Lost ‘Minus World’ in Super Mario Bros. Finally Discovered After 40 Years
▼ Summary
– A new Minus World glitch was recently discovered in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels after nearly 40 years by speedrunner Kosmic.
– This glitch is found in the All-Stars collection version and involves navigating through increasingly glitched worlds and levels.
– Players must save, quit, and reload to bypass impassable glitches and access different level layouts to progress.
– The discovery was difficult due to the complexity of the glitch and lower player interest in the game’s advanced stages.
– Kosmic’s video demonstrates the process, showing how to reach glitched menu options and the Minus World.
For decades, gamers have whispered about the legendary “Minus World” glitch in the original Super Mario Bros., an endlessly repeating underwater stage accessed through a secret in World 1-2. Now, in a stunning development, a dedicated speedrunner has uncovered a similar hidden glitch world within its direct sequel, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, a discovery that eluded players for nearly forty years.
This newly found Minus World exists in both the Japanese and Western versions of The Lost Levels, the game originally released as Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan. The title is famously packed with strange glitches that can alter level names, create looping screens, or modify enemy behavior. However, the specific sequence to unlock its own Minus World remained hidden until speedrunner Kosmic pieced together the incredibly complex steps required.
The path to this secret is not for the faint of heart. It involves navigating through a series of progressively more corrupted levels within the Super Nintendo All-Stars compilation version of the game. Kosmic’s journey began when he found World B-7 impossible to complete. By saving, quitting, and reloading his game, he was returned to a completely altered level layout, which allowed him to bypass what were previously insurmountable glitches and obstacles.
Persistence led him to a specific warped pipe in World B-9, notable for having part of a coin visible above it. Entering this pipe did not lead to a new area but instead sent him back to the beginning of World 1-1. Undeterred, he pressed on, advancing through a cascade of glitched worlds until he finally reached the mysterious World B-D and encountered a series of corrupted menu options.
The process is so visually chaotic and intricate that it is far easier to witness than to describe. Kosmic’s own video documentation provides the clearest view into just how bizarre and unpredictable these game-breaking glitches can become.
So why did it take four decades for this secret to be found? According to Kosmic, the extreme difficulty of the process is a primary factor. He also speculates that because this glitch requires significant in-game progress to even attempt, and because The Lost Levels was played by a smaller, more dedicated audience, there was simply less widespread interest in hunting for its deepest secrets.
This remarkable find demonstrates that even the most analyzed classic games can still hold surprises. It’s a testament to the patience and skill of dedicated players that such a significant piece of gaming history has finally been brought to light after all this time.
(Source: Nintendo Life)