TOP 10 Hardest Levels As Small Mario in Super Mario World | Super Nintendo [Original SNES Capture]

[@RevolucionCulinaria]

Whoever finished tubular without the balloon is insane

[@atkingofhearts]

Tubular with Yoshi is a lot of fun. Tubular with small Mario and no P balloon sounds insane.

[@reneernesto5748]

it is the intended way

[@JarvisCosric885]

This is a must watch for everyone who has ever beaten and/or played Super Mario World. At any rate, excellent job

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@JarvisCosric885 that is extremely kind of you, thank you very much for watching and leaving such a kind comment!

[@LargeTurn1p]

The fact that you have to avoid checkpoints in order to finish as small Mario is a big factor in this challenge. Also that #1 is completely ridiculous; there's no way they put that in on purpose!

[@Double_K_A]

One reason I really loved this video is because it felt older-fashioned (in a good way). Like this is a video I'd watch in 2011-13, even your delivery feels closer to that era of Top 10s than current day. It's almost as if it was by design, but I'm assuming that's just your natural style. Of course it wouldn't mean much of the content itself was bad, but no, it was pretty engaging. Also, just wanna say my thought process going in was "Outrageous is Number 1 because Tubular shouldn't count since being small makes no difference". I was initially annoyed when I saw Tubular pop up as number one, before it dawned on me that, oh yea, P-Balloon isn't allowed either lol. Anyway, great job overall.

[@polarbearsims]

Tubular was my guess for #1 before I clicked the video! I hated that world when I was younger, and I still hate that world to this day!

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@polarbearsims yes it was a childhood terror… and without the p-balloon of all things, it’s a far worse nightmare than ANY of us could’ve imagined!

[@LarryLopez91]

I know this level gets a lot of deserved hate, but there's one simple trick you can do to make it one of the easiest levels in the game: enter the level with a blue Yoshi, eat the first koopa shell you can find, and fly to the end. You're welcome!

[@RIM420]

Correct

[@moniquemiller7739]

​@@LarryLopez91 this method right here is exactly how I figured out how to beat it when I was a kid. This level is *still* the bane of my existence... 👀

[@Hb093]

Tubular without the power up is a Kaizo Mario level of difficulty

[@shaaz9993]

The ghost section in the sunken ghost ship is actually quite easy. You don’t have to swim, you can just walk for most of it. Wait until the ghosts are visible, then walk along the ground. If a ghost is blocking your path, wait for them to become invisible and visible again, and they will have cleared that bit of the path.

[@jimsalmon5158]

Another insane level is the level in Chocolate Island that has the fake exit where you climb a vine, and the real exit where the game intends for you to fly to get. It is actually possible to get the real exit with small Mario, but it requires extremely precise shell throws and a frame-perfect shell bounce to clear the pit.

[@PetiteKero]

Such a unique attempt, I love it. It feels so refreshing to see something different than "not touching coins", "not touching grass" and all that stuff. :D

[@CobraShuttle]

This might be the best SME video I’ve ever seen. Such a refreshing topic and breathing new life into this game. I’m tempted to see how many levels I can do this but I’m already getting flashbacks of Lost Levels by your second choice!

[@DKCreo]

Fun list! The idea of playing through SMW by way of self-restrictions is so simple yet really eye-opening, because it's not something I've ever even considered trying prior to this video.

[@tylerlarsen1842]

10 - Yeah, that section DEFINITELY wasn't designed to be beaten without the star. 9 - The penultimate level of the game, and it lives up to its billing. 8 - Soda Lake and Ghost Ship are pieces of work WITH power-ups, so that's a lot of fun. 7 - If you want Bowser's Castle to be as hard as possible, here's your answer. 6 - Groovy isn't even CLOSE to being the worst that the Special World has to offer, which is saying a lot. 5 - Breathtaking View from Hard Bridge, which is what this level would've been called in Super Mario 64. 4 - Paddling up Hammer Bros Creek, OVER AND OVER AND OVER! 3 - Ice physics are NOT awesome, Nintendo! 2 - SCREW THIS LEVEL WITH A POISON MUSHROOM! 1 - I mean, Tubular isn't any harder without power-ups, you die in one hit anyways...wait, YOU MEAN WITHOUT THE BALLOON?! WHAT KIND OF HELL HAVE YOU UNLEASHED UPON THIS WORLD?! Tubular Small Only without the P-Balloon might genuinely be the hardest single-level challenge in ANY Mario game ever.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@tylerlarsen1842 enjoyed the write up! Haha, very accurate, although 3 & 4 got switched around but these are fun comments. I appreciate you watching and commenting! Cool Kirby profile pic too

[@tylerlarsen1842]

@@MarMaxGaming Much appreciated!

[@pigeonapology9816]

Tubular without the p balloon is indeed pretty tough (fun and satisfying to do though!), but there's some harder stuff without even leaving smw. A few of my favorites are: -- Forest secret Area (not hard to do small only, but crazy to do fast): kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqOUqH6trZuLrqM -- star world 5 secret exit: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIOyfYJ3iZ58bLc -- Chocolate Island 3 secret exit: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmeUgIiff7h3etk -- Cheese Bridge Area secret exit: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIXMnXqIhtqjqpIsi=ghUQppBlWtWTXhxF&t=1871 -- The pièce de résistance, Valley of Bowser 4 secret exit (unlike the others, this one is very, very TAs only, not a thing for humans): kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3eTloewbcR7odE

[@MarMaxGaming]

awesome share of skills and strats! Very cool! And heck, doing a frame perfect p button drop & jump over a damn flower and bottomless pit is more satanic than pretty tough 😅 there’s monstrous layers to this!! I appreciate you sharing some of the awesome possibilities with this game, it’s pretty dang mind blowing!

[@jonbourgoin182]

Good video! Congrats on it gaining traction! I wish you future success on KZbin

[@dogeyes9038]

This challenge is much more crazy than I had realized. It really puts into perspective just how much the power ups make a difference. Some of these levels practically look like bullet hells for small Mario. Having seen it all in action, I'm definitely eager to try this out myself one day. This was so interesting and engaging to watch. Also, your solution for that one part in Vanilla Dome 1 is incredibly clever. I always enjoy how these challenges can bring forth outside of the box thinking like that.

[@AlligatorArms]

Yeah, there’s a group of challenges on RetroAchievements that make you play through segments of the game of several worlds without poweups. It thankfully doesn’t count the Tubular p-balloon or the Sunken Ghost Ship Star. But that title screen level just ripped me to shreds in ways I’d never even imagined. I don’t think I’d ever beaten it before without the star. Same for the Special World ice level. That’s hard enough with the star. Larry’s castle was frustrating as well, as I don’t have the patience to ride that platform more than a few times. I thought VoB4 deserved a mention too-especially the part where you have to avoid the checkpoint, when it’s already a level that got the highest difficulty rating in the official strategy guide. Great work on the video-enjoyed it!

[@MarMaxGaming]

That’s awesome, sounds like a great collection of challenges. I believe I briefly showed VoB4 during honorable mentions, with the lava and shovel chucks.. unless I’m mixing that up with something else. I remember that checkpoint, it takes a precise lighter jump where you need to go just underneath it but you don’t want to fall to your death either. Very tricky! I appreciate that a lot, it sounds like you’re an avid gamer and I hope you enjoy some other challenges on the video. During covid we did a “running & gaming” series, I ran 3 miles in 25 min while beating Ninja Gaiden. I also tried to beat Battletoads while jogging, we were 6 miles in and on the last level when our portable battery died… so sad lol

[@Kenyonchowmein]

Really enjoyed this 🙌 I did not know about the bouncing off of Wigglers at death!

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@Kenyonchowmein thank you very much! And me neither, that was a total shock. Glad I captured a couple examples of it, so strange!

[@neutritos]

Great video. The amount of time and dedication to make this video analyze each game level. Also, dying a million times to give us a simple, well-put-together explanation as to why you picked those 10 levels. It was a great and relaxing video to listen to.

[@rocko0214]

Man, i never needed help making the games more challenging since i'm a very lousy player. Still, amazing that you made this. Good for you. Tubular is totally the level i was expecting to be #1 xD as i think most of us did.

[@danchristian7282]

That was absolutely amazing, thanks for making this video!!

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@danchristian7282 I appreciate that so much, Dan! Thanks for watching and commenting, it means a lot. There are more in the pipeline, hope to see you then!

[@danchristian7282]

Oh for sure! Subscribed for more content 😁👍🏼

[@rayreartifacts9461]

This brings back all the memories. Great work as always!!!

[@mistresskixen6142]

Actually was able to beat some of these levels without using a powerup in the past, but that #1 spot is 100% insane.

[@richkavanagh2778]

This is cool I’ve played this and completed this game so many times and never thought of doing this

[@GreySectoid]

Good playing, original capture is the chef's kiss 👌

[@StephenYTchannel]

Cool video mate👍🏻 Never tried this challenge before nor do I want to, not enough patience or skill within me but very cool of you to attempt mate😎 Did you get through all the levels as small Mario, no power ups or Yoshi excluding Tubeular? If so, that's very amazing, well done mate!!!🏆 I won't dare attempt this challenge too legendary for me in both skill and patience!!!! Very cool video and challenge to watch though!!!😎 Also, many months ago I said something about how I like Super Mario World but not love the game, (whatever I said, I don't remember but believe I said something like this). Anyway, I started another save file and I love the game much more than I did in the past for whatever reason! It's a classic and is beginning to really grow on me. I have beaten the game a few times but nothing as extreme as the challenge within this video, just normal casual play through! Awesome work once again mate!!! Both in your attempts to beat the game with the rules of this challenge oh, I forgot, you also said you can't activate the colour switches at the Switch Palaces which I forgot to mention, just insanely hard to do this challenge, no need to try, already psyched out mate, congrats on getting through most of this incredibly tough challenge!!!🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

[@thenespage6693]

Legendary! The music and the jumping sounds at ao nostalgic for me. The music is awesome and it was such a fun game to play through as a kid. I remember playing it first at my uncles house then got it for my birthday that year. 10 of 10. What a crazy run bro!

[@bunnybudd5161]

As someone who has also completed this challenge: I definitely agree with a lot of your choices, and I honestly feel vindicated to see Groovy on the list since that very last section took me quite a while to figure out. I disagree with Sunken Ghost Ship though, that one's pretty easy. As long as you stop moving before the boos spawn and hang around the middle, they'll never spawn on top of you. The rest of that stage isn't anything to write home about either, nothing really gets in your way. For Vanilla Dome 1, you can build up speed by starting at the right edge and running down the slope, then jumping and turning back to keep the speed and make it through. It's not a top 10 stage if you do this (though still up there). My top 10 would look like this: #10: Groovy - The last section carries this one #9: Mondo - Not too bad if you wait for the water but still harder than the majority of the game #8: Valley Fortress - It gets pretty tight sometimes #7: #3 Lemmy's Castle - The Magikoopas are really mean in this game, and Lemmy himself isn't a pushover unlike most bosses in this game #6: #6 Wendy's Castle - The saw/skewer combo can be difficult to manage, and Wendy is another boss that actually tries #5: #7 Larry's Castle - The Magikoopa section in this stage can be brutal #4: Tubular (with the P Balloon) - Some tight movements to be made with a slow character #3: Front Door (including all 8 challenge rooms in a row - yes, really) - Doors 1, 6, and 7 in particular are pretty hard to deal with, and after all of that you still have to beat Bowser without the checkpoint. Really long and unforgiving #2: Outrageous - I find the Bullet Bills in the old Mario games difficult to deal with due to their inconsistencies, and then there's all the other stuff mixed in with them #1: Awesome - That second half is actually crazy, there's like three Cheep Cheeps spawning every second and it gets incredibly hard to manage when paired with singular ice blocks #1 by technicality: Tubular (without the P Balloon) - ew frame perfect tricks, don't think I'll ever attempt this

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@bunnybudd5161 always nice to hear from other players! I hardly view it as a disagreement, people shouldn’t even frame it that way - it’s just a different experience. We both got through the levels and just have a different list, and I enjoyed reading yours! You had levels on there that I put in my honorable mentions, or ranked some higher than I had them.. it was cool to read! I appreciate you watching and commenting! Also, EW is a perfect reaction to the technicality of Tubular without the p-balloon lol with the P-balloon I rank it lower than a lot of those stages… I also think it makes sense that Awesome & Outrageous could be a toss up!

[@WTheW_gaming]

My goodness, what a great video! I've 100%'d SMW myself many times, but never small mario only. Good stuff

[@devochrist]

WOW Incroyable verry good !!!!! Fench Tu es vraiment bon & solide

[@AJR-zg2py]

Doing these challenges as Small Mario truly illustrates just how skilled these developers were at game design. Modern companies can take some lessons from SMW.

[@darryltorres7302]

I thought Awesome was going to be number 1 but when I saw Tubular, I was thinking it didn't count due to having the balloon power and you needed to use it only to find out some psychopath out there actually beat Tubular without using a single power up, lol. That's insane.

[@vylon1075]

Those psychopaths uses TAS (tool assisted speedrun).

[@qaert5152]

Thank you for the video. I will never try to beat Tubular without the P-Baloon ! Can you make a video about the top 10 hardest bonus levels to find in "Donkey Kong Country" as a celebration of that game's 30th anniversary of release next month ? Number 1 would probably be the one in "Oil Drum Alley" that I didn't know existed until I could use the Internet!

[@adamn.4615]

I assume you’re talking about the bonus area within a bonus area? I found it by accident when I happened to match the bananas and got a barrel. My next challenge was trying out different maneuvers to see which one would actually enter the cave instead of “winning”.

[@qaert5152]

@adamn.4615 Absolutely !

[@Mullet345]

Forest Frenzy bonus #2 and Blackout Basement bonus #2 would be considered easy to find but hard to access since you can't lose the barrel/steel keg before getting to them.

[@TSNMLitoFightingGamesPassion]

I wasn’t surprised to see tubular as number one on this list…And without the P balloon it’s madness!

[@lucascecil6287]

Man, I love this game. I played it and found all the exits before the internet. Torpedo Ted drove me NUTS until I found it!

[@joerandell7824]

You and me both man, i loved exploring this game

[@KingKoopa01]

The fact that he's finding random things that I never knew about in this game despite how many times I've played it multiple times I've never heard anybody say anything about the wigglers being able to be hit again while dying

[@lancebaylis3169]

That Tubular run at the end... is insane, lol

[@Renville80]

Very interesting take on this classic game! I do agree that a lot of the game is pretty straightforward with all the powerups stashed in the levels (as well as the secret area behind one ghost house). By the way, the flower you speak of in the level Groovy is the Lava Lotus. And OF COURSE that dxxn level Tubular is #1!!!

[@mitchgoodwin6388]

MarMax is the absolute GOAT 😤

[@MarMaxGaming]

That’s very kind of you, Mitch! I’m not a goat SMW player but if I’m your goat youtube channel then I proudly accept! ❤ thank you for watching!!

[@Ruiballer]

I had this as a kid growing up, and the challenges we created for the game were: No (!) Blocks (which was rolled into your challenge) No shortcuts/2nd exits Beat the game with the controller upside-down Man, I knew Tubular was going to be the hardest level. Before we learned how to beat it the regular way, we ended up going in with a Blue Yoshi and fully cape powered-up Mario to defeat it the first time

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@Ruiballer very nice! Those are great ones… Tubular is only up there because of the insane “no p-balloon” strategy, which is just a nightmare. On its own in a normal play, maybe #8… and yeah, blue yoshi is a life hack!

[@RaleighRetroGamers]

This is incredible! 🔥🔥🔥

[@fizzsfreefunds165]

For Vanilla Dome 1, all you need to do is move the camera to the right with the right shoulder button, wait for the buzzy beetle to move closer, and then bounce on it. That gives you plenty of time to clear the section.

[@rbspace454]

Tubular... That level was so frustrating to me as a kid!! I remember finally figuring out how to use blue Yoshi to grab the red turtle and fly to the end! Also, outrageous is a close runner up for me as far as the hardest level goes! 😊

[@Edos512]

I played an archipelago randomizer seed recently and, I did not though Vanilla dome 1 would be such an obstacle In archipelago randomizer besides powerups you must find other mario abilities such as swim, carry or climb But what i was not expecting is that "run" was really necessary in VD1

[@LucasJaluL]

Nice video my friend

[@xXspringsXx]

Amazing video bro, sorry to sound like a generated comment but it is 😂

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@xXspringsXx brother, I greatly appreciate the comment! No apologies necessary, the more people writing comments like that, the more it helps!

[@NullScar]

Great video! 👍🏻

[@Redneck353]

Wow, didn't think tubular would be doable without the balloon

[@FlopShotsForDays]

MarMax for President 2024 🇺🇸

[@DrMACPOW]

As a child, I ALWAYS found the Tubular level the most difficult (without the cape) and I knew this was gonna be the #1 on the list.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@DrMACPOW everything changes without the p-balloon, it’s borderline impossible! In a traditional sense, it’s maybe #8 or so on the list… but without those balloons… yuck!

[@murphvienna1]

7:15 I have this game on *96 since I'm 11 years old, but I did not know that I could control the "buoyancy" with the D-pad 😲

[@michaelhockaday7426]

Great list. I agree with everything except for 1 of them. Your top choice, Tubular, I've beaten as small Mario countless times without too much difficulty. I actually don't consider it the hardest level in the game. I consider the hardest levels to be "Outrageous," "Awesome," or maybe "Larry's Castle 7." Even that Secret Fortress in World 7, though short, is definitely in my Top 5 hardest.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@michaelhockaday7426 thank you! You made sure to finish the video, I hope! Because Tubular with the p-balloon would be only around #8 on the list… so it makes sense that Awesome & Outrageous came right before that! Tubular with the p balloon isn’t something that really stays difficult, once you know it, you know it… but without the p balloon? Yeah it’s not even close! I did mention that secret fortress being top 5 in typical play, so it sounds like we agree on a whole lot. It’s just based on the gameplay and experience I had putting it all together!

[@theciamp]

Tubular is so frustrating...it's already difficult "platforming" but having to find the balloon power ups adds so much additional frustration. Great video!

[@SavageScientist]

love your scientific approach

[@boosterfly]

Tubular! I never once thought I could use the Blue Yoshi.

[@erikfigueroa6390]

SOMEONE FINISHED TUBULAR WITHOUT BALLON?!?!?!? Man really be one of god’s greatest soldiers 😂

[@grimeyshred]

great video. what a challenge.

[@kjaamor2057]

That Tubular run. Wow.

[@hashtagger8694]

If 'Awesome' was on Mario 3 then you would definately be using a P Wing on that level

[@KingKoopa01]

You just know that controller was hot just by how hard he was gripping it and his hands were tired and sweaty the good old days....😂

[@KingKoopa01]

Pause...😂😂😂

[@steverempel8584]

If you want an ordinary "Hard Mode" for Super Mario Word, just avoid the 4 Switch Palaces. These were included to make the game easier, so are designed to be avoided for a challenge.

[@xXspringsXx]

That’s how he did it, plus with regular Mario

[@icecreambeats101]

0:04 Soda Lake???? Can you imagine a lake of soda?? 😂😂😂

[@pattrell5257]

Super job and list! The difficulty is one of two reasons why I like this game more than SMB3(that said, ever completed SMB3 with small Mario? W7 has a few doozies and W8 has at least two)...

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@pattrell5257 that’s a really good idea! Honestly after how these last couple SMW videos have done, I plan on trying this same challenge with SMB3. Some Donkey Kong Country videos will come first, but I’ll be getting to Mario 3 because I’m sure that’ll be very difficult. I was wondering if I should record on Mario all-stars for 16bit, or go original 8bit. Or… both? That’s pretty insane though. I’m thinking about it.

[@pattrell5257]

@MarMaxGaming In my opinion, SMB3 is better on the NES. The SNES gets it wrong. It's playable, but I don't know who was in charge of bringing it to the SNES(because it was not a quality upgrade) I do like the other games on All-Stars better, though...

[@MarMaxGaming]

@ that’s so interesting, I grew up playing it on Super Nintendo and absolutely loved it! Delighted by the colors and music, do you think they deviated too much? I’ve never heard anybody say that! But I probably should use the original 8bit and then do the 16bit as a surprise

[@pattrell5257]

@MarMaxGaming If you haven't, look up SMB3(on NES VS AS) to compare using a walkthrough. I was 6, almost 7, at NES launch. SMB1+DH were my 1st two games ever at NES launch. From there, I played SMB2, and SMB3 on the NES every chance I got. I owned the SNES 1st AS game. It's been a while, but I preferred SMB1 and SMB2 on the SNES. However, when it came to SMB3, there may not have been that big of a difference in the graphics, but the sound was way worse on the SNES version of that game. If you played the original, you probably found the AS SMB3 version playable and convenient(wouldn't need to bring out the Nintendo just for 1 game--if you had it), but the original was noticeable better...

[@KurtisC93]

You know what'd be even tougher? Beating every one of these levels-but _without_ taking damage! Maybe next you should make a top 10 lost of you doing that! 😁

[@MarMaxGaming]

Haha well I didn’t take any damage on the successful runs, but you’re saying beat the whole game without dying once as small Mario? I’ll leave that to the people that run this game full time

[@KurtisC93]

@@MarMaxGaming No, no, no, I was just joking. Playing as small Mario is essentially a no-damage run lol

[@sirpolskaloot6091]

Nice video 😊

[@DarkBlade6690]

Tubular was always a nightmare for me when I first found the Special Zone

[@Sly88Frye]

13:43 I'm sorry this could not be the first time you just noticed that groovy is the level they show on the start screen. I've known that since the first time I ever played that level when I was like 6 years old back in the early nineties. It's incredibly easy thing to notice and I just don't understand how someone who is clearly showing how advanced you are at this game by trying this crazy way of playing could possibly say that was the first time you noticed. Also when you talked about Bowser's Castle earlier or front door, it appears I guessed right about door number six but I wasn't sure what to say about the first area. I was thinking maybe door number four, but then when you mentioned the missing the locks for door number one that made perfect sense

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@Sly88Frye honestly man, with ZERO shame - first time I noticed…. It had been forever since I’ve played SMW in the first place, and it’s not like Groovy is a level you play early and often. So… it’s totally understandable that some special world obscure level passes by without recognizing it especially if I played it a long time ago! I’m sure if I played through the game more often I would’ve noticed but it had been many years since I put much time into SMW. It’s a game I played a decent amount when I was just a child but we also played a lot of other games and quickly moved into N64, GameCube, etc

[@rathofturkey]

Man I wish I was this good. I think I’ve finished Tubular by the intended way once in my life time. My usual is to go in with a cape and blue Yoshi and just jump until I get any Koopa shell to make Yoshi fly while avoiding all of the obstacles.

[@BraveS9966]

19:58 on outrageous you could move the camera with L/R for make the bullets bills shoot you from the right :)

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@BraveS9966 ohh yes, the camera movement with L&R… such an overlooked and surprising feature, that’s a great tip! Thank you for that!

[@patterofheads256]

33 years ago, 6 year old me called tubular "troubler". I'm not entirely sure but i think it took us months to get through this stage with our one hour a day video game allowance.

[@Sly88Frye]

I was wondering if tubular was even possible just being small only. Cool to see that it is. Since you mentioned Yoshi I get the feeling you are aware of how to cheese that level right? I never see anybody actually talk about this but I've known this since I was a kid in the 90s. Just get blue Yoshi and the Cape feather because when you have Yoshi eat a shell and you have a Cape feather you can hold be to fly consistently instead of having to press the button repeatedly to hop up and fly, and yeah you do that you'll just cheese the level because you jump across a large enough chasm and you'll find the red flying paratroopers and just eat them and fly through the level. Anyways this was a really cool list and it's really awesome to see that somebody pulled off going across tubular with just small Mario without using anything at all

[@geneabrego9759]

Outrageous and Soda lake were the 2 that I could not beat as a kid without full power ups.

[@trumanji_]

Awesome video!! I definitely want to try this challenge one day! (Although, Tubular without a power up feels really far outside of my wheelhouse). Question for you - is it possible to beat the secret exit of Chocolate Island 3 without a cape or Yoshi? That exit is necessary to progress the game. Pretty sure it’s not possible, but then again I never would’ve guessed Tubular without a power up was possible, either.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@trumanji_ thank you so much, you’ll have to let me know how the challenge goes for you! From what I understand, I don’t think so, there were a handful of secret exits I needed to use a cape or yoshi and then proceeded to play the level as normal. The only level I couldn’t get through as small Mario was Star World 1 (and Tubular if we count the P-balloon) but Choc Island 3, Cheese Bridge, and a couple others really call for that cape or yoshi…. Unless there are some astonishingly difficult frame perfect weird tricks involved. Lmk how your playing goes!

[@bunnybudd5161]

Yes, it is possible to beat Chocolate Island 3 as Small Mario, but it takes an extremely difficult trick to do so. The trick is mainly used for the "90 Exit, Small Only" speedrun category and doesn't really get brought up anywhere else. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3i4d5hrnZl6eNU This trick may be harder than the entire game combined, and I wouldn't bother trying it unless you reeeeeally want to do this specific speedrun.

[@VanillaLimeCoke]

1:26 I did the game without hitting any of the switch palaces. Special World Challenge List Gnarly - collect all 7 dragon coins Tubular - complete level with blue yoshi and Cape. If done that, complete level like normal Way Cool - complete level like normal. If done that, find Yoshi’s wings Awesome - complete level as small Mario (I’ve only done with save states) Groovy - have Yoshi eat every enemy possible Mondo - complete level as fast as possible Outrageous - have Yoshi eat all the fire snakes Funky - complete level without Yoshi and as fast as possible. Bonus Fun for Funky: collect as many green berries just after the timer dips below 100 each time. You’ll notice that the music doesn’t slow back down when your time goes back up to over 100, but yet it’ll speed up even more once it dips below 100 again.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@VanillaLimeCoke nice! Good challenge, now you can try without yoshi or power ups next!

[@VanillaLimeCoke]

@@MarMaxGaming It’s interesting in a few levels making them easier, like Bowsers Castle door #8. You can fly through the room easier without the green block getting in the way. Plus there’s no color blocks in the Special World btw.

[@thebarofclay6100]

Although it is still tough level to do as small mario... The spinning mace are not so... You can avoid a lot of the following the snake by standing on the block of mace and wait for snake to come back around.. there is two spots for this

[@jonchampion8720]

Have you noticed that getting to the boss in the castle is more difficult than the boss itself

[@AlejoDarioni]

26:21 if you pay attention at the layout of the platforms formed by the coins in the P state and the plants, one would think that the developers originally planned for tubular to be somewhat beatable without any power ups, especially the P balloon. The gameplay you showed of the level being cleared without the P balloon looks more like a TAS than regular inputs from a controller.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@AlejoDarioni I don’t believe he was TAS because he’s uploaded 2 different successful runs and didn’t label them as such, with the second one being even cleaner… but that’s certainly possible! Those coin / block placements intrigued me too in the exact same way!! Like, are the coins just there to tempt the player to get them and die? Or are they actually meant to be used… but when you think about it, there’s no way you can get over there in time to take advantage of it with the p balloon… and when we see what it takes to get over there without it, like frame perfect inputs AND the fire flower doesn’t even work on those lotus flowers hogging the block, like no way did they envision the level being played in such a way. I’ve seen a strategy with fire Mario getting through it by tanking 1 hit on the lotus fire, I just didn’t talk about that much since it isn’t small Mario, but yeah it’s overall really intriguing. I really appreciate you watching and commenting!

[@pauls4522]

The concept of small mario runs feels intentional by the developers. At face level its a kids game with easy difficulty most of the time, and easy to moderate difficulty at the worst of times. However it feels nintendo secretly used small mario as the hard mode of the game for those who wanted a challenge. Small mario runs being intentional is honestly not likely the case at all, but what these runs do is give you a better feel of how the developers developed each level. A design philosophy is probably iteratively building out levels by section, and if the diffculty "doesn't feel fun", then add a powerup to make it fun. So instead of feel rage in these moments when a lot is going on, you instead get a dopamine rush when using the cape or invincibility powerful.

[@richardjamesgallardojr.7584]

I love playing a lot of my games like this underpowered

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@richardjamesgallardojr.7584 that’s really cool! What are some others that you like to try? Mega Man is my best example of that, how about you?

[@richardjamesgallardojr.7584]

@MarMaxGaming I like playing Max Payne using the weakest handgun in each entry

[@MarMaxGaming]

@ haha so bad ass!!

[@richardjamesgallardojr.7584]

Yes I play each level like I'm John wick and I've been giving one pistol by the Bowery King

[@eskimo1000]

My childhood game ❤️

[@TheBlackSeraph]

To be pedantic, the level from the title screen is its own level in memory that resembles the start of Groovy. It is possible to access the title screen level and it basically ends shortly after the title screen cinematic stops. Also, can you really count Bowser's Castle in the top 10 if you're intentionally taking the hardest route? I'd also suggest that Sunken Ghost Ship doesn't deserve its place since a) you can't avoid getting the Starman so it's a level that a small Mario only challenge run would avoid and b) the disappearing/reappearing Boos are set to two alternating layouts which are determined by Mario's X position, making it easily predictable for more experienced players.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@TheBlackSeraph that’s a very interesting fact, I appreciate you sharing it!! Naturally, I have to include Bowser’s castle as a level, and it’s all in the spirit of the challenge… so I had to see where the hardest route of Bowser’s Castle would land on the list. I ultimately just placed these based on my gameplay and mulling over what I saw as requirements for tight or precise play… this list was just the result of that! I really appreciate your insight, watching commenting!

[@bmeht]

2:14 not sure if anyone else pointed this out yet, but you can just get your speed running from right to left and then turn around and you'll still be at full speed. makes it pretty trivial

[@bmeht]

jump and turn around*

[@MarMaxGaming]

You can see some attempts where I do reach full speed, and it’s not trivial due to that annoying wedge in the way with the beetles around it. The first level is trivial, but running through that thing without the star… that takes some precision.

[@pukalo]

Was this recorded with the SNES' RF output? Not complaining, just curious. Great video nonetheless.

[@MarMaxGaming]

It was just the standard AV cables with the splitters!

[@pukalo]

@@MarMaxGaming The SNES component cables from HD Retrovision are expensive but they make a night and day difference. Paired with a 1chip SNES they are near emulator levels of pixel sharpness. S-Video also makes a huge leap in video quality.

[@QuadmanSwe]

On outrageous. Pan camera left to bait out bullet bill and the jump is easier without leaving that rightmost platform.

[@dglodi]

I just found your channel today, I really like your commentary style. I'm currently watching your DKC 1hour1life, and the nonchalance is really relaxing. I'll be watching your channel most the day prob.

[@Rebecca-l6f]

It’s been along time since I’ve played super Nintendo. Think I played it like a few years ago when it was plugged in, but we are plugged it to play other games.

[@fretstride2]

For #10, jump on the sinking platform and jump back and let it sink. When it reappears, the turtles are in a different spot so it makes it easier to do

[@fretstride2]

It's possible on the first try too, but its tough

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@fretstride2 wow! That’s an advanced technique right there. Very cool… thank you for sharing!

[@cooltaylor1015]

Soda Lake is way harder than Sunken Ghost Ship, especially on the No Power Up challenge. But, if you ask me, either allow Starmen or disqualify SGS. Just not using it doesn't negate the fact that you got it. But it's your run with your rules

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@cooltaylor1015 always cool to hear from other player’s perspective! I appreciate you watching and commenting! I didn’t see it that way, Soda Lake without any hesitation leaves openings for you along the whole way, whereas the ghosts sometimes make me hesitate to stay safe . Also, falling into an unavoidable star without using it whatsoever is more than fair, that’s why we interpret the purpose behind rules. The purpose is to take away all advantages for the player. You’d have to ask yourself what the advantage in gameplay is, which is the entire point, and the answer is absolutely nothing…

[@fitzciaran]

Seems totally fair for the spirit of this challenge but it's not too difficult to avoid the star - holding jump and left out of the pipe and releasing jump just after exiting the pipe.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@fitzciaran oh wow, pressing beforehand and releasing jump after the pipe… Cool tech tip! I appreciate you including that! Thank you

[@jamesnovotny2991]

Damn, the dude that passed tubular with out p balloons is god status kaizo

[@Eternalwarpuppy]

I'm pretty sure the ghosts that spawn in sunken ghost ship take long enough to get their hit box that if you just swim through at full speed you will be fine even if they spawn in your way.

[@jerodwatson6492]

The sinking floor at #10 could've been made a lot easier using spin jump's to maintain and build speed

[@darkhunter5293]

I saw #1 coming a mile away.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@darkhunter5293 familiar without the p balloon? Bc with it, maybe #8.. without it is just a literal nightmare

[@Sly88Frye]

8:24 I personally don't think the sunken Ghost ship one is that hard. I mean I can easily swim through that room full of reappearing ghosts without hitting a single one of them and I'm doing that while I'm writing Yoshi which gives me a much bigger hitbox. Although I get what you mean by the spiked balls at the end if you don't have the star.

[@danwilson6766]

The P switch frame perfect jump is commonly known as a yump lol. You can do it on all the switch palace giant p switches. With no pressure it’s really not that bad, but trying to yump over a lotus plant would be pretty tough lol.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@danwilson6766 thank you for this comment! If “frame perfect” means 1/60th sec to press the jump button, you can count me the hell out lol that’s just ridiculous. A Yump, what a name! I’ll remember that!

[@danwilson6766]

@@MarMaxGaming haha as far as frame perfect tricks go it’s not that bad. Here’s a little tip to make them easier. Press B and A at the same time. People say it doubles your chances to actually hit the yump. I can’t confirm if that’s actually actuate, but I’ll take any advantage I can get lol you’ll know it works when you spin off of a p switch rather than just a regular jump lol Having said all that, it seems much easier to do it on the giant p switches in the switch palaces rather than the small ones haha.

[@chiissu]

good list. I only played mario world on the gba as I dont got a snes but felt mario III was better with more power ups and variety. Plus I didn't care for yoshi who spazzes out and runs off a cliff when anything brushes past him. But I'm more of a Sonic guy xP. That last one is beyond human level. You need ultra instinct from dragon ball super or Muso Tensei from Hokuto No Ken to do it. Or time powers to slow things to get more reaction room.

[@LittleMissGrosser]

Dead Mario booping a wiggler! 😆

[@michaelwahl7810]

I'm pretty sure if you are standing in front of a magikoopa and you duck after he shoots, it goes over your head. If anybody out there sees this and can try it please let me know.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@michaelwahl7810 I believe you’re right! If you’re far enough away, he’ll throw it straight.

[@MrBritnor]

Even if you are doing Little Mario challenge, I would still allow for a use of an Invincibility Star since that does not make Mario bigger or change Mario's form, if I were you.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@MrBritnor to be fair, the entire point is to make it through a level without any advantages whatsoever, such as being hit or any abilities that are helpful. It’s about the challenge more than any technicality.

[@jonashormann5700]

Checkout the secret exit for Chocolate Island 3, small mario.

[@MarMaxGaming]

Somebody posted a link of that!! It’s absolutely insane, like oh my gosh!!

[@Fools_Requiem]

Tubular being #1 was the most obvious listing. I just assumed it was impossible. I hate Larry's Castle even with power ups because it's a slow ride on the snake.

[@MarMaxGaming]

For sure, without the dang p-balloon is ridiculous. And yeah that could get old pretty quickly!

[@TheKDX7]

3:36 you can go left to increase speed and go back to the right and run. So possible without shell

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@TheKDX7 yes it definitely is possible, and you can see where I went left and hit full speed a couple times but that little ridge gets in the way too. It’s tight, and I’m sure it can be done!

[@TheKDX7]

​@@MarMaxGamingCertainly, great video 💪🏻

[@WowOafus]

I really feel ghost ship is far easier than you make it seem. When falling, stay near the wall to avoid loop as and balls easier. The water level in world 2 and 5 gave me a harder time than ghost ship

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@WowOafus always good to hear from other players! I made it through those other stages without much issue… I had to base this on my experience and where I died, I don’t think those other levels take as much control as the Sunken Ship… especially the end avoiding everything, it’s good to know sticking to the side is the safe way through! Did you find those levels harder than Soda Lake too?

[@WowOafus]

@@MarMaxGaming no, Soda Lake took the cake for me on water levels. The fortress in world 3, which can’t be reached in your challenge, is pretty close to Soda Lake. It was a great video. I agreed with the rest of them. Brought back some trauma from my youth on some levels I forgot about. And sorry if my original comment seemed rude. I just reread that first sentence and it comes off harsh, when I didn’t mean it as a really serious criticism.

[@MarMaxGaming]

@@WowOafus oh you’re good, man! Well at least the placement with Soda Lake is satisfactory! I just see that hallway of reappearing boos as pretty uniquely challenging for underwater levels, that’s all! I did make sure to play every single level as small Mario, including the Vanilla Secret Fortress. It’s pretty tense as well with those skeleton fish, there was a lot of great footage from this challenge that I wish I could’ve included more! The other water level with dolphins and the spiky puffer fish was another challenging one! I appreciate you watching and commenting, my friend 🙌