Worlds 1–4

Prerequisite

Start a new 1- or 2-player game.

Objective

Reach the flag while learning blocks, running jumps, pipes, and basic enemies.

1. Stomp or jump over the first Goomba, then hit the question-mark block above the next gap for the first Super Mushroom.
2. Use the stair shapes to practice running jumps. Pause for Piranha Plants and keep a shell's rebound path in view.
3. Take the last usable pipe for a coin room if time is comfortable; otherwise stay above ground and use the final staircase to reach the flag.

Main danger: Kicking a Koopa shell between pipes can send it back toward you.

Prerequisite

Clear 1-1.

Objective

Cross the underground course and exit through the final pipe.

1. Use the low ceiling to practice controlled jumps; break bricks only when powered and avoid trapping yourself beside Goombas or Buzzy Beetles.
2. At the rising and falling lifts, jump from an upward-moving platform toward the exit ledge.
3. For the normal route, enter the end pipe. For the secret route, ride a lift to the ceiling and run above the exit pipe into the Warp Zone.

Main danger: A full-speed jump under a low ceiling can rebound into an enemy or pit.

Prerequisite

Clear 1-2 without warping.

Objective

Cross suspended platforms and moving lifts without falling.

1. Favor center landings on narrow mushroom tops and let red Koopas turn at edges instead of contesting them.
2. Wait until horizontal lifts close the gap, then jump with enough momentum to land beyond their midpoint.
3. Use the final moving platforms one at a time; reaching the staircase safely matters more than collecting exposed coins.

Main danger: There is no safe floor beneath most of the course.

Prerequisite

Clear 1-3.

Objective

Cross fire bars and lava, then touch the axe behind Bowser.

1. Time each rotating Fire-Bar separately and wait on full blocks, not narrow edges.
2. Use the ceiling and floor gaps to avoid Bowser's fire as it travels left.
3. If powered, fireballs can defeat the disguised Bowser; otherwise wait for a jump, pass him, and touch the axe.

Main danger: Lava and Podoboos defeat immediately regardless of form.

Prerequisite

Clear 1-4 or warp from 1-2.

Objective

Cross the ground course, using hidden blocks or the spring to pass the final wall.

1. Take the early power-up before committing to shell attacks between walls.
2. A vine in the overhead brick formation leads to Coin Heaven; a later pipe reaches a coin room.
3. At the final wall, use the spring or reveal a hidden block above the nearby two-block step, then jump across.

Main danger: A kicked shell can ricochet rapidly inside the early block corridor.

Prerequisite

Clear 2-1.

Objective

Swim through the underwater channel and enter the exit pipe.

1. Tap jump for short upward strokes and use the Control Pad to drift between coral and enemies.
2. Stay low under Bloopers when your form fits, but never settle over a drain opening.
3. Approach the final pipe from its centerline and keep enough height to avoid the last current and enemies.

Main danger: Floor drains pull downward; fighting the current for nearby coins is optional.

Prerequisite

Clear 2-2.

Objective

Cross short bridge sections while Cheep-cheeps leap from below.

1. Watch one fish arc before moving, then clear each short bridge as its own jump.
2. Use fireballs only when they do not distract from the landing; airborne fish can collide from below.
3. Slow down at narrow islands and take the final staircase deliberately.

Main danger: Random-looking fish arcs punish long blind sprints.

Prerequisite

Clear 2-3.

Objective

Cross the lift chamber and reach the second disguised Bowser.

1. Wait for Podoboos to fall before landing on blocks above lava; the early question block holds the only course power-up.
2. Move to each lift's outer edge before jumping so the low ceiling does not cancel the leap.
3. At Bowser, use fireballs, pass beneath a jump, or use the raised block to jump over only when the arc is clear.

Main danger: Fire breath reaches left from the boss room into the lift approach.

Prerequisite

Clear 2-4.

Objective

Pass the first Hammer Brothers and use the springboard near the end.

1. Keep a shell between you and grouped ground enemies, but stop before it rebounds from a pipe or stair.
2. Approach each Hammer Brother slowly enough to read a throw, then run underneath during a jump.
3. Hold jump as the springboard compresses to clear the final wall and land on the staircase.

Main danger: Hammer arcs overlap if you wait between two Brothers.

Prerequisite

Clear 3-1.

Objective

Use open ground and shells to cross a fast night course.

1. Build speed only after checking the full lane for a returning shell.
2. Stomp a Koopa from behind, then kick its shell forward to clear aligned enemies.
3. Preserve momentum over the final gaps, releasing B before the staircase if precise alignment is needed.

Main danger: Chasing a shell too closely lets it rebound off scenery into you.

Prerequisite

Clear 3-2.

Objective

Cross mushroom platforms and linked lifts.

1. Center every landing; the dark palette makes narrow platform edges easier to misread.
2. On linked scale lifts, jump onward before your side sinks too far. Standing still can pull the partner platform out of reach.
3. Take the final moving lift from a stable position and jump to the flag staircase.

Main danger: Falling platforms and open pits leave no recovery route.

Prerequisite

Clear 3-3.

Objective

Navigate the night castle and reach the third disguised Bowser.

1. Wait outside each Fire-Bar's circle, then move through immediately after it sweeps past.
2. Use short hops beneath low ceilings so Mario does not rebound into lava.
3. Read Bowser's fire height, pass during a jump, and claim the axe.

Main danger: Stacked fire timing leaves little room for a rushed recovery.

Prerequisite

Clear 3-4.

Objective

Keep moving through Spinies and reach the flag before the timer pressure builds.

1. Advance steadily so thrown Spiny eggs land behind you; do not fight every enemy.
2. Use high blocks to attack Lakitu from above only when the landing is safe.
3. Carry momentum across the final gaps, but check the staircase for surviving Spinies.

Main danger: Stopping under Lakitu fills the route ahead with Spinies.

Prerequisite

Clear 4-1 or warp from 1-2.

Objective

Complete the underground course or deliberately choose one of its two Warp Zones.

1. For the no-warp route, move through the Buzzy Beetles and low block formations toward the end lifts.
2. A hidden-block staircase beneath three overhead bricks lets you strike the left brick and grow a vine to the surface Warp Zone.
3. Ignoring the vine and running over the final ceiling reaches a separate single-pipe Warp Zone; taking the ordinary exit continues to 4-3.

Main danger: Breaking the wrong bricks while powered can block access to the vine setup.

Prerequisite

Clear 4-2 without warping.

Objective

Cross giant mushroom platforms and linked scale lifts.

1. Use controlled running jumps between mushroom caps and avoid contesting red Koopas near their edges.
2. On each scale lift, transfer before your side reaches the bottom; jumping raises the abandoned side only briefly.
3. At the final gap, commit from the platform's stable center and steer toward the flag staircase.

Main danger: Waiting too long on one scale platform can leave both useful landings out of position.

Prerequisite

Clear 4-3.

Objective

Solve two path checks, then pass the fourth disguised Bowser.

1. At the first split, take the top route. The lower route loops the puzzle.
2. At the three-way split, take the bottom route. Either higher route returns you to the hall's start.
3. Cross the boss bridge Fire-Bar, then use fireballs or pass Bowser and touch the axe.

Main danger: A wrong route silently loops in the NES version; All-Stars and Deluxe add success/failure sounds.