Genre: 2d platformer
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

Super Mario World's artists must have had quite a job on their hands with this project. Their task? Upgrade Mario and his world to match the power of Nintendo's new, under-development platform, without fully understanding that platform's full capabilities. While what resulted can't stand up to later Super Nintendo releases, the overall aesthetic-- full of color and charm-- in no way disappoints, and essentially went on to form the visual basis for all future Mario titles.

Even though history details that Koji Kondo's original melodies for this game never quite became as iconic as his NES work, Super Mario World's soundtrack fits the game's stylistic world and Mario's character perfectly. Rooted in classical American folk melodies, the instrumentation is in nice harmony with the game's sound effects, many of which did go on to become timeless.

Super Mario World builds on the foundation that Super Mario Bros. 3 built; world maps are retained, but more elaborate scrolling and inter-stage pathways are added, along with secret exits in some of the stages. The general feel of the physics is similar to Super Mario Bros. 3, but new powerups, including the ability to ride on the back of a small dinosaur-- Yoshi-- have been included. Like its NES predecessors, the level designs are positively sublime, yet the stages are even more sophisticated and elaborate.

As perhaps the best platformer of all time-- or even the best video game of all time-- Super Mario Bros. 3 was always going to be a hard act to follow. Yet, somehow, Super Mario World's designers have just about managed to match the brilliance of its predecessor, while simultaneously introducing exciting new mechanics while bringing the formula up to date with a fresh coat of SNES paint. Superb!