Super Mario World - Archipelago of Truth is one of those wild ROM hacks that takes the classic SMW formula and twists it into something fresh. You start off in a familiar-looking overworld, but things get weird fast—new level layouts, tougher enemies, and some seriously creative power-ups. The first time I played, I got wrecked by a Hammer Bro in the second level because I wasn’t expecting the difficulty spike.

It’s not just harder, though. The level design feels more experimental, like the devs were playing around with ideas Nintendo never tried. There’s this one stage where you ride a moving platform through a maze of Piranha Plants, and it’s equal parts frustrating and satisfying when you finally nail the timing. If you’ve burned through vanilla SMW too many times, this’ll give you a reason to dust off your SNES (or emulator).

Just be ready for some jank—it’s a beta, after all. Some hitboxes feel off, and there’s the occasional graphical glitch. But if you can roll with that, it’s a solid twist on a classic.