Still Playing: Super Mario World

Holy crap is this game addicting! Addicting in a way I never thought a 2D platformer could be.

The game is laid out similar to Mario 3 and all the New Super Mario Bros games after that, where you have selectable levels within worlds, usually capped off with a trek through a castle. What makes the game addicting is the fact that most of the levels have multiple exits - meaning you can beat the level in several different ways. Taking the obvious exit will lead you on the critical path, but snooping out the hidden exits will lead you to bonus levels, super-hard challenge levels and magnificent shortcuts. 

The world.

And the path to these hidden exits aren't so obtuse that you need a strategy guide, nay nay. They are cleverly disguised in a way that if you know you're looking for something, you can logically figure out what to do. It's somewhat reminiscent of the hidden stars in Mario 64 - where there's an obvious path to the major star, but doing a little snooping will lead to a coveted secret.

Putting this pseudo puzzle element into a platformer with razor-sharp mechanics is what makes it so addicting. And it's hard - in a good way. Old school hard. I complained in the first post about the overload of 1Ups, but they get drained real quick if you hit a tough level. I've never had this much motivation to play a Mario game, nor have I had a game take hold of my daydreams so strongly - figuring out the secret exits is on my mind almost as much as sex. Almost.

It's surprising that the hidden exit mechanic hasn't made into the recent rash of 2D Mario platformers. It is such a great cerebral addition to the normally twitch-based gameplay. Here's hoping it makes an appearance in New Super Mario Bros U. Or even better, here's hoping for New Super Mario World.