Cover artwork I generate from the game data. I do not use publisher artwork.
Game profile
Super Mario World
This SNES launch title introduced Yoshi and remains one of the most polished 2D platformers ever made. The original, complete with hidden exits, can be revisited today via the Nintendo Switch Online app.
Affiliate link. If you buy through it, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What kind of game this is
At its core this is Platformer, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is built on pixel art, and the overall tone stays light and upbeat. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. It is built around short sessions, which makes it easy to pick up for half an hour.
The difficulty is moderate and fair, demanding attention without punishing you for it. There is no story to speak of, the systems carry everything. It is a single player experience from start to finish. It is available on one platform. It sits in the budget bracket.
What stands out
- Yoshi's debut
- Hidden level exits
- Cape feather powerup
This fits you if
- you want to wind down rather than be tested
- you usually have thirty to sixty minutes and want that to be enough
- cutscenes annoy you and you just want to play
- you play alone and want a complete experience without other people
- you are watching your budget
- you like a deliberate retro look over photorealism
Look elsewhere if
- you play mainly for narrative
- you want something that lasts, this is over after 7 hours
- pixel art puts you off
- you want to play it side by side with someone
What it costs you in time
About 7 hours in total. At two hours per evening that is around 4 evenings, so about a week of casual play.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 96 out of 100, which puts it above 99 percent of the 1206 games here and at rank 11 overall. That is top tier. Only a handful of games here score higher.
For comparison, Platformer averages 84 points across the database, so this one sits 12 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 2007 collected ratings.
Released in 1990, which makes it 36 years old. A genuine classic, and worth checking how the version you buy holds up today.
The facts
- Release year
- 1990
- Genres
- Platformer
- Playtime
- approx. 7 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Moderate, fair
- Story weight
- None, pure gameplay
- Play with
- Solo
- Setting
- Fantasy
- Visual style
- Pixel art
- Price bracket
- Budget
- Platforms
- Switch
- Critic rating
- 96 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario World | 1990 | approx. 7 hrs. | 96 | Budget |
| Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island | 1995 | approx. 8 hrs. | 92 | Budget |
| Super Mario Bros. 3 | 1988 | approx. 6 hrs. | 91 | Budget |
| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest | 1995 | approx. 8 hrs. | 92 | Budget |
If you liked this, try these
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Shared: Platformer, Fantasy
- Super Mario Bros. 3 Shared: Platformer, Fantasy
- Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Shared: Platformer, Fantasy
- Islets Shared: Platformer, Fantasy
- Kirby Super Star Shared: Platformer, Fantasy
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Shared: Platformer, Fantasy, longer