VG Advanced Strategies: Super Mario Bros.

This Saturday is a VG Advanced Strategy segment, featuring the game that probably saved the video game industry: Super Mario Bros.

With perfect jumping and use of all the warp pipes, the original Super Mario Bros can be beaten in five minutes. While most of us can’t hit that five minute plateau, we still can use the warp pipes to get to World 8 as fast as possible. Most of my readers probably know where are the warp pipes are in Super Mario Bros but, if you need a refresher, look at the strategies described below.

World 1-2 has the first set of warp pipes available to you. By staying above the level you can bypass the normal exit of the level and choose to warp to world 2, 3 or 4. If you are Super Mario (big Mario), you can break the brick ceiling as early as the picture shows above and just coast along to the warp pipes.

Those goombas are clueless that a fat plumber is right above them.

The pipe in the middle of the screen would lead you to 1-3. But Mario is too clever to continue on the normal path.

Oh! So many pipes to choose from! Warp Zone is so friendly to Mario. Choose the pipe that leads to World 4 if you are trying to beat the game as fast as possible.

The next opportunity you have to warp is World 4-2. The screenshot above shows where the secret is and it occurs very early in the level immediately after the first moving platform. The left-most brick block is the one you have to hit, as that will spawn a vine.

Don’t just jump after the block though! If you do, the vine block will be impossible to hit as Super Mario.

Instead, hit the two secret blocks to the right of it and run and jump to hit the vine block. Then just climb the vine to head towards the next warp zone.

Wow, now the pipes are orange. How fancy. Enter the warp pipe to World 8, which is the last world of the game. Go kick some Bowser butt and get some Princess Toadstool butt of your own!

There is one more warp pipe I want to show you, however. And that is the secret entrance into the “Minus World.” Note that this trick only works in the NES version of the game. It won’t work in Super Mario All-Stars or Super Mario Bros. DX.

The trick occurs in World 1-2 and you must be Super Mario or Fire Mario. Stand on top of the pipe that would lead you to World 1-3 and the end of the level. Then break the second brick block from the right as shown in the picture above.

Now this is the tricky part. Start off by facing towards the left. Then, you need to duck and jump upwards into the space you created. While in mid-air, you then need to press right on the control pad so that you hit the left side of the brick block that is next to the green pipe. You must also make sure that you don’t let go of holding down on the control pad or else Mario will stand upright and possibly break the right most block making this trick impossible. You know you did the trick correctly though, if you see Mario stuck in the blocks being forced to the right, towards the warp zone.

When Mario pops out of the side of the wall, you’ll see the pipes that should be the warp zone pipes. Oddly enough though, the pipes won’t be numbered. Be sure not to make the screen scroll too far to the right though, because if you do, it’ll turn back into the normal warp zone area where the pipes lead to Worlds 2, 3, or 4. The pipes above though will lead you worlds -1, 5 or -1, from the left to right pipes.

Yes, you will go world -1, commonly known as the minus world. This underwater level isn’t very complicated, just some fish and bloopers will get in your way. However, when you get to the pipe at the end of this level and walk through it, the level will just restart and will do so every time you go through the pipe. Congratulations, you have just broke the game and now you cannot beat it since Mario is in the minus world. No Princess Toadstool butt for you. How sad.

So now you know where the warp pipes are in Super Mario Bros. And, now you can choose if you want to save the princess as fast as possible or if you want to get lost in the minus world. Fun times.