Super Mario Bros

01 WORLD 1 GRASS LAND ▼

The tutorial world. Learn the controls and build a coin/life buffer here before pushing on. Don't skip the warp zone in 1-2 if you want to jump ahead.

— 1-1 —

🍄The very first ? block contains a Super Mushroom. Get it — being Super Mario is critical for surviving hits and breaking bricks.

🌿Hidden 1-UP: Just before the staircase to the flagpole, there's an invisible block one tile above and one tile to the right of the topmost brick in the flat run. Hit it for a 1-UP mushroom.

🏁Flagpole: A full running jump at the last moment to hit the very top = 5000 points. Five scoring tiers from bottom to top: 100 / 400 / 800 / 2000 / 5000. Always aim for the top.

— 1-2 (UNDERGROUND) —

🪙Coin heaven: Jump on top of the first pipe — the bricks above it lead to a bonus coin area. Exit from the right side to land further ahead in the level.

🌀Warp zone to Worlds 2, 3 or 4: At the end of the level, instead of going down the exit pipe, jump onto the pipe and walk right past the ceiling. You'll find three warp pipes. Left = World 2, Middle = World 3, Right = World 4.

CASTLE — FAKE BOWSER (GOOMBA)

🪓Easiest method: Run under Bowser and hit the axe at the end of the bridge to drop him into the lava. Works on every castle.

🔥Fire Flower method: 5 fireballs reveal the true form — in World 1 it's a Goomba wearing a Bowser disguise.

02 WORLD 2 DESERT ▼

Night and underwater levels. Introduces swimming in 2-2 — hold the button to swim up, release to sink. Bloopers and Cheep Cheeps are the main threats.

— 2-2 (UNDERWATER) —

🐙Bloopers (squid) chase you — swim in large arcs to shake them. They follow your vertical position, so swim high then quickly dip low.

🐟Cheep Cheeps scroll in from the right — keep moving forward and maintain a steady height to dodge the patterns.

🏅Fire Flowers are useless underwater — prioritise reaching the exit over fighting anything.

CASTLE — FAKE BOWSER (KOOPA TROOPA)

🪓Same axe strategy. Jump over the Hammer Bros in the castle approach if you're not confident — they can be brutal if you're small Mario.

03 WORLD 3 WATER LAND ▼

Treetop and bridge levels with moving platforms and Cheep Cheep rivers. 3-1 has a famous infinite 1-UP trick. Difficulty starts ramping up from here.

— 3-1 (INFINITE 1-UP TRICK) —

⭐Near the end of 3-1, there's a staircase of steps with a Koopa Troopa on top. Kick its shell into the steps — if Mario lands perfectly on the bouncing shell repeatedly without touching the ground, each hit scores an extra life. With practice, easy to farm 50+ lives.

— 3-3 · 3-4 —

🌉Bridge levels with gaps over water. Moving platforms require patience — wait for the rhythm before jumping. Falling behind the scroll means death.

🐟Schools of Cheep Cheeps jump out of the water in set patterns. Learn the timing — they can leap surprisingly high.

CASTLE — FAKE BOWSER (BUZZY BEETLE)

🪓Axe at the end of the bridge. The castle itself is fairly linear — the main hazard is the lava pits before the bridge. 5 fireballs reveal a Buzzy Beetle.

04 WORLD 4 BIG ISLAND ▼

Giant enemies and the second major warp zone. 4-2 contains warps to Worlds 5, 6, 7, and 8 — the most useful shortcuts in the game. 4-4 is a maze castle.

— 4-1 —

🔨Hammer Bros make their first appearance. They throw hammers in arcs — the safest approach is to run under them quickly while they're throwing high, or hit from below with a Fire Flower. Do not fight them without a power-up.

— 4-2 (UNDERGROUND) —

🌱Warp to World 5: Shortly after the first moving platforms, hit the hidden block above the last brick platform to sprout a beanstalk. Climb it to a cloud level. Walk right and take the exit pipe — it warps to World 5.

🌀Warp to Worlds 6, 7 or 8: Further along, after a downward-moving lift, hit the hidden blocks above the platform to reveal a second beanstalk. Climb to cloud level — three pipes: Left = World 6, Middle = World 7, Right = World 8.

⚠You can only use one warp per run through 4-2. First beanstalk = World 5. Second beanstalk = choose 6, 7 or 8.

CASTLE — FAKE BOWSER (SPINEY) · MAZE

🗺4-4 is a looping maze. At the first fork take the upper path. At the second fork take the lower path. Wrong paths loop you back to the start. After the correct route you'll reach the bridge and axe.

🪓Axe as usual — this fake Bowser is a Spiney. The maze is the real challenge, not the boss.

05 WORLD 5 SKY LAND ▼

Difficulty noticeably increases. More Hammer Bros, Bullet Bills, and tighter platforming. Stock lives before arriving here if you didn't use the 3-1 trick.

— 5-1 · 5-2 · 5-3 —

💣Bullet Bills fire from launchers — they move slowly but are hard to dodge in tight corridors. Jump over them or hit the launchers from below to stop them temporarily.

🔨5-3 has multiple Hammer Bros in sequence — by far the hardest platforming encounter so far. Fire Flower strongly recommended. If you have none, sprint and pray.

CASTLE — FAKE BOWSER (LAKITU)

🪓Axe method. 5-4 castle is straightforward — the approach levels are the hard part in World 5.

06 WORLD 6 ICY WATERS ▼

Water and night levels again but harder. 6-3 is a brutal Bullet Bill gauntlet. Enemies are faster and more numerous than their World 2/3 equivalents.

— 6-3 (BULLET BILL GAUNTLET) —

💣Continuous Bullet Bill fire from both sides. Keep moving — standing still is death. Run forward and jump over incoming Bills rather than trying to dodge back.

🏃Holding B to run is essential here — the speed advantage lets you clear gaps between launcher volleys. Don't slow down.

CASTLE — FAKE BOWSER (BLOOPER)

🪓Axe method. The 6-4 castle has lava pits and moving platforms — take your time on the approach.

07 WORLD 7 PIPE LAND ▼

Pipe mazes and Piranha Plants everywhere. One of the most disorienting worlds. 7-4 is a second maze castle — even trickier than 4-4.

— 7-1 · 7-2 · 7-3 —

🌿Piranha Plants pop up from pipes on a timer — pause before each pipe and wait for it to retract before passing. Never stand directly on top of a pipe.

💧7-2 is underwater again. Same rules as before — arc-swim to lose Bloopers, keep moving to dodge Cheep Cheep schools.

CASTLE — FAKE BOWSER (HAMMER BRO) · MAZE

🗺7-4 maze has two sections. Part 1: stay on the middle-to-low path, then climb to the upper level at the far right to exit. Part 2: drop down, come back up, then take the lower path all the way right to reach Bowser's bridge. Looping back means you took a wrong height.

🪓This fake Bowser is a Hammer Bro — axe method is strongly recommended here. Getting hit by hammers near the lava is unforgiving.

08 WORLD 8 DARK LAND ▼

The final world. No mercy — Hammer Bros everywhere, brutal platforming, and the real Bowser at the end. Enter with maximum lives, Fire Flower if possible.

— 8-1 · 8-2 · 8-3 —

🔨8-1 opens with a wall of Hammer Bros. Sprint past them — trying to fight is a trap. Take the hits if you're Super Mario and just get through.

💣8-2 and 8-3 combine Bullet Bills, Hammer Bros, and tight platforms. Slow down at gaps, sprint through enemy clusters. Use every life you've saved.

🎰There are no warp zones in World 8. If you die here, you restart at 8-1. Don't waste lives on risks.

FINAL BOSS — THE REAL BOWSER

🪓Axe method still works — and is the safest approach. Run under Bowser when he jumps (or duck under his fireballs), reach the axe, done. He fires hammers in 8-4 unlike earlier fakes.

🔥Fire Flower method: 5 fireballs kill him outright — he's the actual Bowser, no disguise reveal. The fireballs stun him briefly, giving you time to reposition.

🗺8-4 has five sections. Part 1 (outdoor): walk right past the early pipes, take the tall pipe at the far right end. Part 2 (underground): skip the wrong pipe, take the hidden pipe back up. Part 3 (outdoor): take the correct pipe down, skipping the wrong one. Part 4 (underwater): swim through and exit. Part 5 (outdoor): avoid the wrong pipe — straight to Bowser's bridge. Wrong pipes in any section reset you to the beginning of 8-4.