Also known as: What's managed to completely steal my attention away from both Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Shadow Hearts 2.
If you've ever poked around in the ROM modification world, you've probably come across your share of stupid hacks, half done projects and just plain trash. After seeing failed project after failed project, you start to wonder if everyone with the will to work on old SNES games is retarded. I mean, you're thinking: Hey, I could do this, yadda yadda.
And yet, nothing ever gets done. Until now, as someone finally took all that unused awesomeness, rolled it up into a good ol' ball, and shaped it into something worthwhile. It's a modification of Super Mario World, from top to bottom. It changes the world map, the stages, the secrets, everything; while leaving the core gameplay that addicted millions of childhoods intact and enhanced.
http://fusoya.cg-games.net/lm/dw.html
That's the link to it. You can download it there, earlier versions if you wish, see screenshots that show off the transparent textures added along with other things like short pipes, snow, brick blocks ala Mario 3, and even the Koopa Airships recreated. Further, the editor used can be downloaded there if you're interested in tampering with Super Mario World yourself.
Once you download it, a few notes. You'll need an unaltered copy of the ROM beforehand, it's not provided. I'll leave it to your own devices to scare that up. For the emulator, I find the latest version of ZSNES to work excellently. Once you have all of that and the .zip file, open it up and read the readme. You'll need to use the Lunar Magic utility included to expand the ROM's size and values. Don't worry, it's simple and explained in section 2 of the readme; doesn't take but two minutes. If you can't find the instructions for it there, you've probably grabbed the wrong .zip from the site, go back and redownload. (I've had this happen to a few people I've recommened this to.)
Once that's done, you'll need to apply the patch to the game. Do a google search for an .ips patcher; Zophar's domain should provide several patchers to choose from. With that, you'll be ready to play.
As for the gameplay - it's harder than Super Mario World, as one would expect from a hack in general. While not often ballbreaking hard, it does have many puzzles to find the main and secondary exits to many stages. In fact, the Pyramid key exit, for example, is better hidden than anything in Super Mario World by a factor of ten. Doing much of this on a keyboard is _not_ recommended, a controller will make your life so much easier. If at all possible, use one.
Do expect to lose a life or two each stage. With rare exceptions, the areas aren't unforgiving; however, you do have to learn how each stage works, where the items and secrets are, etc. The secret exits to stages, on the other hand...
Those are a bitch and a half most of the time. Most can be figured with a few tries and some fiddling or dumb luck, though a few are terribly complex and wracking.
Odds and ends:
Each map area has a Mushroom House. It's a Top Secret Area esque level where you can power up, get Yoshi(Past world 1's), and find grey question blocks. Those blocks put special items into your item box. These are often needed for other secrets or can make certain stages MUCH easier. Also, once you have Yoshi there, you can go to restock your extra lives supply by entering and exiting to harvest the Yoshi 1-up. Find each, as every one of them requires you to find a secret exit. Worth it in each case, however, no matter how much work it takes you.
Each Koopa Kid Castle has the normal exit where you fight the boss and a key exit. The key exit takes you to one of the 8 Star Road points. (See below). Should you find and defeat the kid first, hit L and R together on the ruins of the castle to play it again. If you find the keyhole first, it won't crumble the castle, so it's no big deal.
Except in the Mushroom Houses, Yoshi is very rare. Don't waste him, he's a lifesaver.
Star Road is changed considerably from it's SMW incarnation. Before anything else, SAVE BEFORE YOU USE A STAR POINT. Again, SAVE. Why? Because Star Road has been cursed by Bowser, and until you purify each Star Point by finding the secret exit, you can't warp back. Once you're in, you'll find each Star Point is red, and also functions as a stage. Each Star Point has two exits. The normal one connects you to the next Star Point on the line, and the key exit turns the point to normal. So, if you want to link the Star Roads, find the normal exit first and then keyhunt. You can't go back to the stages once they're done to my knowledge. I dunno about Special World, as I'm suck on Special Star Point. -_-
If people get into this, I'll be glad to help with the secret exits I've found. I've finished fully up to World 4 and most of the basic Star Road. Haven't found the secret exit on the World 1 castle, though.
Hmm...
I'll have to take a look.
Dracos
You should, it's worth a shot. Very well done on the whole, if challenging.
As long as it isn't as absurd as that mario's challenge one I saw a while back and kicked around as just a ridiculously sadistic game (Yeah, leap from water to water in midair).
Dracos
Quote from: "Dracos"As long as it isn't as absurd as that mario's challenge one I saw a while back and kicked around as just a ridiculously sadistic game (Yeah, leap from water to water in midair).
Dracos
*Shudder at the memories of that one*
It's not unfairly hard, but it can give you some challenge.