Super Mario World Ultimate Mayhem 2.5 is one of those wild ROM hacks that takes the original game and cranks it up to eleven. The levels are brutal—like, "throw-your-controller" brutal—but in that satisfying way where you actually want to keep trying. They remixed the music too, so even familiar tunes hit different.

First thing you’ll notice? The difficulty spike. Normal SMW feels like a warm-up compared to this. Hidden blocks everywhere, precision jumps that’ll test your patience, and enemies placed just to mess with you. But when you finally nail a tough section, it’s pure relief.

If you’ve played the original to death and need something fresh (and punishing), this is the hack for you. Just maybe keep a stress ball nearby.