Super Mario World is a 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 running and jumping, the player can also fly or float with the aid of certain power-ups and can execute the new spin jump move. The game has 96 level exits in total. The player navigates through the game via two game screens: an overworld map and a side-scrolling playfield. 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 and other map icons, and allow players to take different routes to reach the world's goal. Moving the on-screen character to an action panel or fortress allows access to that level's playfield. The majority of the game takes place in these linear levels, populated with obstacles and enemies, which involves the player traversing the stage by running, jumping, and dodging or defeating enemies. The player is given a number of lives, which are lost if Mario comes into contact with an enemy while small, falls into a bottomless pit, gets crushed, or runs out of time. 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".[13] Each world features a final stage with a boss to defeat; each of the seven worlds features fortresses controlled by one of the Koopalings,[14] and the player also battles Bowser in his castle in the seventh and final world.[15] 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 controls his brother, Luigi.
In addition to the power-ups from previous games, such as the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower, new power-ups that provide new gameplay options are also introduced. The new power-up in the game is the Cape Feather, which gives Mario a cape and the ability to fly, glide in the air, and use the cape as a sail. 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 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.[13][8][9]
The game introduces Yoshi, a dinosaur companion Mario can ride who is able to eat most enemies.[18] If Yoshi attempts to eat a Koopa or its shell, he can spit it 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 its mouth, Yoshi gains the ability that corresponds to its colour: a blue shell enables Yoshi to fly, a yellow shell causes him to emit dust clouds that kill nearby enemies, and a red shell allows him to produce three fireballs. 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 coloured Yoshi by finding its egg in hidden areas and feeding it five enemies or one star, causing the baby Yoshi to mature.
