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I had a great time with this one. There's a lot of variety, and while there aren't all that many custom tilesets, there is a TON of custom music; I'm not sure any of them are ever repeated. There are some neat references to other games, as well as a lot of original ideas. Some stages have some clever gimmicks, like Think Before U Spin. Others are oozing with dark, surreal atmosphere, like Level-4 and the beginning of Dead Fort. If that's not enough, the fire flower was replaced with a power-up to turn you into Bullet Bill Mario; that alone might be worth the price of admission. There are a few of those obnoxious speed courses with short timers, but they aren't too demanding overall. It is a long hack, but if you have the time for it, it's a worthy adventure.

As someone who really liked Super Mario World: The Lost Adventure 3, I thought it'd only be right if I checked out Isaix's previous work. After all, while the technology got better, it's not like the level design should be at least somewhat as good, right? I mean, it's the same author, the storyline, the same sort of ideas...

What could possibly going wrong?

Well the sad answer here is: everything

Because unfortunately for me, it turns out Super Mario World the Lost Adventure 1 doesn't hold a candle to its successors, nor to any Mario ROM hacks made after the early 00s or so.

Part of this is because the level design (which was linear yet enjoyable in later games) is outright tedious in this one, with levels following the 'YouTube school' of game design. Aka, put as many twisty paths and repeated obstacles in as possible to pad out playtime.

And this only gets more obvious as the title progresses. For instance, there's a level in the 'Heaven' world which is supposed to represent a light palace of some kind. That's not a bad idea, and in the right hands it could have been one of the best levels in the entire game.

Unfortunately, that's not the case here. Instead, you've got a super long, incredibly tedious slog of a stage with minimal areas, annoying jumps and sections that feel like they're straight out of an AzureBlade49 or ProtonJon LP. It's a great example of the level 'atmosphere' being prioritised over whether it's actually fun to play, and suffers greatly as a result.

What's worse, almost every castle level (and many non castle levels) feel exactly like this. You go into a long room, dodge a bunch of bland obstacles, climb a few steps up and go straight back the way you came past another group of boring obstacles. It means every level feels like you're running through an S Shaped series of areas that goes on forever.

But the level design's tediousness isn't the only issue here.

Nope, the level difficulty feels all off as well. That's because regardless of where you are in the game, all levels seem to come down to one of two patterns:

1. A really easy yet ridiculously long series of obstacles designed merely to slow you down.

2. Or numerous annoying one block jumps that are incredibly easy to mess up on. This is especially notable in the Elec Man Factory level, which for some reason is almost entirely made of single block jumps. It's just stupid, and shows a complete lack of imagination when it comes to level design here.

Which in turn is made worse by the fact Isaix didn't really use any of the custom resources he promised in the description here. Yes, there's a fight with Bowser Jr in the last world, and you do race Runman in another castle...

But that's basically it. The game is almost entirely lacking in custom sprites and blocks, despite being both created in an era where they were plentiful and sorely needing them for the fancier levels involved.

What's more, it feels like those custom elements he did throw in there (like the aforementioned bosses, and a certain hammer power up) weren't placed in levels in the design stage, but because he suddenly realised how Sprite Tool worked and decided to stick a few custom sprites in to liven things up. This means that said levels don't really lead up to said bosses in any noticeable way, nor do levels with other custom sprites seem to integrate them into the level design.

And that's also true of the aesthetics too. Occasionally, you'll get a level with a custom background, and even more rarely a custom foreground to go with it. But they're few and far between, and feel like they were designed as 'vanilla' stages first and made more 'chocolate like' at a later date.

The end result is a game whose visuals clash rather badly, and seem like a random jumble of neat things the author found on SMW Central.

This is also equally true of the music as well. That's because why custom graphics and sprites are rare as hell, custom music isn't and has been added into every level you come across. However, it's not used appropriately at all.

In fact, it's used seemingly for no reason other than the song sounded cool at some point and the author wanted to use it. Like how the final level manages to include a Final Fantasy theme, Rambi Rumble and Crocodile Cacophony and numerous vanilla songs in a single stage. They don't lead into one another in a logical way, they just feel throw in, to the point every room seems like a completely detached entity.

It's genuinely disappointing, and just continues the 'random assortment of ideas and custom stuff' feel the rest of the game has going for it.

As for replay value, there is none. This game offers nothing to return to, since it's an entirely linear experience with no secret exits outside of those leading to the switch palaces. So once you're done with the game, you're truly done with it. There's no reason to come back, and hey you wouldn't even want to given how much better the sequels are.

So in conclusion, Super Mario World The Lost Adventure Part 1 is a disappointment of a game, and one that really does feel outdated compared to its later sequels. Unless you're desperate to see how this series started, avoid this one at all costs.

It's just not worth it.

Overall this hack is a great one with fun from beginning to end. Lots and lots and lots of LOVELY MUSICS and pretty easy levels, there´s few changed graphics, but most of it are original.

There´s also a Bullet power-up, which is Awesome and OP. Pretty fun to play with that´s for sure.

Without a doubt, the best thing in this hack is the awesome musics and fun levels. the best musics of the hack are the ones from Rocky Mountains, Boo´s home, Dead Fort, Vine Castle, etc, etc, etc. Man, so awesome. But there´s more cool ones as well.

The levels are fun, with a pretty easy difficult (which is how every hack should be,SUCK OUT THAT CHEAP HACK´S AUTHORS) and some very well done sections and themes. It a simple level design and creative at the same time. Not as simple as Big boo´s revenge fortunately.

Few creative levels that surprises me were the time limit levels (great musics out there too, very frantic), that one level were you starts right at the pole, but is blocked, so you go left, reach the door and lets you to a chamber to get the 'P' button, and then you´ll have to go backwards with the button to reach the pole again, but now with enemies around and music changing. Very creative that.The scrolling levels where cool as well. One that surprises me was in that vine castle, where after exiting the castle, you get out to the plains, and in front of you, you see lots of .... LUIGI´S attacking you. There´s more and more creative stuff, but I can´t remember it.

I read one of the bad reviews that says in one part something like exiting one stage and starting in another stage that not combine with it. That part moved me. And seriously, THAT´S NOT AN ARGUMENT TO BREAK A GOOD GAME, and I´ll say why. A player that want to play a hack doesn´t care about sense, or minimal glitchy graphics. What turns a hack new and good is the fun that it haves and, for expensive hacks, the customized stuff that the author puts on it. A hack is to give something new on the game and for the player, that is what turns then popular. AND, AND I MEAN IT, most original games doesn´t respect the ´sense` that it supposed to be. In Megaman, after beating a fortress stage, the map shows the course continuing where he stops, and instead of keep moving forward in the boss chamber to continue, he teleports to a different stage. In Sonic, after exiting a casino stage, where he appears? In hills with lava. SENSE? OF COURSE NOT. So that argument is not valid.

Anyway, newcomers will love this one. Is easy, somehow "new", the switch palaces are not that hide at all and you can learn everything about the game with it while have a first customized game experience. Before I play it I sucked at Mario games. I learned how to play the game while playing this one.

Even being more "Primitive" than the other 2 episodes (they have lots and lots of more creative customization in comparison), it´s still a pretty fun hack.

(Note: This Review is for Version 1.1. Also, for those who have not played this Hack before, be wary of Spoilers.)

First off, I found this Hack to be very Well Done. I will try to be as Descriptive as I can, but don't expect much.

Level Design: 7/10 I really Enjoyed the Levels. They were very Creative and provided a Good Challenge (at least, for me). I even Laughed at the Fact the Fire Level in World 6 said you can't save, yet I could use Save-states & Rewinds, if Necessary. But why is Level Design a 7 and not 10? Level Design lost Three Points because I was not fond of the Extremely Easy Switch Palaces, the "Race Against the Clock" Levels, and the Levels where you were forced to take a Hit to Progress. The Switch Palaces were Disappointing, the "Race Against the Clock" Levels were Brutally Hard, and being Forced to Take a Hit to Progress was Extremely Annoying. Other than that, Though, I found the Levels to be very Solidly Built.

Overworld/Sub-World Design: 10/10 The Overworld & Sub-Worlds (Worlds 1, 3, 5, 7, Lost World, Heaven), in my Opinion, were Solidly Built. Lots of Twisty, Turny Paths (which I like a Lot), and Lots of Pipes and such to send you to the Next Area (I was Totally Surprised when I got to the Lost World for the First Time).

Graphics/ExGraphics: 10/10 The Graphics/ExGraphics in this Hack are Phenomenal, in my Opinion. Having a Graveyard Background in World 2, a Fire & Ice Land Background in World 6, and even Retro Backgrounds in the Lost World. This Hack's Creator did an Extraordinary Job with the GFX/ExGFX.

Sprites: 10/10 The Sprites were very Fun & some were Rather Silly. I'm sorry, but Kirby as a Boss...that made me LOL. Anyways, Silliness Aside, the Sprites were Great. Fighting Birdo in World 6, Fighting Retro Enemies in the Lost World, Racing a Star in Heaven, and even Fighting Bowser Junior in Hell. I really had Fun with this. Excellent Job.

Music Choice: 9/10 The Music, for the Most Part, were well Placed in this Hack & Fit the Theme of the Level. I was very Happy to hear the Final Fantasy IV Baron Theme & the Final Fantasy X Opening. It really fit the Themes of Auto-scrolling & Sad Areas. But why is Music Choice a 9 and not 10? Music Choice lost One Point because while the Music was Great, I didn't say Perfect. I said, "For the Most Part." There were a Couple of Levels where the Music did not Fit (i.e, the Final Fantasy VII Jenova Theme in the Ghost House). I'm sorry, but Ghost Houses are supposed to be anywhere from Saddening to Spooky, and the Jenova Theme doesn't Provide it.

Final Score: 46/50 (92% Good Hack) Overall, despite the 4 Lost Marks, this Hack is a Blast & I would Definitely Recommend it for anyone who is new to SMW & SMW Hacking. I Guarantee that you will get a Fair Bit of Enjoyment from The Lost Adventure Episode 1.

I may be a little late here, but this was a great hack. The levels were unique and new, challenging but not impossible. I read some of the bad reviews and wonder if they played the same game as me.

Okay... Honestly, I'm quite shocked at how ridiculously overrated this hack is. It was nowhere near excellent; it might've only been half-decent, but nothing else.

Where do I even begin? I suppose I'll leave level design for last.

Firstly, what I found really worrying is that literally everything felt slapped onto the hack without any coherence. I mean, the graphics, the music and the powerups were put into the hack like the author found them and went "hey this graphic/boss/song looks/seems/sounds freaking cool I SHOULD TOTALLY USE IT IN MY HACK!" and was simply squeezed into it literally for the sake of having something "AWESOME!!". I mean, one level was a regular forest and the next level started with an 8-bit metroid-styled level. Seriously, what? Please, you should know a good hack isn't defined by how much custom stuff it has, but how well planned, fun and cleverly used are all your resources. To make it even worse, the next sublevel continued as a completely regular SMW level. One thing is having no coherence between levels, and other thing is having no coherence of themes among the same single level; starting with a fire cavern then continuing with a sky level then go to an underwater level and ending in space is NOT GOOD, and will often confuse the player.

The overworld... The first submap was...decent, but it had some issues with the palettes, especially on the ladder. Most of the main overworld had serious cutoff and was really bland. Plus, it really felt like a blatant edit of the original. Just, try to vary the terrain but be sure to start from scratch.

Now onto the main and biggest issue: the level design. To put it simple: NOT FUN.

The first level was obviously an edit of level 105. But that's not all: it couldn't have been more repetitive. The whole level, the whole level consisted of bland terrain, a couple of slopes and it literally had only bob-ombs as an enemy.

About 85% of all the levels I played (yes, I stopped playing after waiting for something decent and fun to appear but that never happened) were extremely repetitive. Try something else besides copy-paste. Most of the enemies were seriously annoyingly placed and there were forced hits in some levels. There was cutoff everywhere, and lots of sprites were glitched (the bullet powerup glitches up in castles). I'll admit it here, you had some very interesting ideas, but the way you pulled them out was all over the place and therefore made it something annoying to deal with rather that something I could enjoy having to play through.

What was very wrong was how you chose the music and graphics for the level. Most of the time the music never fitted at all with the level's atmosphere. I mean, Forest Interlude-a calm and relaxing song- in a cemetery? SMB Metal-an incredibly fast-paced song- for grassland? What? The graphics weren't great either. Most of the time you had amazingly detailed backgrounds mixed with SMW's simple and cartoony graphics. NOT GOOD.

Overall, I seriously wonder if there was any planning made into this hack. The custom stuff was literally slapped onto the hack for the heck of it, and the levels were repetitive and unfair. You really need to learn some fundaments so you can make something that is at least appealing. I'm sorry, but this hack was NOT FUN, and it's definitely nowhere near being called the best hack ever, like some people around here say; it's just a regular beginner's work.

Yes people, I don't understand at all why you are rating this so high. You have some amazing hacks hosted here yet you praise this one like if there was something special about it; there isn't.

2/10, only because you know how to insert custom stuff.

I'm very sorry, but this hack doesn't live up to normal SMW hacking standards. I am a user of Snes9x, and this hack crashes after the 2nd level, all while sending the music through a wood chipper. 9x users should download ZSNES if they want to properly play this game. This is really unacceptable, seeing that Addmusic 4.05 and AddmusicM are both great choices that make sure that the music is not broken, and they have been used for years by this point.

The gameplay fares no better, with the majority of it being flat and uninviting. While the creator uses slopes, they tend to be for major things and remain untouched for the little areas. Sprite placement seems contrived, clearly the creator slapped down several sprites and called it a day.

The graphical glitches were there, though they tended to be minor. The most major of these was Yoshi, who spit Bullet Bills (wrong palette also) and then crashed the music (in 9x), which later crashed the game. After moving to ZSNES, I noticed a lot of corner tiles messed up. These are easy to fix, if the corner is in front of dirt, put dirt under it. If not, avoid putting dirt under it. Also, Mario's Bullet Bill suit shot garbage in the first castle.

Also, a minor thing, the large pipe slopes were unblocked, and I could easily find myself inside the pipe.

Overall, this hack is somewhat bad-looking, not fun to play and crashes in major emulators. The creator needs to spend more time on this.

translation by Google Very good, the best Super Mario game I've ever seen. I played until the end has very good levels better than the original game gave 83 level

simply the best simply the best simply the best

This hack was a pure delight to play. From the variety of awesome music, to the custom battles, you created a game that can truly be enjoyed by all. Most hacks are so ridiculously hard that it takes away from the actual fun of playing and enjoying the game. The difficulty was perfect for this game. The only negative thing I have to say is that I found a few typos on the scenes after you beat the castles. For a list of the typos I found, you can email me at [email protected] anytime. Anyways, great job on the hack and I look forward to more releases from you in the future!

I'd like to say that this is a very polished and well done hack, and the difficultly curve is some what normal. My only real problem was the levels were you have to race against the clock, but other than that I loved the rest of the game.

The music and the graphics were well done and they all fit pretty well, and I enjoyed the new power-up.

One thing I didn't understand though was why all the switch palaces were so easy to get to, but that really isn't a problem, I was just wondering.

Also you can play through pretty much all of the game without savestates, because for one it lets you save after every level, and the only really difficult sections are either the race against time parts, or the level were you can only spin jump through half the level.

Over all it was an enjoyable hack that I recommend to anyone who is even just o.k. at SMW.

Im gonna keep this short and sweet. This is a straight up fun game. It's not just another Mario hack. Cool music from other games of the time, and some cool concepts for some of the levels. Obstacle course comes to mind as one of these levels. Give it a shot!