Overall 9.5 Graphics 8.3 Sound 9.3 Addictive 7 Story 7.3 Depth 9 Difficulty 7.3
8.4
SMW The Lost Adventure luigi25
This is the first game in a trilogy of Super Mario World hacks. This is SMW The Lost Adventure Episode 1. The original Super Mario World on Super NES is one of my favorite games of all time. I grew up playing that game, Super Mario Bros. 3, and several other ones in the trilogy. Super Mario World was (and still is) my favorite one out of the whole bunch, and you can tell SMW The Lost Adventure is clearly a ROM hack of that game. However, the design of this hack is somewhat different from the original, and in some ways I found this one to be pretty interesting to play. The music is awesome and so are a lot of other things, but it is only the first one of the series meaning there was still room for more creativity.
I think that this hack could have been improved quite a bit. The difficulty feels way too unbalanced which keeps me from enjoying it as much as I feel like I should have. A lot of levels are pretty fair, but it only takes one level to put a stop to the whole game! And that is what happens in the first Lost Adventure hack in a handful of stages.
Graphics 9/10: One of the ways in which it could have been more creative was with the graphics. There is very little difference in how The Lost Adventure looks when compared to Super Mario World. There are a few levels that have different and better looking backgrounds when you compare the two games, but most levels have the same appearance. Super Mario World is a very good looking game, but it was one the early SNES games. When it was released in 1991, Nintendo didn't have the technology to make that great looking of a game. The Lost Adventure looks nice, but it could have looked better when compared to other SMW hacks.
Music 10/10: The music on the other hand is a big upgrade from the original SMW! This hack contains a huge soundtrack! There are songs brought into The Lost Adventure from a lot of other games. Many of the songs I am unfamiliar with. The quality/volume of the music is loud and blows you away when you start a level. This isn't the game you would think it would be! This is part of what makes me want to keep playing the hack, and it even adds to its replay value.
Every level sounds different, and even if the sound effects are from Super Mario World the songs are a collection from games like: Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3, Super Mario All-Stars, Yoshi's Island, Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, and 3, Donkey Kong Country 2, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kirby's Dreamland and Kirby's Adventure, Tetris, Dr. Mario, and a lot of other tracks I don't know a lot about. The soundtrack is the strongest part of The Lost Adventure, and this would only get better in the future Lost Adventure hacks.
Gameplay 5/10: The Lost Adventure still plays like Super Mario World. The goal is still the same like in that game and most other Mario games. You have to get to the end of the stage before running out of time, and in this hack that would be something that would be exploited a lot which would basically slow down, if not, stop your progress. However, most stages are playable, and The Lost Adventure has some pretty interesting gimmicks like: trying to beat the clock, spin-jumping in order to change coins into blocks, etc. The levels were also similar to other classic Mario and Sonic games with their artwork and graphics. This is a hack that seems to have a lot to make you want to play it again despite its flaws.
Although, there would be more puzzles in the later Lost Adventure hacks, so this one seems pretty dull when compared to The Lost Adventure 2. The main bosses are just Bowser and the Koopalings, but there are some new bosses thrown in too. Bowser Jr. makes an appearance towards the end, and Mario fights other ones as well such as: Birdo, Kamek, and Kirby. The bad points of The Lost Adventure are that there are no collectables or secret exits. Yoshi only makes an appearance in one or two levels, and power-ups such as: the Cape and Fire Flower have been
replaced by the Bullet Bill and Hammer power-ups. The game likes to freeze a lot when shooting a lot of Bullet Bills, and I can never seem to learn how to use the Hammer power-up properly.
The Lost Adventure still contains a main overworld map with individual maps of some of the different worlds. The worlds have been modified in this game, but still there are no hidden areas. In the original game, the player would have to find a key or a secret exit in order to unlock a path to another level. The Lost Adventure is really just a straight path. There are no secrets or surprise worlds, but the Lost World was a nice addition. This was where the game got interesting and contained the levels that were similar in design to the other classic Mario and Sonic games. What the game lacks in exploration it makes up for by paying tribute to other games in terms of music, artwork, and level design!
However, every level has to be played in order to beat the game, and this game is way too difficult in some parts. The design in these stages are just garbage! They can be too long to even bother with in a lot of ways, and I feel like the good points of this game don't even matter because of how hard some of these levels are to try to complete. You don't even get to play the later stages, and that's a real shame. I find myself getting frustrated, dying over and over because of glitches and things beyond my control, I never even get to play the really cool stages!
WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT AND A BAD WAY TO RUIN WHAT COULD BE A REALLY GREAT HACK!! It's frustrating to the point that you can never consistently beat this game! I hate the Speed Break level the worst! HOW DO I KEEP DYING THERE?! AND WHY DO I NOT DIE OTHER TIMES!!? IT FEELS GLITCHED!! The Master Shell level also feels cheap the way you have to spin-jump from block platform to block platform without falling in pits. If you screw up, you have to replay the whole level which is pretty long. Same way with the Ghost House with no floor!!
These areas halt all your progress and ruin what could have been a really great hack. I like some of the creativity and all, but a lot of times, I can't move past the really bad stages like these to enjoy the good ones! That is quite a disappointment and a bad gameplay experience! I never know what to expect with this Mario World hack. It can be random with me finishing it and being satisfied or being frustrated and let down! I want to come back and play it, but I don't know what to expect. That's not good!
Story 8/10: I have tried to figure out the storyline for The Lost Adventure by looking it up online. I don't know what this new land is called, but the Koopa kids are back. They have kidnapped Yoshi's friends and trapped them in eggs, and Bowser has also kidnapped the Princess as before. It seems like it is the same story as in the original SMW. Mario goes to Hell in this game (where Bowser has taken the Princess), but before he goes there he goes to Heaven! Bowser Jr. is also in this game, so I guess the storyline has a little bit of creativity to it but not much.
This is another one of the more disappointing aspects of this game. There aren't that many changes to the plot. Bowser and his Koopalings return, but The Lost Adventure takes place in a new environment. They are also joined by Bowser Jr. I have a lot of mixed feelings about the storyline for this SMW hack. I've seen a lot of Mario hacks that fall into this category, but The Lost Adventure Episode 1 does make more effort with the plot than what a lot of other hacks did. In some ways it's disappointing and in other ways there is some originality to it. Overall, this is an okay storyline.
Content 10/10: The Lost Adventure is a longer game than the original. It contains a total of 9 worlds, and all 9 of them have to be played in order to finish the game. I don't know the names of all the worlds, but they go in this order: worlds 1 and 2 are unknown, world 3 Crystal Cave, world 4 Rocky Mountains, world 5 unknown forest world, world 6 Forbidden Zone, world 7 (which is underneath the Forbidden Zone accessed by entering a pipe) The Lost World, after The Lost World Mario re-enters the Forbidden Zone and fights Wendy, world 8 Hell, world 9 Heaven, after completing all the levels in Heaven, Mario re-enters Hell to fight Bowser Jr. and Bowser himself.
Everything you knew about Super Mario World has been changed, and like I said before, this is a totally different game. The original SMW had a lot of content to it as well, but this one takes things a step further. All of these new levels are very fun to play with exception to one level in The Lost World. I like how The Lost Adventure expands upon an already great Mario game. I didn't like how you had to play every level. These weren't optional stages like in the original game. The hack didn't encourage you to do a lot of exploration in order to uncover these hidden areas. Instead, you just played them, but either way The Lost Adventure will keep you busy for an even longer period of time than the original SMW.
Difficulty 10/10: For the most part, The Lost Adventure Part 1 is just plain unfair and random to say the least! I found myself dying more on the bad stages the more I played the game! WOW! That's just sad! There are the levels that I absolutely hate: There's No Rush, House Without Floor, Speed Break, and the infamous "Master Shell Demo". Most times, I rage quit before I even make it that far. I have noticed, I can beat the game if I can just get through the Master Shell level! HOW DO ONLY A HANDFUL OF STAGES CAUSE SO MUCH TROUBLE AND RUIN THE WHOLE GAME!!?? DAMN!!
No matter how many times I've played this game, I still continue to have trouble on at least one of these same parts! I almost always rage quit on one of these stages, and it only takes one to screw up my progress and keep me from wanting to beat the game. However, sometimes, I'll get lucky and beat it with minimum frustration, but most times I run into problems and give up!
Overall 8.4/10: The Lost Adventure is strong on music but bad on gameplay. It is a downright frustrating game at times. It's not near as much fun as the original. I wish it was designed more like Mario World and Mario Bros. 3, and you could just skip the crappy levels!! Those stages should just be optional, and it would be just like the original and have moderate to low difficulty. I like the soundtrack and the creativity, but the difficulty becomes too much of an issue in most of my playthroughs. Even after as much time as I've spent on it, it never gets easier. I don't feel like these hacks get much easier, but maybe they're more balanced. I guess, it's an okay game, but it could've been a lot better.
Graphics 9 Sound 10 Addictive 5 Story 8 Depth 10 Difficulty 10
Review Rating: 5/5
Submitted: 08-19-17
Updated: 04-11-21
Review Replies: 2
7.8
Mario's Lost Adventure, for better or worse name543
I was a huge fan of Super Mario World when I was younger. Even today it's one of my most nostalgic games to come back to. In fact, one of the surprises when I played this game was some of its differences. The Cape is only seen in one level and meant to be lost so you can't abuse it through the rest of the game. The Fire Flower is gone and replaced by a Bullet Bill power. Another difference is the length. When I saw that this hack was an entire series, I assumed each game would be a miniature adventure that would take a short while at most. I was definitely wrong, the first game already taking me a few hours to reach the end of. The first question you might ask is if I enjoyed my playthrough. That answer is a complicated one. I definitely see where the game shines, but it's not without its flaws.GraphicsMy review will start with one of the first thing you'll ever notice about a game, the graphics. Now I'm sure the screenshots show well enough that this doesn't always look like a normal Mario game. Plenty of environments were copy pasted from Super Mario World. Many others come from different series though, including a Sonic the Hedgehog level at one point. Nostalgia fans will be in for a real treat later in, with some levels being remakes of Mario's classic games, including stages based off the classic Mario games. There's even a homage to the original Mario Bros arcade game, complete with black background and classic enemies. While I'd love to say all positive things about the graphics, they lose points due to the glitched Bullet Bill item. In most stages, it works just fine. In stages where you're underground or in a fortress though, the sprite glitches and fires an item that depends on the stage. It's a small gripe, but one I feel is very obvious due to how often you'll likely have the Bullet Bill item. The graphics are still nice though, so I rate them a 7/10SoundAs you'd expect from a Mario hack, the sound here is all very well done. All the classic noises from Super Mario World are here, and I never noticed any real sound design problems. The soundtrack you'll listen to throughout the adventure will never leave you groaning and wanting to finish a level just to get that music done with. Most of the soundtrack are either remixes of tracks from other games, such as some Sonic themes and even a bit of Castlevania, or straight up songs from the games. I noticed the haunted forest's theme from Donkey Kong Country 2 at one point, and even a remixed Lavender Town theme for one of the horror themed levels. All in all, the sound design is solid. There's nothing exceptional here, but a solid soundtrack and good sounds make sure your ears will at least be having a good team while you play through the game. I give the sound an 8/10. It's not anything perfect, but all the tracks are nice and I really enjoyed the music.AddictivenessUnfortunately, the addictiveness is where this hack really loses points for me. It's an overall straightforward game most of the time. You have a few levels that lead to switch houses, with the rest simply leading down the linear path of levels. Most of the levels are well designed and have some very nice challenges. I'll admit I really did enjoy a lot of the gimmicks I saw here and would love to see them used more often. My only problem was that many stages dragged on to me. In Super Mario World, you could normally beat a stage in a minute or so, with longer ones being the exception and not being minded too much. The Lost Adventure, on the other hand, had long stages as the rule. Many stages would last two or so minutes in my experience and make me question just when these stages would end. It might just be my personal thoughts, but these stages just seemed to drag on at some points. That's why I give this game's addictiveness a 6/10. I loved the levels, but found that many of them lasted too long for what they were.StoryAs you'd probably expect from a Mario game, the story's nothing to write home about. There's no real charactarization or anything to really remember. The game starts with the same set up as Super Mario World. Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach and several Yoshi eggs, and is generally doing evil stuff. Mario, our Italian plumber who stomps turtles more then he cleans toilets, goes after Bowser and fights the Koopalings to rescue the Yoshi eggs. The only plot twist is near the end, where it's revealed that Bowser's base is actually in Hell, forcing Mario to traverse to the depths of the underworld to defeat Bowser, and rescue Peach. I gave the story a 4/10 for this. It's slightly more interesting then the normal Mario fare due to the plot twist near the end. The lack of actual charactarization or any real story bring it down though. Mario games are never known for the story, though. That's why the rating of 4 doesn't really bring this hack down.DepthI'm unsure of how much depth I would say you'd find here. On one hand, there's a variety of stages throughout the worlds, some fitting a theme, some here to advertise other works, and some here to pay homage to the old days of Mario. In level variety and the amount of stuff you do by the end of the game, I'd say there's a lot. You go through long levels in many worlds, along with plenty of boss encounters and Ghost Houses along the way. There's also an issue on judging this game's depth, though.Other then the required levels, the alternate paths all lead to Switch Palace levels. This means you'll never do anything else except play through the main levels and the occasional Switch Palace bonus to make things easier. The main game itself has plenty to do, while the bonus options are very minimal. That's why I give the depth a 7/10. You'll find enough to do in the main levels you have to do, just don't expect to find much other then that.DifficultyI'm not going to sugarcoat the difficulty on this part. If you play this, I'd suggest you make save states at certain parts of the game. This is one of those hacks I'd say has difficulty that tends to vary wildly. Most of the levels aren't that bad at all and will be a comfortable level of challenge for a lot of gamers. Other levels, especially in the later stages, crank up the difficulty and make save states almost required to proceed. One of the most obvious instances of this is the auto scrolling speed level, and the levels that give a very short time limit. They require precise jumping and knowledge of the level ahead that you won't have your first time through. Due to this, you'll be required to go through at least twice just so you won't get instantly killed or run out of time due to the stage not giving you ample warning. Most levels aren't this bad, but the few that are really make me wonder where the spike came from. I give the difficulty a 7/10. It's comfortable throughout a lot of it, but some levels really pile on the difficulty in unfair ways.Wrapping UpIt might seem like I've been very critical of this hack, but I actually did enjoy it overall. It had some issues and I did question when it would finally end due to the length of some of the levels. The graphics did have some issues that I've already brought up. Other then that, I can't complain too much about this hack. It's a fun time if you don't mind length, and this is just part one of the series. I don't regret playing Super Mario World the Lost Adventure, and I look forward to playing the sequel. I just hope it takes the issues with the first one and remedies them, making a game that I can really rave about to you in the review. Overall, I give this game a 7.8. It was a fun game overall, with some problems holding it back along the way. That shouldn't stop you from giving it a try though.
Graphics 7 Sound 8 Addictive 6 Story 4 Depth 7 Difficulty 7
Review Rating: 4/5
Submitted: 06-10-15
Review Replies: 1
10
Mario The Lost Adventure Episode 1 arsenal1991
Super Mario World was the last quality Mario and Luigi game that I played on the SNES i loved how the levels were sometimes demanding and some levels had 2 exits to the switches which helped you further and took you to the star world but now to come on to the Super Mario World hack of The Lost Adventure Episode I
Graphics- The graphics even with the classic Super Mario World graphics the person who created the hack has been very clever by using a bit of Sonic the Hedgehog graphics so yes thats right you do get to play through a few levels which you would normally play on Sonic and for those who have played Sonic you will see the boss area (where Eggman comes in) do not worry there is no boss here the graphics really did blow me away and grab me to play more and more and more the graphics certainly can not be underrated here they are simply stunning
Sound- Just like the graphics part of the Super Mario World game the sound is also another thing part of this brilliant hack along with the Sonic the Hedgehog graphics there is also a little bit of music some may know of the music is a key factor again of why for me personally i could keep playing this for a long long time as it got addictive there's also the classic SNES sounds what you will expect to be to
Addictiveness- Well like i have said a few times now for me personally i could not stop playing this and this has to be one of the best Super Mario World hacked games that i have ever played here on Vizzed.com the levels are not at all like the normall Super Mario World game all of the levels are different and also at the same time challenging and as Mario fans will know some levels have 2 exits and i personally found it differcult finding some of the alternative exits to get in special areas like the blue yellow palace areas the saving part will help for some as there are some areas which can get tricky and may be easier for you to save it and so forth
Story- Considering there is technically 2 parts of this game the story is the same as Super Mario World really just a little different but if your gonna play both games its very long which is about 150 levels but very addicting and challenging the 1st part (Episode I) is more easier than the 2nd ill say that much
Depth and Difficulty - The controls again as the Super Mario World game are pretty easy to learn however the levels are a little harder that sometimes require a little harder input and quick reactions too and if not done correctly it can be frustrating to complete and your lives can quickly take a tumble
Overall-10 this game has it all for me hours of fun playing this and you can't get bored this really is a must play game for anyone even if your not a big Mario fan
Graphics 9 Sound 10 Addictive 10 Story 10 Depth 10 Difficulty 5
Review Rating: 3.8/5
Submitted: 09-08-13
Review Replies: 3
User Notice 
