It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since Shigeru Miyamoto revealed Super Mario Brothers series. It is true, had Mario appeared in games before, especially as “Jumpman” in 1981′s Donkey Kong, but it was 1985′s Super Mario Brothers, who soared to the regular plumber in the video game super-stardom. Since then, Mario appeared in scores of games in over a dozen different platforms and has become iconic not only of the Nintendo brand, but arguably the most famous face hobby itself. In honor of this mascot, mascots, I thought it appropriate to review one of the classic games that made the Mario franchise what it is. So I dusted off the old SNES and took a look at a favorite of mine, Super Mario World.
Super Mario World was originally released as a pack-in title for the North American launch of the Super Nintendo console in August 1991. I remember playing my copy heavily when I got my hands on the console a year later, but I probably would not have so much as looked at it for 15 years. I turned the console on, and I was immediately reminded of how much this game impressed me at the time. Little flourishes as bongo drums added to the soundtrack when you jump on Yoshi shows care Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka took in production and direction of Mario first stepped into the 16-bit era. Sure, everything is a bit dated now, but this game still has charm over.
There is not much of a story to be here, but it seems to be on par with most Mario titles. I mean, follow the franchisor exploits two Italian plumbers from New York who finds a portal to another world hidden in the sewers beneath the city. A world filled with people with sponge heads, birds with tortoiseshell and devilish sentient dinosaurs. Oh, and there is a princess in peril, which also happens to be the only normal looking person this side of the green pipe. Hollywood would laugh you out of town with a plotline like that, even if you had some triple-A talent like John Leguizamo plays one of the brothers. So yes, the story is kind of thrown out the window here. Luckily, Mario has always been about fast, fun games, and Super Mario World delivers.
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