Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World Review (Super Nintendo, 1994)

Cover art for the SNES game Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World.

Backward compatibility was a pipe dream for me in my youth. I always dreamed of only needing one console hooked up that would play both my modern and older games. Of course that would remain a fantasy for a few more generations for me, and it’s funny to look back on a time when publishers rarely released their older games on new hardware. Super Mario All-Stars was actually my first exposure to this. I was a little confused by the commercials (I assumed it was a combination of gameplay elements from all of the previous Mario titles) but I absolutely had to have it. Although it consisted only of remakes of the 8-bit titles I was not disappointed in the least. These were some of my favorite games of all time, and playing them again with enhanced aesthetics was awesome. I was confused as to why Nintendo left Super Mario World out of the mix, but they later fixed this problem with a re-release of All-Stars which contained it and despite owning all of the original titles I once again had to add it to my collection. Today I’m going to take a look at each of these remakes to tell you whether or not the collection is still worth owning.

Okay so the package doesn’t contain any additional content outside of the first three Super Mario Bros. games, and of course The Lost Levels (the real part 2) with a save feature added to each. For a collection like this I find it best to look at each individual port and compare them to the original. Super Mario All Stars + Super Mario World is one heft package so it’s going to take a while. Here we go.

Super Mario Bros.

The original is timeless. The level design is intricate with a load of memorable secrets that you’ll never forget, and it’s a very rewarding game to play. Unfortunately in this case I really miss the pixelated graphics. They’re iconic as is the old music. Fortunately Nintendo did a decent job here and have made it accessible to new gamers even today. The Mario and Luigi sprites have been completely reworked, but these new character models are the worst in the series. It’s not a big deal because they’re instantly recognizable, but they aren’t as detailed as in the other remakes. The enemies also look different, but the art design is pretty faithful to the original. The biggest upgrade here is in the backgrounds. These aren’t as detailed as most SNES titles released in this time, but Nintendo added in a lot of new elements. The outdoor areas are no longer just clouds, bushes and sky. Now you have parallax elements and genuine landmarks. Unfortunately this does mess me up when it comes to many of the secret blocks because I can no longer use the graphics as a reference point, but it all looks very pretty. The music is very faithful to the original, but the hardware couldn’t match up perfectly. Now the high notes sound like trumpets, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s noticeable to say the least. This is a very well done remake, and this version is definitely worth playing.


Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

You really have to hand it to Nintendo here. The Lost Levels was the original Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan; the same game that the company thought was too difficult for gamers outside of Japan. They could have easily omitted it from this collection, but instead retitled it as the Lost Levels which is a very fitting title. Like the original this runs off of the same graphics engine as the original (that holds true even in this remake). The enemies are all the same, but this is a much more difficult game. This is where you really notice that the physics have changed ever so slightly, because you have to make extremely intricate jumps, and the hazards are significantly more difficult to work around. You can select between Mario and Luigi here and they control slightly differently (Luigi is more slippery but can jump higher) which is better in some situations and worse for others. It’s a little disappointing that the aesthetics aren’t really all that different from the remake of the original, but it’s forgivable considering that this was the case on the original hardware. Like the last entry this title uses the sound effects ripped straight out of Super Mario World which is awesome for continuity. It’s still really cool that this was included in the package considering Nintendo’s old policies.

Super Mario Bros. 2

Here is where we really see some changes. I won’t waste time talking about the origins of this game and so let’s get right down to it. This is a very different Mario game; you throw turnips at enemies, and can ride atop their heads and even toss them like the aforementioned vegetable. There are no goombas and koopa troopas here and instead you’ll be facing off against shy guys, birdos, and a variety of different boss characters. The level design is significantly different from your typical Mario title in that many areas function much more like a puzzle game, and you can choose to play as the namesake plumber brothers or even Toad and the Princess. They all control differently and excel in different areas which makes this one the most replayable of the bunch. This is a very competent remake, and until Super Mario Advance was released was the best version of SMB2. The graphics have seen a significant upgrade with a lot of color detail on each of the characters. This remake doesn’t re-use any elements of the previous game, and instead Nintendo took the time to redraw absolutely everything which is an incredible feat in my opinion.

Super Mario Bros. 3

The original release of this game is absolutely monumental in the history of video games. Few releases have had even a fraction of the impact as Super Mario Bros. 3, and it still holds up today as one of the all time greatest platformer games of all time. It pushed the NES to its limit which is why I hold this remake to a higher standard than the others. So many new power-ups, and level designs that to this day have yet to be challenged. Nintendo did a fantastic job with this remake. This is the most graphically intense of the remakes with super detailed character models, loads of parallax scrolling, and a fantastic take on the art style. Ever scene still looks like the same game, but with a lot more going on at once. This is also the one title that benefits the most from the save function considering it’s one of the longest Mario titles of all time. Nintendo did a simply awesome job of porting this incredible title over, and this is one of the best versions of Super Mario Bros. 3 ever released. It’s worth owning this collection for this title alone.


Super Mario World

This is also one of my favorite platformers of all time, but considering the fact that it was released on the Super Nintendo there wasn’t a whole lot to remake here. Almost all of the assets were ported over from the original release. This isn’t a big problem because it’s still a decent looking title, and the graphics/music are directly comparable with the others in this package. This game expanded upon the groundwork laid by Super Mario Bros. 3, but it adds its own flair to the formula. This title is based more upon secrets than the others with hidden levels, paths, and really cool shortcuts. Super Mario World also introduced Yoshi to the mix, and he has since become one of the most iconic mascots in Nintendo’s arsenal. While Super Mario World is largely the same amazing game it always was here one distinct change was made. Nintendo re-designed Luigi’s sprite. He’s now taller and features different animations. It’s really cool that he’s no longer a simple palette swap, and this was the start of something big for the character. While it might not sound major it’s still enough to make this one of the definitive versions of this already stellar game.

Super Mario All Stars + Super Mario World is a truly special collection. Nintendo probably could have simply ported over the games, and released them individually. I’m glad they didn’t because All-Stars is one of the must have Super Nintendo titles and features many of the definitive versions of the classics. The original release of this game didn’t contain Super Mario World, and that’s why this is the one you want.

10.0
OVERALL SCORE
Graphics: 10
Soundtrack: 10
Controls: 10
Value: 10
Fun Factor: 10
Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World is such an incredible value it's insane. This compilation is simply unmatched even to this day.
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