5 Totally Insane Video Game Bonus Levels

3. Super Mario World: The Hidden Loot In The Donut Plains

Super Mario World holds the distinction of being the first video game I've ever played. And it was addictive. I stayed awake all night at my grandmother's as a kid, rudely rejecting my sister's faux-sweet requests of "can I play too?" just so I could scoop up a Blue Yoshi and attempt to conquer the Special Star World.

However, long before I was able to chase those lofty goals, hell, even before Mario is halfway through to the inevitable showdown with Boswer, there's a nice stash hidden away near the beginning of the game. After Mario and Luigi leave Yoshi's home, they come upon the Donut plains, which are unremarkable except for a secret level, the Green Switch, and the introduction of the Feather/Cape power up.

Initially in the level, you jump on a Super Koopa, jack his feather, and steal his cape. You can now use this cape to float through the game - Mario and Luigi are easily capable of soaring through the wide open Donut Plains with it. However, in addition to the key in this level you would miss if you did that, you would also miss a small minigame: midway through the level, you can travel through a pipe for the lackluster bonus of mystery boxes, but after that, is the wide open expanse of the mindless amount of coins and flight school.

Now, Super Mario World isn't a game you play to pay attention to the score - ALL of your interactions with enemies and the environment provide you with points, allowing you to obtain an impossibly huge number in the upper-left corner of the screen. So the coins seem to serve more as loot for you training how to use the cape than anything else, however the fact remains: that is a LOT of coins. What the hell does Mario spend them on?