Having sold over twenty million copies, and being the game to be originally packed with the Super NES, it's safe to assume that most gamers have at least tried Super Mario World. When you include the numerous re-releases on Game Boy Advance, on the multiple versions of Nintendo's Virtual Console, and now on the SNES Classic, there is a really good chance that even people who haven't played the game will have heard of its many secrets and strategies simply by being a gamer with an internet access. With a game of such notoriety, it is an incredibly difficult task to come up with a list of things that people might not already know about it.

Still, we have assembled twenty hidden secrets about the classic platformer which might not be entirely unknown, but which are certainly much harder to come by. I have been playing Super Mario World religiously for over 25 years, and I didn't even know most of these. I have spent more money on the different versions of Super Mario World than most people would consider reasonable, so you can trust me when I say that there are still a few wonderful discoveries to be made about this SNES launch title.

And if you are one of those obsessive Mario fans who have already read everything there is to read on this game, then please, let us know in the comment if there is anything more obscure we might have missed!

20 Forever In The Cloud

via myabandonware.com

It is no secret: Super Mario World makes it very clear that you can ride Lakitu’s cloud if you manage to defeat him. Unfortunately, the cloud itself has a tendency to disappear after a little while, leaving you vulnerable should you be above the wrong part of a level when that happens. To make the cloud last as long as you want, follow these simple steps. As Fire Mario, kill Lakitu with a fireball, and do not forget to collect the coin that appears. That is when you get up there and start riding the cloud. From there, it will last forever, or at least until you die or finish the level. An everlasting cloud is a great way to explore your surroundings without fears of being caught off guard by an enemy.

19 Take Your Time

via mobygames.com

This one necessitates very precise timing and a very specific set of circumstances, but it basically gives you the ability to take forever to explore a level should you wish it. As long as you keep an eye on the timer, all you need is a fire flower in your extra item box. When the timer gets close to reaching zero, release the flower from its box. Make sure that you catch it at the exact moment where the timer expires, and if you did it right, the timer will stay at zero, except that you won’t die. You will be allowed to finish the stage at your own pace, which can be very useful in some of those more challenging Special World levels.

18 Keep Up With The Rhythm

via suppermariobroth.com

Everyone knows that there is a jingle in every Super Mario games which activates when there is less than 100 seconds left to finish a level. After the jingle, the music starts going a little faster, a clear sign that it’s time to hurry up. Under the right circumstances, this jingle can play more than once, and the speed of the music will keep increasing with every instance. A good place to explore this new musical dimension is in the Special World level titled “Funky”. The level contains nine green berries, and each of those berries will add 20 seconds to your timer when consumed. So, if you wait for the timer to reach 99 seconds, then eat one of the berries, you will be back at 110 seconds. Repeat this over and over every time you are back down to 99 seconds, and in the end, the music will be comically fast.

17 Those Switches Are So Useful

via mariowiki.com

The P-Switches are items which turn regular blocks into coins (and vice-versa). Using one can allow Mario to quickly fill up his coin counter if it is used in the right place. But what if you could use the same one over and over? With your pal Yoshi, that’s exactly what you can do, and all it takes is a little timing. While riding Yoshi, it is possible to stomp on a P-Switch, move slightly to the side with the momentum, and then gobble up the switch before it disappears. When you spit it out, it will appear unused again, effectively giving you an unlimited number of P-Switches, and coins, in stages that have them. This gives you extra tries at difficult switch puzzles, and one crazy coin supply should you feel the need for even more extra lives.

16 Kill The Big Boo

via destructoid.com

This one is fairly recent, but if you have been online at all in the last year, chances are that you have heard about this. But for those who have not, here we go: Did you know that one of the biggest enemies in Super Mario World, the Big Boo himself, is not as invincible as first thought? It was revealed in January of this year that it is actually possible to vanquish this ghastly foe. Just find the nearest set of stairs and slide down, right into the Big Boo, to send him to wherever the after-afterlife is. The problem is that there aren’t a whole lot of staircases in Ghost Houses around Dinosaur Land, so you can only get rid of Big Boo in a very limited fashion.

15 While We Are At It, Kill The Buzzsaws!

via thegamedesignforum.com

Though it was a very well hidden secret for a long time, killing Big Boos kinda makes sense, because while they are ghosts, they are still “regular” enemies. They are entities which can be interacted with and react to Mario’s presence. Buzzsaws, however, are round blades which travel on a predefined path and will keep cutting through whatever is in their way, no matter who or what tries to stop them. Despite all of this, Mario can still defeat them, once again by sliding into them, though it involves those tiny pink triangular blocks and very precise timing. Kudos to whoever discovered this one, since sliding butt-first into a functioning circular saw blade never would have been one of my guesses when it comes to defeating enemies.

14 The Quickest Path

via mariowiki.com

Super Mario World offers plenty of shortcuts to those who would like to defeat the game as quickly as possible. For those who aren’t afraid to cheat, it’s even possible to manipulate the game’s handling of memory space to get to the credits in less than five minutes. For those who want to keep it proper and use only the game’s intended mechanics, it has been established that the quickest route will take a player through 12 stages, cutting right through Star Road from its Donut Plains entrance to make it to Bowser’s Castle. This should take slightly less than fifteen minutes, and it is a run which is completely doable by mere mortals such as you and me with a little practice.

13 Every Mario Game Has An Infinite Lives Trick

via thegamedesignforum.com

Every Super Mario game has an infinite lives trick, and Super Mario World is not any different. In this one, an easy trick is to go to Forest of Illusion 1, a level about halfway through the game. Make sure to bring a cape with you, and then go through the stage until you get to a platform with three Wigglers on it. Jump on the first one, then on the other two, while holding down the jump button to bounce really high. After your third bounce, every single Wiggler will be mad, but you will be able to glide slightly off screen with your cape before returning to the platform. The Wigglers will have reverted back to their calmer state, allowing you to stomp them again. Repeat, and after a while, you will be accumulating extra lives with every single bounce.

12 Don’t Fear The Banzai Bills

via suppermariobroth.com

If you are like me, the one thing that made you realize you were in a brand new world when first playing Super Mario World is the appearance of Banzai Bill early in the game. These gigantic versions of a regular Bullet Bill are big enough that you need a running jump to properly clear them. Otherwise, it’s better to hide in a hole in the ground and wait for this supersized enemy to pass. The one thing that can protect you, however, is Yoshi. While he cannot eat a Banzai Bill, he can help Mario pass by unharmed, on one single condition: While Mario is riding Yoshi, his head must be lower than the vertical center of the Banzai Bill. From this moment forward, you shall not give in to fear anymore.

11 The Mysterious Pop-Up One-Up

via suppermariobroth.com

In the Vanilla Ghost House, there is a series of platforms near the start which must be navigated with care to escape the clutch of the various Boos patrolling them. Sometimes, you might be rewarded with a random 1-up which seems to appears on a whim. You might think it is a random occurrence, but there is a method to the madness. As it turns out, not only must Mario land on a specific platform, but he must also follow a specific order in which to travel the area (as shown in the header). The platforms contain four hidden check points which must be touched in the correct order for the 1-up to appear. The game makes no effort to indicate that this invisible maze exists at all, so it is your job, as a player, to spread the knowledge to fellow gamer.

10 Cheat The Bonus Game

via suppermariobroth.com

Super Mario World has a few bonus games which allow players to collect extra lives. My favourite is the one that you find in the middle of some stages, when Mario enters a pipe only to find multiple rows of three question blocks. This game forces players to guess the order in which these blocks must be hit to produce a 1-up mushroom, and the correct answer changes every time… unless you are willing to cheat a little bit. You will need a cape, and you will need to bring a Koopa shell with you through the pipe. Once that is done, you simply need to position the shell so that you can bounce it off the question blocks by hitting it with the cape. Doing so will register each hit of the blocks as a correct guess, giving you the maximum amount of extra lives every time.

9 More Infinite Lives!

via themushroomkingdom.net

When compared to the previously mentioned “infinite lives” trick, this one is a bit riskier, but much faster in execution. Basically, one only needs to go into any level where Yoshi has an easy access to fruits, and to position the screen in such a way that the fruit in question is directly under the box at the top of the screen that holds your extra item (that box should be filled with a fire flower or a feather). When you release the item, time it so that as it floats down, you collect it at the same time as Yoshi eats the fruit. From that point, there are two possible outcomes. 1) Mario starts flashing and the game freezes. 2) The game still freezes, but coins start accumulating indefinitely and at a frenzied pace, giving you as many extra lives as you desire. In both cases, press Start and Select to exit the level.

8 A Long Wait At The Jukebox

via mariowiki.com

The soundtrack to Super Mario World is a great one, and as the first example of Koji Kondo’s magic on a 16-bit stage, it set the bar pretty high for his future work. By making every single song a variation on the main theme, it gives the soundtrack a cohesion that resonates with gamers to this day. It stands on its own, but Kondo did make sure to include a little surprise for long time fans. Once you have made it to the tough-as-nails Special World, should you have the patience to leave your controller unattended for five minutes or so, you will be rewarded with the theme to the original Super Mario Bros. It still sounds just as glorious as it did on the NES, and it is crazy to think that such a limited machine could produce such memorable tunes.

7 Open House Day At The Castle

via mattgreer.org

The castles are usually the pinnacle of their respective world when it comes to challenge, but unfortunately, they can only be played once before they crumble to the ground after Mario has defeated the Koopaling inhabiting them. Trying to re-enter a previously cleared castle through conventional means will not work. Instead, you will need to hold the L and R buttons before pressing Start to replay a castle. This trick does not work in the Japanese version, meaning that we are lucky to even be able to redo these challenging levels as we please. It is unclear what caused Nintendo to change their mind in between the release of the two versions, but we are sure glad that they came to their senses and allowed us to revisit these tricky courses.

6 Stairs Can’t Stop Me

via suppermariobroth.com

There are a few Ghost Houses in Super Mario World which have puzzles to solve which involve staircases. These puzzles force you to re-enter the same door countless times to respawn under the set of stairs, which can be frustrating and time consuming if you forget the proper order in which to do thing. To skip on some of the most tedious parts, there’s a way to pass right though those seemingly impassable stairs. With a cape, it is possible for Mario to fly right through the obstacle, as long as he is in a upwards trajectory when making contact with the stairs. This trick has a very limited use, but hey, might as well have every tool available at your disposition.

5 Yoshi's Crazy Slide

via suppermariobroth.com

From the “fun but useless” files, here’s a little know fact that can only be observed in very specific locations. First, you will need an ice stage. Second, the stage needs to have a hill or slope which Mario can slide down. Finally, you also need to be riding Yoshi. Once all these conditions have been put together, observe as Mario now gains the ability to slide UP the slope. Just as pressing down and right will send you down the slope, pressing down and right while riding Yoshi will send the pair up the hill while using the exact same animation. Mario cannot do this by himself, so it seems like ignoring the laws of gravity is a special talent which only Yoshi can exploit.

4 A Good Example Of Multitasking

via suppermariobroth.com

Many people, myself included, will have missed this very simple trick because they just never thought to try it. After all, the X and Y buttons on the SNES control pad do the exact same thing, and once one of them is pressed, it’s a bit of a stretch to reach for the other one. Still, if you have a big enough thumb to press all of the required inputs at the same time, it is possible to shoot fireballs while dashing AND holding an object all at the same time. The finger gymnastic required to pull it off makes it impractical at best, and the number of times where such a manoeuvre would be necessary can be counted on one’s fingers, but the possibility is still there.

3 Strut Your Way To The End

via youtube.com (NST Splatoon Gaming)

Super Mario World’s end credits sequence is satisfactory for a game of its era, but it’s also nothing to write home about. Mario and his pals walk through the various setting encountered throughout the adventure while a triumphant music plays. If you would like to make things slightly more exciting, there’s only one way to alter the experience. Once Bowser has been defeated, and just as Princess Peach enters the picture, hold down L, R, X and Y. Keep those buttons pressed until the credits start, and if you did it right, you will notice that Mario’s strut is somewhat more peculiar than usual. I get it, Mario is trying to find a cool walk of his own, but he’s got a long way to go before it becomes as iconic as Ric Flair’s.

2 Taking Care Of Your Plants

via thegamedesignforum.com

Pokeys are moving cacti that were first introduced in Super Mario Bros. 2, and which make a comeback in Super Mario World. Their size may vary from one appearance to another, but unlike what some people (like me) believe, they are not generated randomly. In fact, their size is directly influenced by Mario and his actions. Should Mario approach a Pokey’s dwelling on foot, the cactus will be only three sections high. Should Mario approach while riding Yoshi, however, the sentient cactus will be five sections high. This means that if you are terrified of tall plants, there is a way to game the system. However, a more effective outcome would be to keep riding that Yoshi and just let the friendly green machine eat his way through your foes.

1 …All Right, One More Easy Infinite Lives Trick

via mariowiki.com

Unlike the previous “infinite lives” glitch, this one is super legit and does not actually exploit a flaw in the game’s code. It uses a grey P-Switch, which turns enemies into grey coins, which in turn transform into extra lives if you collect enough of them (and then give you two extra lives at a time, then three!) If you go to the level titled Vanilla Secret 2, you will find such a switch hidden in a block near the pit full of Spinys past the midpoint mark. Bring the switch back to the Piranha Plant next to the checkpoint, and activate it. Start running towards the start of the level, and you will be surprised at the quantity of enemies turned into coins that are waiting for you. Simply pulling off this twice will be enough to get you to the 99 lives maximum.