Super Mario: Every Game Ranked From Worst To Best

3. Super Mario World

Mario Feat Copy
Nintendo

A dice-roll is the only reason Super Mario World leaves the podium with bronze around its neck. At this point, quantum physicists would have to divise a whole new particle to describe the infinitesimally small margins separating inhabitants of Mario's haut monde.

If Mario Bros. 3 was Michelangelo's David, logically Mario World can only be some sort of unattainable vision of perfection briefly visiting the Renaissance dauber in a swiftly forgotten dream. Miyamoto and chums managed to make such a picture of paradise a tangible reality, firmly planting their flag atop the platform genre mountain and rendering most others passé in the process.

It didn't matter that the Super Famicom launched with just two games in Japan - over three million people snapped it up in its first six months, eager to taste a spoonful of gaming ambrosia. Whatever Mario 3 did brilliantly, Mario World did more so, with each and every pixel painstakingly considered for maximum enjoyment. It may have boasted 96 exits, but no-one could escape Super Mario World's beguiling spell.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.