario obtains a Fire Flower or Cape Feather or picks up another Super Mushroom, a Mushroom is stored in the box. If Cape Mario finds a Fire Flower, a Cape Feather will be stored in the box. The power-up can be released by pressing the Select button or will automatically deploy if Mario is hit by an enemy.

Super Mario World includes a multiplayer option which allows two players to play the game by alternating turns at navigating the overworld map and accessing stage levels; the first player controls Mario, while the other controls Luigi. Although Mario and Luigi must generally navigate through seven worlds to reach the end of the game, the player can beat the game much faster by using the Star Road routes. In addition, there are a number of levels that have hidden exits, and as a result there exist several ways for Mario to navigate to Bowser’s castle. Furthermore, the exploration of these secret stages lead to stages which while not necessary to the main plot, provide the gamer with more playing experience, such as Special World. Completion of Special World permanently alters some sprites and the overworld map’s color scheme.

Yoshi

The game introduces Yoshi, a dinosaur companion whom Mario can ride and who is able to eat most enemies.  If Yoshi attempts to eat a Koopa shell (or a whole Koopa), he will hold it in his mouth for a period of time before swallowing it. Yoshi gains special abilities while holding a colored shell in his mouth: a blue shell enables Yoshi to fly, a yellow shell causes Yoshi to emit dust clouds that kill nearby enemies, and if Yoshi spits out a red shell he instead produces three fireballs. Flashing Koopa shells produce all three abilities, while green shells produce none. The default Yoshi is green, but the game also contains blue, yellow, and red Yoshis; the player can obtain such a Yoshi by finding its egg in Star World and feeding enemies to it until it matures. When holding any Koopa shell in his mouth, these Yoshis gain the ability that corresponds to its own color, in addition to that of the shell.

Plot

After saving the Mushroom Kingdom in Super Mario Bros. 3, brothers Mario and Luigi agree to take a vacation to a place called Dinosaur Land, where there are many types of dinosaurs. However, while resting on the beach, Princess Toadstool disappears. When Mario and Luigi wake up they try to find her and, after hours of searching, come across a giant egg in the forest. It suddenly hatches and out of it comes a young dinosaur named Yoshi, who then tells them that his dinosaur friends have also been imprisoned in eggs by evil Koopas. Mario and Luigi soon realize that it must be the evil King Bowser and his Koopalings.

Mario, Luigi and Yoshi set out to save Princess Toadstool and Yoshi’s dinosaur friends, exploring Dinosaur Land for Bowser and his Koopalings. To aid him, Yoshi gives Mario a cape as they begin their journey. Mario and Luigi continue to follow Bowser, defeating the Koopalings in the process, and save all of Yoshi’s dinosaur friends. They eventually make it to Bowser’s castle, where they fight him in a final battle. They defeat Bowser and save the Princess, restoring peace to Dinosaur Land.

Actual item pictured.