Original artwork, not a still
Warp Zone message
Welcome to Warp Zone!
— Super Mario Bros. · 1985
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It marks the moment a first-time player learns the game has secrets worth finding. The skip lets a speedrunner jump from World 1 to World 4 within minutes, so the sentence doubles as a speedrunning landmark. The phrase has since become the general name for any shortcut between game worlds.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Super Mario Bros.Show the scene
The message appears in the original Super Mario Bros. (1985) in the secret areas called Warp Zones. The first, in World 1-2, sits behind the pipe that leads to the flagpole area and offers pipes to Worlds 2, 3 and 4. Two more are in World 4-2: one by the final pipe leads only to World 5, and a second, reached by climbing a beanstalk earlier in the level, offers Worlds 6, 7 and 8. The text sits above the pipes on screen. Super Mario Wiki says the idea of choosing where to go was inspired by the arcade version of Excitebike.
Sources (2)
- Super Mario Wiki: Warp ZoneSuper Mario Bros. sectionReference checked
- Super Mario Wiki: Minus WorldWarp Zone behaviorReference checked
Context reviewed
