Transmission Zero

Introduction

Whilst the SNES version of the original Super Mario Bros. game allowed saving of progress at the beginning of each world, the NES version didn’t, and had to be played from start to finish in one sitting. This could be an inconvenience, but fortunately there exists three “warp zones” in the game, which allow you to access these worlds very quickly and easily. This article explains how to access all three warp zones in the original Super Mario Bros. game.

Accessing The Warp Zones

As the warp zones are effectively a cheat, they are hidden away in the levels. The first warp zone gives you a choice of world 2, 3, or 4. It can be found at the end of World 1–2 by jumping onto the “up” elevator, jumping off onto the ceiling, and then walking to the right.

The second warp zone can be found near the beginning of World 4–2, immediately after the first “down” elevator, and gives you a choice of world 6, 7, or 8. After the elevator, you’ll see three blocks. First you must jump directly upwards beneath the rightmost block, which will reveal a hidden block. Next, walk to your right, jump on top of the newly revealed block, and smash the two right most blocks. Drop down so that you are immediately below where the middle block was, and jump directly upwards to reveal a second hidden block. Again, walk to your right, jump onto the first hidden block, then the second, and then hit the remaining visible block. This will reveal a beanstalk, which you can climb to access the warp zone. Note that the order of the previous instructions is critical—if you reveal the second hidden block before you smash the two rightmost blocks, you’ll make life very difficult as you leave Mario with a very small gap to squeeze between. For the same reason, it’s best to avoid revealing the third hidden block directly beneath the leftmost block. This is why the preceeding instructions tell you to walk to the right, rather than the left.

The third and final warp zone is also located in World 4–2, and takes you to World 5–1. It can be found at the very end of the level, and is accessed in the same way that the first warp zone is accessed. Around the middle of the level, you’ll find an “up” elevator. Jump onto this, and then jump off onto the ceiling. Continue running to your right, being careful not to fall down the gap where the “down” elevator is (if you do fall down, you won’t be able to get back up). You’ll end up running above the exit pipe from that level, revealing the warp zone.

The following is a YouTube video I have made which shows the warp zones being accessed: