Super Mario World Ultimate Mayhem 3 is one of those wild ROM hacks that takes the original game and cranks it up to 11. You still get the classic SMW feel—Yoshi, cape feathers, all that—but the levels? Brutal. Like, "throw-your-controller" brutal at times. The first stage lulls you in with familiar Koopas and question blocks, but by world 2, you're dodging firebars in places they absolutely shouldn't be.

What I love is how it remixes the original assets in ways that feel fresh but not completely alien. That first time you see a Bullet Bill launcher mounted on a moving platform, you just know the creator had a twisted sense of humor. And the secret exits? Good luck finding those without a guide—some are hidden behind layers of fake walls and pixel-perfect jumps.

Definitely not for casual players, but if you've beaten vanilla SMW a dozen times and need that next-level challenge, this one's got teeth. Just maybe keep a stress ball nearby.