World 1-2's Genius Design

[@linkthehero8431]

"But Super Mario World shoves coins down your gullet all day long." New Super Mario Bros 2: _Hold my beer._

[@Wendy_O._Koopa]

I miss back when tutorials were "invisible."

[@SuperAnthony3]

Great point, I've been at companies where I tried to explain this about their design and people would say "it's fine we can just use the 'tutorial' to explain"

[@BrownElectrons]

Those early levels integrate you into the games mechanics really well

[@ChemistWeb]

I loved the style of commentary you used in this video and the original Super Mario World critique video. It’s entertaining but also engaging, making the information easy to digest in a way that most of these game design videos don’t achieve, or at least do that well. A lot of commentators just try to make their language a little goofy to keep the viewer entertained, but the empowering word choice you used (e.g., “but YOU, you got that fire power, something you earned”) really helps to project progression in not only the player’s understanding of their options in traversing 1-2, but also helps to build the understanding of someone looking at the game’s design from a distance.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Thanks, I'm glad you appreciated that style. It was actually the second recording I did and I enjoyed that approach a lot more than just describing it straight. I think of games as 2nd person narratives and when you look at it through that lens I think your design approach is different.

[@GoldenSandslash15]

The other great thing about the warp zone is it means that if you're already an experienced player who doesn't need all of these tutorials (or maybe you got a game over and don't know the continue code), you can easily just skip ahead to the more challenging stuff.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea for sure, I used to use the Warp Zone too much because as a kid I was too focused on trying to "win" in the best way possible

[@DrCasey]

For the second sidescrolling platformer ever made that I'm aware of (after Pac-Land), this is bizarrely detailed and thoughtful. I could never make such an intelligently-designed level.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Pitfall might be a great early example. Do you design games or levels?

[@GoldenSandslash15]

Even if you solely look at NES games... Remembering that Super Mario Bros. was NOT a launch title for the NES in Japan, there are 63 NES games that pre-date SMB1. And of them, seven are what I would classify as "side-scrolling platformers": Lode Runner, Mappy, Championship Lode Runner, Ninja-Kun, Wrecking Crew, Spartan X/Kung Fu, and Elevator Action. Granted, most of these blur the lines between "platformer" and "puzzle game", but still, I think you could argue that at least one of these is a platformer. In my opinion, the one that comes closest is Ninja-Kun, but I could see others having different opinions on that. Edit: Oh yeah, and also Ice Climber.

[@sumcarson]

You can always find and critique good game design, but you can't always imagine and create good game design.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Speak for yourself

[@sumcarson]

@@SuperAnthony3 uhhhh nah I think in general it's harder to make than it is to see and that's rlly what i took away from this vid

[@SuperAnthony3]

In seriousness, learning from predecessors is a great way to get better at anything, including level design. I strengthened my ability in design from watching Egoraptor's Mega Man X video, and learning from early Mario games is a great education in design and their approach

[@JHaras]

The video ended very abruptly. Good points made, but left me hanging

[@SuperAnthony3]

Thanks, it's part of a larger video comparing it to Super Mario World, if you want the more complete experience. I clipped this section out because it turns out, people don't all want me to trash on one of their most beloved games :)

[@JHaras]

@@SuperAnthony3 I’m OK with trashing SMW personally. SMB3 was my first game, but SMW was the first Mario game I beat. I had a complete SMW paper guide from the start. Both that, and the fact that the difficulty is rly lacking, made the game not the “adventure” that it would have been for me. I can always return to SMB3, but I don’t miss SMW

[@sir_christmas_leopold_duckson]

"Underrated..." Dude, the original Super Mario Bros. is one of the most famous and best selling games of all time. It's not underrated at all.

[@SuperAnthony3]

I'm saying the level design of World 1-2 is underrated (particularly when you compare it to the praise of 1-1)

[@SexyDexy25]

@@SuperAnthony3 Even without you explaining, it was obvious what you meant

[@SuperAnthony3]

I thought so

[@johndesacada9893]

1-1: am i a joke to you?

[@SuperAnthony3]

World 1-1 is great, and absolute classic, it's been talked about a lot so I really don't have anything new to add to world 1-1

[@crinsombone5380]

1-1 gets talked about enough. It's probably the most talked about level in gaming. 1-2 is overshadowed

[@TheAgentAPM]

I don't know in what video I heard that "1-1 is a tutorial, 1-2 is its subversion"