36 Years Later, This 10/10 SNES Classic Remains The Greatest 2D Platformer Ever Made

Published Aug 29, 2026, 7:00 AM EDT

Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work.

Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work.

The SNES era played host to several incredible games, from RPGs to legendary platformers, many of which proved to be not only some of the greatest games ever made, but also highly influential experiences that pushed the industry in exciting new directions. Some of these have aged gracefully, while others have remained important relics of the past that are better studied than played. Ironically, owing largely to the constraints of the system, there are more of the former than the latter, which is great for retro enthusiasts.

Of course, there are still plenty of SNES games that need remakes in order to remain playable today, and that is fine. However, it is rather remarkable just how many of them are not only playable today, but remain some of the best in their respective genre. Case in point is perhaps the greatest SNES game ever made, if not one of its very best: a title that is not only immensely enjoyable 36 years after it launched, but also continues to be the greatest 2D platformer ever made.

This SNES Masterpiece Is The Greatest 2D Platformer

Of all the greatest SNES games that remain thoroughly enjoyable today, Super Mario World is perhaps the most memorable and the finest example of Nintendo's brilliance and ingenuity of the era. It is the perfect distillation of everything that makes the Super Mario series both genre-defining and utterly exceptional, a game that doesn't waste a single second, never introduces an element that feels superfluous, and never fumbles at the last hurdle with a single one of its revolutionary mechanics. It excels in every facet of its design, and consequently elevates the entire genre and platforming experience.

Of course, there are a plethora of Mario games that similarly execute their vision with aplomb, but none, at least within the realm of 2D, come as close to perfection as Super Mario World. Everything from the physics grounding its platforming to its cleverly composed level design, abundance of secrets that encourage exploration, and introduction of iconic new elements like Yoshi, has been expertly implemented to a truly masterful degree. Super Mario World feels tangibly brilliant, an experience that, from the moment you start it, exudes excellence.

It is, naturally, not only a SNES game that aged phenomenally, but also the greatest 2D platformer ever devised, one that isn't burdened by the excess of later titles, both within and beyond its own series, nor the pratfalls that so many other games within the genre commonly fall into. Rather, it is simultaneously pristine and bursting with creativity in a way that no other game has managed to perfect, a categorically revolutionary mechanical experience that feels hand-crafted, soulful, and passionate from start to finish.

Super Mario World Remains A Triumph Of Game Design

None of this is said in retrospect, looking back on a title that was revolutionary at the time, a game that was profoundly brilliant all those years ago. Rather, Super Mario World remains a triumph of game design to this very day, one Nintendo constantly aims to best with its excellent and ingenious new additions, but never quite manages to overcome. Super Mario World serves as the blueprint for not just ideal platforming controls, level design, and all the rest, but for how to combine the mechanical with unbridled passion, and how said combination will forever deliver the best results.

That isn't to say that Nintendo hasn't delivered such passion with later 2D entries. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a phenomenal example of how ahead of the curve Nintendo continues to be, a feat that isn't particularly difficult when it established the curve. Still, it is impressive that Super Mario World, a game developed in an era of limitations and restrictions on a console with a fraction of the power and capabilities of today's systems, manages to be not merely a highlight of the SNES era, but a must-play today and for generations to come.