The Masterclass in Pixels: Miyamoto Explains How Mario World 1-1 Was Created
World 1-1. We all know it, right? We've run, jumped, and smashed bricks through that first stage a million times. It seems so simple and like second nature now. But in today's world of endless game updates, it's tough to explain just how big a deal Super Mario Bros. was back then. World 1-1 created game design rules and a perfect way to move that are still considered art today. So, how did they pull off this magic trick?
Before Mario showed up in 1985, the closest we had to a side-scrolling masterpiece were games like Pitfall! and Pac-Land. Pitfall! was okay, but it felt stiff and awkward. You had to flip through screens and solve a puzzle, not really explore a world. Pac-Land looked nice, but the levels were a mess, and the controls were super frustrating.
In comparison, playing Mario felt like exploring a real, living world. Every step revealed new dangers and sights! But to get to that legendary level, it first needed a solid base. That's where World 1-1 truly shines—it teaches you the basics in the most clever way possible.
Believe it or not, Super Mario Bros. isn't nearly as big as it feels. World 1-1 is actually only about 15 screens long, including that secret underground room. It feels so much bigger because the scenery changes every two or three screens, from the open intro to leaping over pipes to platforming over pits. And within that tiny space, you find everything the game has: power-ups, a hidden multi-coin block, pipes you can go down, an invisible 1-Up, two kinds of enemies, and even a secret fireworks display!
But maybe the biggest secret of 1-1 is that it's a school, and the course is Mario 101. In a 2015 interview, creators Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka talked about all the thought that went into the design. It starts with that famous empty plane. The team had to figure out how to teach players a bunch of skills at once: how to avoid enemies, how to beat them, how question blocks work, and how to tell a bad guy (a Goomba) from a helpful mushroom.
They teach you all of this in just the first few steps! Your natural instinct is to run right into that first Goomba, which gets you killed. Oops! But you only need to learn that lesson once to know you're way safer in the air. Then, you find some low bricks and question blocks. Hitting the second block releases a mushroom that slides away, bounces off a pipe, and comes flying back at you. The low ceiling makes it hard to dodge, so the mushroom will naturally hit Mario. But instead of hurting him, it turns him into Super Mario! In just a few seconds, you've learned how both rewards and dangers work for the whole game.
Even small details mattered. The first enemy was supposed to be a Koopa Troopa, but teaching players the jump-and-kick movement didn't work well at the beginning. So, they invented the simple, slow Goomba to help players get the basics down first. Another valuable lesson—how to hold B to run before a long jump—is taught safely by two gaps later in the level.
The level's layout is perfectly tuned for Mario's movement. A skilled player can perform precise jumps, slides, and combinations. The team also cleverly mapped the run and fireball actions to the same button, adding a fun little challenge. Likewise, the need to hold B and then press A to jump made long jumps just slightly harder and way more satisfying.
Then there's the music. The legendary composer Koji Kondo worked right alongside the developers. That famous Mario theme was created and changed over and over again to match the rhythm of the level design.
And all of this magic was achieved with the most limited tools back in 1985. The moving characters are sprites, but most of the world—the ground, platforms, and hills—is made up of tiny 8x8 pixel tiles. It's kind of like building with digital LEGOs. The entire source code for Super Mario Bros. is only 40 kilobytes! Crammed into that space are 32 worlds, eight boss battles, a ton of secrets, and a memorable cast of characters. The design team had to make every single bit count, and that led to clever tricks to save space. Ever notice that the clouds and the bushes are the same, just with different colors? Or that blocks in World 1-2 are just recolored from 1-1?
When you put together the expert-level design, cool visuals, perfect controls, and that iconic music, you get a game that's just way beyond older action games. Super Mario Bros. took levels and made them into worlds: forests, castles, and underwater realms. But none of that would exist without the very first one. You could even argue that video games as we know them wouldn't be a thing if it wasn't for World 1-1. With just a few pixels, Miyamoto and the Nintendo team created a true miracle—and one that's still just as fun to play today as it was 40 years ago.
About the Writer
Jenny, the tech wiz behind Jenny's Online Blog, loves diving deep into the latest technology trends, uncovering hidden gems in the gaming world, and analyzing the newest movies. When she's not glued to her screen, you might find her tinkering with gadgets or obsessing over the latest sci-fi release.What do you think of this blog? Write down at the COMMENT section below.
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