I should note now that I played through the GBA ports of both games, due to their lenient save features. So if I reference them constantly, you’ll know why.
Courtesy of spooieVAULT.
Courtesy of bennettbuzz.
I also want to get this out of the way: despite both games having great commercials, see above, if we’re talking strictly advertising, then it’s no contest: Super Mario Bros. 3 had a tie-in film called The Wizard, so it wins by a long-shot. But this isn’t about that.
Story:
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The set-ups for these games aren’t taking home any trophies: what’s the story of Super Mario Bros. 3? Bowser kidnapped Princess Peach and turned the 7 rulers of The Mushroom Kingdom into animals. What’s the story of Super Mario World? Bowser took over Dinosaur Island, trapped the Yoshis in various castles and kidnapped Princess Peach. When it comes to a Mario narrative, if you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it all. And no sequence reshuffling will change that.
If I had to give the win to one game, it’d be Super Mario World. Not because it has the more uniquely-written story, because it doesn’t. And not because it’s deeper, because it isn’t. It gains the upper-hand for having a distinct setting. It also, unlike Super Mario Bros. 3, doesn’t repeat its bosses 7 times.
Winner:
Controls and Gameplay:
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Both games, or the versions I played, control similarly: the D-Pad allows Mario or Luigi to move left, right, up or down. A allows them to jump. B is the run button. Start pauses the game. So on, so forth.
There are unique features to each of the games’ controls. If you hold B and move left or right with the D-Pad in Super Mario Bros. 3, then Mario or Luigi’s P-meter will fill up and they’ll run faster. This is helpful because running’s required for many of the obstacles. You also have the option, while in the overworld, of selecting items with the L or R triggers. I’ve used these buttons so frequently that I actually wore out my DS Lite’s triggers, forcing me to replace the handheld.
In Super Mario World, you can use a spare item in-level by pressing Select. Like the L or R triggers in Super Mario Bros. 3, this is incredibly-useful. I can’t begin to tell you how much I also abused it, nearly straining my thumb in the process. I also like how it’s a more readily-available feature than Super Mario Bros. 3 overworld items.
Super Mario World’s overworld and visual mechanics were clearly lifted from Super Mario Bros. 3. In that sense it’s not as revolutionary, but that doesn’t mean it’s not impressive. Whereas Super Mario Bros. 3 has a board map with slight non-linearity, Super Mario World has an expanded overworld with textures, pre-rendered transitions and full non-linearity. The game mostly progresses straight-forwardly, but there are occasional detours and secret passages. Sometimes, you’re even forced to replay a level to unlock a secret route, encouraging game longevity.
If I have any complaints with Super Mario World’s gameplay, it’s that its learning-curve’s incredibly shallow. The game, once you get down to it, is pretty easy compared to Super Mario Bros. 3, especially when playing through it your first time. I had much more of a challenge playing Super Mario Bros. 3, especially with all the near-frustrating deaths from enemies I never could’ve seen coming. Super Mario World, honestly, feels like a response to the other game’s difficulty, except it lowers the challenge too much. It’s not a complete cakewalk, but even still.
That said, Super Mario World does have advantages over its predecessor. This was the first Mario platformer to feature in-level checkpoints. In Super Mario Bros. 3, when you die, you have to restart the level. If it weren’t for the GBA port featuring a save option, it’d be a nightmare to beat. With Super Mario World, this isn’t an issue, as you can return to your last checkpoint.
Additionally, you’re no longer required to charge up a P-meter to run or fly. This was always tricky in Super Mario Bros. 3 to master: I routinely would charge my Tanooki suit, finally have enough P-meter power to fly and-oops-bump into an enemy I didn’t see and lose the suit altogether. In Super Mario World, all you need to do to fly with a cape is wait until your character runs fast enough that his arms are wide-open.
Super Mario World’s also the debut of Yoshi. Yoshi’s pretty ubiquitous with the Mario franchise now, but in 1991 he was a new phenomenon. And Nintendo promoted him like no tomorrow, with Yoshi being playable in many of the in-game levels. He also, unsurprisingly, makes the game that much easier.
Finally, Super Mario World has more variety in its bosses. In Super Mario Bros. 3, every boss and mini-boss was the same: jump on the enemy’s head three times, all-the-while avoiding getting hit by them. It was repetitive and predictable, even though the game tried mixing it up every-so-often. The one exception was Bowser, who had you constantly avoiding his fireballs while simultaneously making him plummet to his doom. Riveting, no?
Super Mario World shakes it up a lot. Bowser and his Koopalings make a return, but each one is unique and interesting. Bowser actually puts up quite the fight, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I finally beat him after decades of failure. And there are also those stone rhinos, who are unique to this game, as well, with many of their fortresses being optional.
This should be an easy win for Super Mario World; after all, its levels, bosses, inclusion of Yoshi and gameplay are all rich and diverse! But while Super Mario Bros. 3 is simpler, mostly due to technical limitations, it’s also more fun and memorable with its level design and locations (more on that later). It might be cheating, but Super Mario Bros. 3 gets the point.
Winner:
Aesthetic:
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Super Mario Bros. 3, being more-limited, makes each world different thematically, ranging from a dessert, to inter-connected pipes, to even a world consisting of clouds. The overworld also has a board game-like feel, which was probably intentional. This might be somewhat archaic now, given what newer Mario games are capable of, but it was unique for a Mario game in 1990. Doubly-so when you factor in that this was on NES hardware.
Super Mario World has a distinctly-connected theme amidst its vastly different worlds: dinosaurs. Because the game takes place on Dinosaur Island, everything about it, right down to its overworld, is old and rough. There’s a Jurassic Park feel to it, like you’re exploring it for the first time. And the running motif’s consistent.
Sadly, this inter-connectedness is also a drawback. Everything’s connected, true, but the original designs in Super Mario Bros. 3 made them so memorable and special. It was like playing the lottery: you never knew what to expect. One level could be grassy, the next a side-scroller in the clouds. And often in the same world!
Unfortunately, this variety does come with drawbacks. Namely that, when it comes down to it, the in-game levels are ridiculously-short. They might be blisteringly hard, but they can be completed in less than a minute if you memorize them. Super Mario World’s levels, while more thematically-repetitive, are longer and have more in them, making them more fun to explore. Plus, many of them are unlockables, adding incentive to revisit those that you’ve already beaten.
I’m giving this to Super Mario World for one reason: it has more to offer. Yes, Super Mario Bros. 3 has more interesting worlds. Yes, it also has more varied worlds. But Super Mario World, despite looking similar, has more levels to play and more options to visit. It feels like the bigger game, essentially.
Winner:
Sound:
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Super Mario World, on the outset, appears like it should be the winner here: it has better sound. It has an instantly-hummable jingle. And said jingle repeats constantly, making it incredibly-memorable. Surely this is no contest, right? Well…no.
Think about like this: so Super Mario World has an instantly-hummable and memorable jingle? What else does it have? Not much. It might be unfair to pick on one of the most-famous Mario tunes ever, but it remixes itself in some form with every bloody level. Like, to the point of annoyance.
This is where Super Mario Bros. 3 has the advantage: its sound chip’s more limited, but it takes better-advantage of that. It’s not the same tune over and over, there are actual motifs that feel distinct. This is something I wish Super Mario World had more of, instead of only in the overworld. Super Mario Bros. 3 wins.
Winner:
Overall Appeal:
Now we get to the underlying question: which do I prefer? Super Mario Bros. 3, or Super Mario World?
Both are supremely well-made games that push the technical limits of their hardware. In the case of Super Mario Bros. 3, here’s a game on an aging console that proves the NES still has life. With Super Mario World, it’s an excellent launch title. Both are amazing, but in terms of surpassing limitations, Super Mario Bros. 3 is far more-impressive.
That being said, Super Mario World has something its predecessor lacks: length and options. It’s a longer game with more non-linearity, and it starts the trend of Mario collectibles. There’s more here to keep you occupied for longer, so it should edge out. And if we’re going by strict impulse alone, it would.
However, I’m giving the final point to Super Mario Bros. 3. Why? Because while it’s not as fleshed-out in design, it’s also much more to the point. Plus, and I have to be strictly honest, I’m not a fan of collectibles. They feel like a cheap way to pad length, and I’m rarely, if ever, tempted to gather them. Super Mario Bros. 3 is an example of “what you see is what you get”, and I mean that in the best way. I’m in no hurry to replay Super Mario World, while I could easily see myself replaying Super Mario Bros. 3.
Overall Winner:
That was ridiculously hard to write! Thanks for sticking it out, and I’ll see you in my conclusion to The Omerisms.
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