Super Mario World is a 2D side-scrolling platform game in which the player controls Mario or Luigi, the protagonists of the game. The game has similar gameplay to earlier games in the Super Mario series – Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3 – but introduces new elements. As well as dashing and jumping, the player can also fly or float with the aid of the Cape Feather and P-Balloon and can execute the new Spin Jump move,[8] which allows the player to crush enemies, bounce off normally-invulnerable ones safely or break certain blocks, with the latter only being possible if the player has a power-up active. The game has 96 level exits in total.[9][10][11][12][13]
The player navigates through the game via two game screens: an overworld map and a side-scrolling course. The overworld map displays an overhead representation of the current world and has several paths leading from the world's entrance to a castle. Paths connect to action panels, fortresses, ghost houses, castles, and other map icons, allowing players to take different routes to reach the world's goal. Moving the on-screen character to an action panel or castle grants access to that course. The majority of the game takes place in 2D linear levels, populated with obstacles and enemies, which involves the player traversing the stage by dashing, jumping, and dodging or defeating enemies.[14] The player is given a number of lives, which are lost if Mario comes into contact with an enemy while Small Mario, falls into a bottomless pit, gets crushed, touches lava, or runs out of time.[15] The game ends when the player runs out of lives, although the player can continue from the most recent save point (a successfully completed castle, fortress or haunted house) by selecting "Continue".[16] Each world features a final stage with a boss to defeat; each of the seven worlds features fortresses controlled by one of the Koopalings,[17] and the player also battles Bowser in his castle in the seventh and final world.[18] Super Mario World includes a multiplayer option which allows two players to play the game by alternating turns at navigating the overworld map and accessing stage levels; the first player controls Mario, while the second player controls his brother, Luigi.[11][12][19]
In addition to the power-ups from previous games, such as the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower, Super Mario World has a new power-up named the Cape Feather, which gives Mario a cape and the ability to fly, glide in the air, and use the cape as a sail.[20] The game also introduces the ability to "store" an extra power-up in a box at the top centre of the screen. For example, if the player obtains a Fire Flower or a Cape Feather, then a Super Mushroom will appear in the box. If the player collects a star, the player will become invincible and cannot be hurt by enemies. However, it does not protect the player from falling into lava or a bottomless pit, nor if the player runs out of time. If Mario gets hit by an enemy, the stored item in the box will automatically drop. Alternatively, the player can manually release the stored item at any time.[11][12][16]
The game introduces Yoshi, a dinosaur companion Mario can ride who is able to eat most enemies.[21] If Yoshi attempts to eat a Koopa or its shell, he can spit it out and fire it at enemies. If the player fails to spit the shell out within a certain amount of time, Yoshi will swallow it, rendering it useless. When holding any Koopa shell in his mouth, Yoshi gains the ability that corresponds to its color: a blue shell enables Yoshi to fly, a yellow shell causes him to emit dust clouds that defeat nearby enemies, and a red shell allows him to produce three fireballs that defeat enemies. Flashing Koopa shells produce all three abilities, while green shells produce none. The default Yoshi is green, but the game also has hidden blue, yellow, and red Yoshis; the player can obtain each colored Yoshi by finding its egg in the Star World areas and feeding it either five enemies, a Super Mushroom, a Fire Flower, a Cape Feather, or a Starman causing the baby Yoshi to mature.[11][12][22]
Although the main objective is to navigate through seven worlds to reach the end of the game, the player can beat the game much faster by using secret Star Road routes. To access a hidden world, the player needs to find keys scattered throughout the game's levels.[23] When a key is found, it must be brought to a keyhole to unlock either a new level or a Star Road.[24] Exploring these secret stages can lead to other stages, such as the Special World. Completion of the Special Zone permanently changes some of the enemies' sprites and alters the overworld map's color scheme.[11][12][9]