Pro Tip of the Day - super mario world

Pro tip: Getting 1ups (almost) every time in Super Mario World's bonus rooms

Will — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:36:48 +0000

Super Mario World is chock full of these bonus rooms. Like this one that has rows and rows of ?-Blocks.

If you can hit them in the correct order (which is random), a 1-Up will pop out, but if you hit them in the wrong order

You get nothin'.

That's why it's recommended to enter these rooms with a Cape.

If you can manage to hit the bottom-left corner of the blocks, you'll be correct every time!

Which will allow you to get a few free 1-Ups for your troubles

And timing is key. If you hit the side of the blocks, it might not work (but, since it's pretty much random anyway, it might).

Good luck!

Pro tip: Using Super Mario World's fence to your advantage

Will — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:34:04 +0000

In the first castle you come across in Super Mario World, you have to deal with this fence that you can climb on. Trouble is, that it's swarming with Koopas.

But, you can totally use it to your advantage.

You have two main ways to dispatch Koopas on the fence: you can punch them if they're on the opposite side, or you can descend on them from above and stomp on them... sort-of

Now, like other Mario games, if you continue to stomp on them without hitting the ground, your point values for each successive stomp increase.

And, since we're climbing around on a fence, we're staying well above the ground. And that means that you can take your time methodically stomping on Koopas to eventually get

a 1UP! There are enough Koopas crawling around on the fence that you can get several 1UPs before you have to get back on the ground.

And, if you're hard up for extra lives at that point, just swan dive into the lava, restart the stage, and do it again. As long as you're gaining more lives than you're losing, you'll come out ahead.

Pro tip: Super Mario World's "Top Secret Area"

Will — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:27:48 +0000

Super Mario World stages are just full of alternate exits, all of which you'll have to find if you want to achieve full completion. (There are 96 exits total to find).

One of them is particularly useful, it leads to something called the Top Secret Area.

Start out by making your way to the Donut Ghost House while you have a Cape

Immediately fly up and toward the left

Follow the path to the right and down toward the door. There's only one way to go. You can grab the 1ups if you want.

Break the tape at the end of the stage and a new path will open to the North of the Ghost House, the Top Secret Area!

This is a really nice little stage. There's a Yoshi and four powerup blocks (two feathers and two fire flowers)

Letting you get prepared for any stage that might be coming up.

And it all resets once you leave, letting you collect everything again.