What's great about Giant Land, though, is the strength of all great Mario levels: it offers a perfect combination of surprise and delight. The first time you play this level, you probably had no idea the game could even do this. You're still regular-sized Mario, but the world you've entered is shockingly huge. In this level, the enemies, blocks, pipes, and clouds are just enormous, about four times bigger than usual.

Perhaps the biggest surprise (pun intended) occurs the moment you enter world 4-1. 3 are full of clever ideas and fun surprises. You’d be hard pressed to find a better introduction to a final boss’s secret lair. Though somewhat short, its vast hordes of underwater Boos that literally fill the screen make for a lasting impact, as does the subtle storytelling of falling down a seemingly bottomless void with no traditional goalpost in sight to raise the gaping jaws of a giant stone bowser up from the depths. 3’s airships - which have been noticeably absent in this world. Sitting isolated in the waters at the center of Dinosaur Island, the stage combines the foreboding atmosphere of Super Mario World’s ghost houses with clever references to Super Mario Bros. Sunken Ghost Ship - Super Mario WorldĪnother from Super Mario World, the Sunken Ghost Ship is no normal level by any means. There are more complex levels in Super Mario World, for sure, but Donut Plains One is a shining example of a game teaching you its own rules and how to break them. Mix this with the catchy steel drums and tuba soundtrack, secret exits, and bonus block puzzles and you've got a template for not only the rest of Super Mario World, but a great evolution of the structure of a Mario level. Grabbing that first feather and realizing that the cape would let you FLY was nothing short of revelatory, and turned everything we thought we knew about Mario on its ear. When we think of the Mario franchise, the first thing that comes to mind is Donut Plains 1. It feels like the “next big thing' for Mario, and while it’s true that games like Sunshine, Odyssey, and even 64 have been described as open-world, this is on a whole new level.

One part new school, 3D exploration-based Mario adventure, and one part old school Mario platforming charm dropped onto one giant map where you seamlessly migrate between levels and challenges.

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