Once upon a time, when Gameboys were cool and we were okay with wired controllers. There existed a madman in a lofty building only known by it's locals as...Nintendo. There he and his fellow workers made video games. But, he had a idea: "How about we port some SNES games onto the Gameboy Advance?" And so began a trend of re-releasing classic games for new generations to enjoy. Lady, gentlemen, galoombas and koopas. Prepare once again for...SUPER MARIO WORLD!
Graphics: 8/10
This game defintely has better graphics compared to the original. They repolished/reused other sprites to use in this game. It's not the very best the GBA has to offer, but it certainly is one of the top 10 best looking games for it. Mario looks great, Luigi looks even better now that he's no longer just a color swapped Mario, and the enemies all retain their unique and memorable looks. The backgrounds look pretty much the same as the SNES. At times they might be brighter, but it doesn't make that much of a difference in my opinion.
Sound: 9/10
The music is pretty good. But, it's all taken right from the original, don't expect anything new. Thankfully thatgame had some pretty rockin' music to it. It's very memorable, and (mostly) fits the stages you play. The sound effects are the same as well. But there's nothing more satisfying than to hear the thud of hitting a Chargin' Chuck, or the indescribable noise of hitting a Koopa shell into other baddies. But there is one thing in this department it has over the original. And that is, Mario and Luigi talk, and have their own sound effects. If you die, they'll yell "Aww, Mama Mia!" if you grab a powerup they'll say "Just what I needed!". I don't exactly remember any others, but it's still a nice touch.
Addictiveness: 8/10
It's definitely more addictive than the SNES version for sure. Mainly because this is portable compared to the wired down SNES. But, besides that, it's as addictive as the original. Same great level design, same platforming action, and all the same zany fun you'd expect from a game such as Super Mario World.
Story: 4/10
What did you expect? Well, it all began long ago...Mario and Luigi and the Princess took a balloon trip to Dinosaur World. Princess Toadstool, er, Peach got herself kidnapped by the Koopas. A koopa sumo breaks the ground, Luigi fell for hours. Good thing he found a magic balloon. At the bottom of the pit he found a Yoshi egg, then it kept calling him "Mama Luigi" and...Wait, this is the wrong story!
Mario, Luigi, and Peach went to Dinosaur World. Bowser and the
Koopa Kids Koopalings capture her. They gotta find her, and YOU gotta help!
Depth: 7/10
This is a pretty deep game. I mean, the sheer number ov levels alone still stands up to today's games. Then, each level is HUGE! Especially obvious when you have the Cape and you can soar into the sky. Mostly it's just the background, and a bunch of blank, but you're sure to find a secret platform, crescent moon (10 up!), or even a key for a secret exit. Then, some levels have secret exits, alternate paths, shortcuts on the map, and even passageways to secret worlds! Well, one really, but there's a secret way to a secret world INSIDE that secret world! And it's easy enough to go through the game without even seeing it the first time around. I'll admit, I haven't even found all the secrets yet. But I know they're out there. Super Mario World, you confusing enigma of a game you...
Difficulty: 6/10
This game isn't TOO hard. Some of the later levels are certainly difficult, however. There's actually a lot of pretty tough levels in this game. The controls on the other hand are actually really easy. And smooth too. But that's really all that can be said. It has a smoother control scheme, at the cost of two buttons. (RIP in Pepperoni: X and Y. Never to be seen until 3DS)
SMW is, and probably will always be known as "One of the Greats". Whether you prefer the SNES, or the GBA makes no real difference. A few things I haven't touched up on though. Luigi actually works differently than Mario. He jumps higher, flys slower,can make Yoshi hold enemies in his mouth, and hitting a coin block makes all it's coins fall out at once. So after a normal Mario playthrough, you can go again as Luigi and have a totally different experience.
It's a fantastic game. One of the better remakes Nintendo has done. It's just what you would expect, all of the original, with only a few minor changes.
OVERALL: 8.5/10