Mario has been a tent-pole game character for Nintendo for decades. While many players are still getting to grips with, or trying to perfect, the controls for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, others are rediscovering classic Mario.
By getting a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, you gain access to the console’s array of classic titles that originally launched on the NES and SNES – including early Mario games.
Among these is the superb Super Mario World: a game that you boot up, enter, and are then immediately in peril – without any controls guidance (especially if you start by going left).
It’s a brutal game from the start, so getting to grips with the controls early on can save you a lot of frustration.
So, here are the Nintendo Switch controls for Super Mario World that you need to know.
Super Mario World controls on Nintendo Switch
Many of the controls for Super Mario World on the Switch are similar to those on the original SNES game, but if you can’t remember those controls, the game won’t offer you much help.
Below, we’ve included the actions, buttons, and a brief description of each of the Nintendo Switch Super Mario World controls.
In this guide, the buttons Left, Up, Right, and Down refer to the buttons on the direction pad (d-pad), L and R refer to the analogue sticks.
| Action | Switch Button | Description |
| Walk | L (left or right) / Left or Right | You can use the left analogue or the d-pad for movement controls in Super Mario World on Switch. |
| Run | Walk + X or Y (hold) | While moving in either direction, hold X or Y to start running. |
| Jump | B | Tap B to perform a quick jump. Use jumps to defeat most enemies by landing on their heads. |
| Higher Jump | B (hold) | If you hold B, your character (Mario, Luigi, or Yoshi) will jump higher. |
| Jump Further | Move + X or Y + B (hold) | If you run and jump, you’ll jump further in Super Mario World. |
| Spin Jump | A | The spin jump vaults you upwards and performs an attack. It can smash some bricks (above or below you) and defeat enemies that you can’t damage with a basic jump. |
| Pick-Up Item | Move + X or Y | To pick-up an item (like a shell) you’ll need to walk towards it while holding down X or Y. To throw the item, release the held button. To throw it upwards, look up and then release the held button. To place the item down, hold down and then release the held button. |
| Pick-Up Enemy | Move + X or Y | You can flip or incapacitate some enemies in Super Mario World. They can then be picked-up using the controls above. Be careful, though, as they will recover and deliver a hit. |
| Look Up | L (upwards) / Up (hold) | When you hold an item, if you want to throw it upwards, you’ll need to look up first. |
| Duck | L (downwards) / Down (hold) | Press and hold the d-pad down or the left analogue down to duck. |
| Descend Pipe | L (downwards) / Down (hold) | To go down a pipe, if it allows as such, simply jump onto the top of it and either press down on the d-pad or pull down the left analogue. |
| Open Door | L (upwards) / Up (hold) | To open a door in the Switch version of Super Mario World, move in front of it and then press up. |
| Use Stored Item | – | You’ll see a blue box at the top of the screen. When there’s an item within the box, you can press the – button to let that extra item out. |
| Climb | L (upwards) / Up (hold) | Align yourself with the rope or vine and then move upwards with the left analogue or d-pad to ascend. |
| Stop Climbing | B | Press B to jump off of a climbing wall or rope. |
| Climbing Interact | Y | When confronted with a door while climbing, press Y to flip the door to move to the other side of the climbing wall. |
| Climbing Attack | Y | Press Y to take out an enemy. Or, you can climb across the enemy’s head to defeat them on the climb. |
| Flying (Launch) | Move + X or Y + B | To fly (when you have a cape on), run and then press B to jump into the air. Hold B to get a better launch, but release while flying. |
| Flying (Glide Controls) | L (left or right) / Left or Right | You can slow and pull-up while flying by pulling the analogue in the opposite direction to your momentum or speed up your ascent by pushing it in the same direction. By speeding up going down at speed and then pulling up, you can gain height and glide. |
| Mount Yoshi | B | To mount a Yoshi, just jump on with the B button. |
| Dismount Yoshi | A | To dismount a Yoshi in Super Mario World on Switch, press the spin attack button (A). |
| Double Jump (Super Jump) | B, A | Performing a double jump or a super jump requires you to jump while riding Yoshi and then dismount, making you jump once and then again off of the Yoshi. |
| Run as Yoshi | Walk + X or Y (hold) | As when playing as Mario or Luigi, move in the direction of choice and hold X or Y. Yoshi will perform a quick tongue attack but will then run. |
| Eat Berries | L (left or right) / Left or Right | While riding a Yoshi, to eat a berry, you just have to walk into it – doing so will give you a coin. |
| Use Yoshi’s Tongue | Y or X | Press Y or X to propel Yoshi’s lengthy tongue. This works as an attack, with Yoshi eating most enemies that walk its way. |
| Use Yoshi’s Held Item | Y or X | Sometimes when Yoshi eats something, like a shell, it will store it in its mouth. To fire, press Y or X. |
| Consume Yoshi’s Held Item | L (downwards) / Down (hold) | With an item in its mouth, hold down to make Yoshi duck. Keep holding down, and Yoshi will eventually consume the held item. |
| Pause | + | To pause Super Mario World on the Switch press the + button. Nothing will come up, but everything will freeze. Resume the game by pressing + again. |
| Pause Menu | ZL + ZR | To pause Super Mario World and see the game menu, press ZL and ZR at the same time. |
| Suspend Game | ZL + ZR (hold) | Hold ZL and ZR at the same time to suspend the game and be able to rewind back to moments before. Do this quickly after you die to have another shot without losing a life. |
Those are the controls that you’ll want to keep in mind while playing the SNES Super Mario World on the Nintendo Switch.
How to save SNES Super Mario World on the Switch
In the SNES Super Mario World game on the Nintendo Switch, you can save the game while you’re in the middle of a level to create a mid-level point for you to return to later.
All you have to do is open the Suspend Menu (tap ZL and ZR at the same time), and then select ‘Create Suspend Point’.
To return to that point, from any point after you load Super Mario World from the SNES selection, just open the Suspend Menu again, select ‘Load Suspend Point,’ and then the save point of your choice.
