Yoshi's Island Version Differences

  1. Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 is the portable port of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Having a long full title apparently runs in the family. Because it is for the most part a straight port, most if not all of the unused graphics from the original game remain.
  2. I wondered if maybe the Japanese version has a slower timer too. If anyone has ever played the Japanese version of Yoshi's Island (any version) let me know! Same curiosity with the transformation intervals. I had a chuckle when you discovered the US version has easier button combinations with the Throwing balloon mini game.

May 01, 2015 Here is a comparison of the openings of Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2 for Super Nintendo and Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 for Gameboy Advance. Couldn't find any videos of a good.

This page is to compare the different versions of Super Mario World.

  • 1Versions
    • 1.2Releases
  • 3J Version Advantages

There are six versions of Super Mario World that are currently allowed on the leaderboards.

Abbr. Version Found
J Japanese The only version with Japanese text, this version was released in Japan.
U North American The localized version of the game for NTSC audiences.
UW North American All-Stars + World This version was bundled in with Super Mario All-Stars.
E0 PAL v1.0 Rare. The localized version of the game for PAL audiences, but the resolution hadn't been updated to fill the PAL screen.
E1 or E PAL v1.1 The updated version of the PAL release. This version removed the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.
EW PAL All-Stars + World This version was bundled in with Super Mario All-Stars in PAL regions.

Version Differences

JUUWE0E1EW Notes
Text Japanese English
Intro Screen Auto Actuate In order to advance passed the intro cutscene, a button must be pressed on all versions but J.
Save Boxes Small Big The size of the save boxes had to change to accommodate English text, so they take up more time to display.
Switch Palace Fanfare Short Long The amount of time required to dismiss the Switch Palace fanfare was changed to make it easier to read the cutscene text.
Reenter Castles with L+R No Yes
Level Design Edible Dolphins Small Level ChangesSee Level Differences.
Gameplay Original Physics Updated Physics In order to accamodate the framerate change, the physics were changed in the PAL region so the game didn't seem to run slow.
Framerate 60 Hz 50 Hz
Resolution 256x224 256x239 The E0 version had black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.
Exit Counter >= 96 Up to *96 >= *96 Up to *96 Up to blue 96 >= *96 By collecting extra glitched exits, the counter can go above 96 in the J and All-Stars versions.
Luigi Mario palette swap Unique Graphics Mario palette swap Unique Graphics
Exiting Game None Press Select on Overworld None Press Select on Overworld

Releases

Super Mario World has been released on 6 systems, but not every version is available on every system. Here is a chart that shows which versions exists on each system.

JUUWE0E1EW
Super Nintendo
Wii VC
3DS VC *
WiiU VC *
SNES Classic *
Nintendo Switch Online
Island

* While PAL 3DS, WiiU, and SNES Classic releases exist, they are actually the U version, since the 50 Hz versions are of no use anymore.

How to Tell Which Version You are Playing

The 256x239 resolution of the PAL versions (shown on left) causes more of the bottom of the level to show on screen.
Yoshi

If you aren't sure which version your cartridge is, just follow this questionaire:

  1. Is the text in Japanese?
    • Yes - J version
    • No - continue...
  2. What system are you playing on?
    • 3DS VC, WiiU VC, SNES Classic, or Nintendo Switch Online - U version
    • Super NES or Wii VC - continue...
  3. When the title screen shows, does the ground take up 2 or 3 logs vertically? (see right)
    • 3 - E1 version
    • 2 on Wii VC - U version
    • 2 on Super NES - continue...
  4. Are you playing a version of All-Stars + World?
    • No - go to 6.
    • Yes - continue...
  5. When the title screen shows, does the ground take up 2 or 3 logs vertically? (see right)
    • 3 - EW version
    • 2 - UW version
  6. Go to Yoshi's Island 1 and hold run and right as the level loads. What happens?
    • Mario hits the Koopa and dies - U version
    • Mario runs under the Koopa and survives - E0 version

To compensate for the PAL system that runs at 50fps opposed to 60fps - developers made Mario run faster in the PAL rom to offset the difference. As a result Mario can make jumps that are not possible in the NTSC version, so different routes would be taken. It is difficult to compare runs between these two versions. Even though Mario's running speed was increased to make up for the slower framerate, other parts of the game like cutscenes and the overworld were not sped up, so generally runs on PAL versions will be much slower because of this.

This video demonstrates some of the speed differences between PAL and NTSC versions of the game:

  • J version is 0.267 seconds faster for each save message.
  • J version is 3.2 seconds faster for each switch palace.

Taking into account these differences this is how it affects some main categories:

Category J is faster by
11 Exit 0.534 seconds
No Starworld 2.670 seconds
All Castles 3.204 seconds
96 Exit 20.810 seconds

Level Differences

  • The message at the end of Funky reads 'YOU ARE SUPER PLAYER!!' on the J version instead of 'YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER!!' like the other versions.
  • There is no yellow ! block at the beginning of Donut Plains 2 in the J version.
  • There is visible cut-off on the J version on the right side of Donut Secret House if you scroll the screen to the right.
  • The time limit was changed to 400 seconds from 300 seconds in the J version of Lemmy's Castle.
  • There are fewer arrow signs at the end of Chocolate Island 3 in the J version.
  • The 3 extra lives below the orb in Sunken Ghost Ship are not present in the J version.
  • There are fewer green berries in Funky in the J version.
  • There is no cape near the beginning of Vanilla Dome 1 in the J version.
The Nintendo Super System version allows the player to begin in any of the seven 'zones'.

There is a relatively little known arcade release of Super Mario World for the Nintendo Super System. Released only in the US, the Nintendo Super System is essentially a Super Nintendo in an arcade cabinet. This version can be differentiated from all others by the title screen (shown right). The Nintendo Super System version of the game is identical in physics and in all levels to the U version of the game, except that the message box in Yoshi's Island 4 is no longer present (because Start+Select is disabled). Most glitches also function identically.

There are several changes which make this version technically the fastest official release of Super Mario World. For one, the game does not save, so save prompts never appear. The intro cutscene can be skipped immediately after the message box text appears. Castle cutscenes can be scrolled by the player by mashing, drastically reducing their length. Finally, the player may choose to start in any one of the seven 'zones', with previous levels already completed. The only change which could adversely affect speedruns is that Start+Select is disabled. Overall, this version would save several minutes compared to the versions above in a 96 exit run.

For the leaderboards, this version is not currently allowed. This version can be run on a standard SNES (or emulator) through a flashcart, but obtaining a legitimate copy is prohibitively expensive. Additionally, only a very small number of such units were produced, while all the above versions have millions of sales. Finally, because of the massive time savings, allowing this version would essentially invalidate all historic runs.

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  • Yoshi Discord
  • Yoshi IRC
  • Japanese Speedrunning Wiki
  • Japanese Records Page
★ Beginner's Guide (start here if you are new) ★

Tutorials
  • Any% Warpless/Warps - W1 - In Depth - 2016
  • Any% Warps - Level by level - W1/2 - 2014


Basics


Advanced


Miscellaneous
World Records
  • Any% - 2:38.89 - akasatana
  • Warps - 1:35:43 - saku_ghd
  • Warpless - 1:41:03 - saku_ghd
  • 100% - 2:23:22 - saku_ghd


Tool Assisted Speedruns (TAS)
  • Warps - 1:33:40
  • Warpless (Theory TAS) - 1:41:15
  • 100% - 1:59:35
  • 100% (Old Theory TAS) - 2:28:22


Games Done Quick


Other
Any% Warpless
Info
Timing:
  • Start: On new file select.
  • End: On the last input when the last text box is advanced after Bowser is defeated.
    • Note: The US version of the game has 2 text boxes here, while the Japanese version only has 1.
Bans:
Useful Page:
Any% Warps
Info
Timing:
  • Start: On new file select.
  • End: On the first frame of the Bowser explosion.
Bans:
Useful Pages:
100%
Info
Timing:
  • Start: On new file select.
  • End: When the last completed level card flips over.
    • Note: When the run is completed, a score check of all the worlds is usually done to confirm that all the levels have a score of '100', though it is not required.
Bans:
  • The Japanese community also bans resetting the console, except after beating Bowser.
Required:
  • A score of 100 on all levels (including Extras).
Useful Pages:
Any% Credits Warp
Info
Timing:
  • Start: On new file select.
  • End: When the screen completely fades to black (before the credits start).
This category has no restrictions other than the Universal Bans.
Useful Pages:
World 1

1-1:Any%100%
1-2:Any%100%
1-3:Any%100%
1-4:Any%100%
1-5:Any%100%
1-6:Any%100%
1-7:Any%100%
1-8:Any%100%

1-E:Any%100%
World 2

2-1:Any%100%
2-2:Any%100%
2-3:Any%100%
2-4:Any%100%
2-5:Any%100%
2-6:Any%100%
2-7:Any%100%
2-8:Any%100%

2-E:Any%100%
World 3

3-1:Any%100%
3-2:Any%100%
3-3:Any%100%
3-4:Any%100%
3-5:Any%100%
3-6:Any%100%
3-7:Any%100%
3-8:Any%100%

3-E:Any%100%
World 4

4-1:Any%100%
4-2:Any%100%
4-3:Any%100%
4-4:Any%100%
4-5:Any%100%
4-6:Any%100%
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4-8:Any%100%

4-E:Any%100%
World 5

5-1:Any%100%
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5-3:Any%100%
5-4:Any%100%
5-5:Any%100%
5-6:Any%100%
5-7:Any%100%
5-8:Any%100%

5-E:Any%100%
World 6

6-1:Any%100%
6-2:Any%100%
6-3:Any%100%
6-4:Any%100%
6-5:Any%100%
6-6:Any%100%
6-7:Any%100%
6-8:Any%100%

6-E:Any%100%

Misc.

ROM Hacks

Level Order Randomizer

Disassembly

SDA (Nostalgia...)

  • SDA Game Page

Old Yoshi's Island Speedrunning Wiki

  • https://yoshispeedruns.wikia.com/wiki/Yoshi%27s_Island_Speedrunning_Wiki (Main source of information, adapted for this wiki)
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