Super Mario Bros – World 4-2

• Level type: Underground
• Time limit: 400

Speedrunners spend more time in 4-2 than in any other level, and the reason is a vine. Early in the stage, above the second row of bricks, one block hides a beanstalk. Hit it from below, climb, and you come out on a surface section full of coins that ends in a second Warp Zone. Its pipes lead to worlds 6, 7 and 8, which turns a 32-level game into a 10-level one.

Miss the vine and the level is still worth playing: a long underground run with several pits, Buzzy Beetles that fireballs cannot hurt, and the regular exit through the ceiling on the far right. That exit has its own smaller Warp Zone with a single pipe to world 5.

The timer starts at 400 seconds. Finding the hidden block usually costs a few attempts, so do not waste time on coins in the first half.

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