This game came with my hand-me-down DMG I got for my birthday back in 2001. Thankfully I never made it to the final level back then, pretty sure I would've tossed the game out the window after losing 50+ lives. Looking for what I should play next, recommendations welcome :)
To add to that, I think this may have been the game that started that trend. There was always a difficulty ramp, but the sudden spike level came later in the series. Any Mario platformer these days has a crazy difficulty spike near the end.
I mean, New Super Mario Bros. 2 had an entire DLC called "impossible levels." And don't get me started on The Final-Final Challenge in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Wonder as a whole is way easier than most mainline Mario games though. It's only the secret world that poses any challenge.
Sure. That's a bit beside the point, though. I was referring to these games based on the hardest levels in them.