Scoring Note: I have graded each field on a scale of 16, because this is the first Mario game on the 16-bit SNES.

Graphics: 9

I wasn’t overly impressed with the graphics. They are only a little better than the previous Mario games, and I felt that it should have been a lot better because it was on a more advanced system. In fact, some things that appear both in this game and in Mario 3 look better in the latter. I don’t look like I do in this game!

Music: 7

Not so good. I would really have expected better music, but also more music. I can only think of five different course musics, and the only one that stands out in my mind as being enjoyable is the castle music. There should be more music on the map. And really, it doesn’t sound all that good. The game does have good sound effects though.

Control: 13

The game operates very well, and moving Mario around is no trouble. This is good because you have to do stuff like grab a Koopa shell, jump, and throw it at what may be a moving target.

Terrain: 12

This field gets a decent mark because it has much the same areas as Mario 3 does, and I gave that a great rating. I can’t give this one a great rating, however, because there aren’t many new areas. There are a couple. Ghost Houses are often the best areas in this game, but I think they are similar to some Mario 3 fortresses. There are the switch palaces and the Star Road areas. But ultimately this game operates just as Mario games did before.

Size: 5

This game just was not big enough. A SNES game should be able to hold lots of stuff, but this game doesn’t actually have that many levels. Some of them are sort of long, but even though some have save points in the middle I don’t think that any of the levels are really long. Not only that, a lot of the courses are “secret”, and it ends up that you can beat the game by going through not many courses at all. With so few courses, the element of having to open some up makes the game seem smaller, even if finding those courses is rewarding. There needs to be more levels.

Items: 7

The Fire Flower is still here, but that’s all for Mario’s old items… well, I guess there’s the Mushroom, the 1-Up Mushroom, and the Starman. Mario pretends to get a new item, but it’s really just a remake, in nearly all ways, of the Raccoon Feather. Mario can use Yoshi too. Yoshi isn’t an item, but he kind of serves as a power-up because he gives Mario an extra attack and affords Mario another hit. But where are Mario’s new abilities? Oh, being able to spin-smash blocks below him is real fancy, come on! You can no longer hold items out of battle. But hey, when you need something, just go to the Top Secret Area. Woohoo.

Characters: 14

I am giving a good mark just because I am in it, but I repeat that I look terrible in this game. If I weren’t in it, this would get an above average mark, say around 11. There’s Mario, Luigi, and Peach, and positive points go for adding Yoshi. Poor Toad was left out entirely. Apparently Mario is only allowed to have one friend around at a time. A lot of Mario’s old foes are back and there are some new ones, but I, and, I think, the general public, never caught on to most of the new ones. Chargin’ Chuck? Reznor? Decent, but I’ve seen better.

Difficulty: 1

If you like difficult games, and are really good at them, reverse this mark and give it a perfect 16. In my eyes, this game is impossible. There are so many enemies around; apparently Nintendo decided to use the Super Nintendo’s ability to handle more characters. But these characters are tough, and they all require multiple hits. The game is still all about jumping on or over baddies, and across holes. And the final nail in the coffin is the Goombas. In every game they appear in, they are Mario’s easiest foe. One stomp and they’re gone. But not in this game. Even they are difficult. They don’t appear until the fifth area (Forest of Illusions), which I guess explains why they are harder than usual. You can’t stomp them to death! What ever happened to the Goombas in the first course? There are quick Koopa Troopas, and Rexes that take two stomps. They go faster after the first stomp too. Way too hard.

Replay Value: 13

Ok, I’ll give it some good points here. Anyone who liked the game the first time will certainly want to play again. Finding the secret paths is fun, especially if you haven’t found them all yet. I still can’t get to the Fortress in Valley of Bowser. Lots of warp pipes too, and secrets to find in the levels. I’d play it again.

Fun Factor!: 11

This is still a fun game to play. But there aren’t enough new challenges that separates this game from the NES versions. It is the last of Mario’s great jumping games, so it has value just for that, but Nintendo could have done a lot more. This game came out just a year after Mario 3. That’s the shortest timespan between two of Mario’s major games, and I think Nintendo rushed it.

Recommendation:

I already recommended that you buy Mario All-Stars for Mario 3, and if you were going to do that then I would suggest paying the extra buck or two so that you can get a version that has Mario World on it. I wouldn’t go through the trouble of looking for Mario World by itself, or trying to get a whole new Super Nintendo. Please do not think that I don’t like this game. It is still one of the greats. But as Mario games go… you can do better.

Want to review a game yourself? Email me!
Go back to Lemmy's Reviews.
Go back to my main page.