YMMV / Super Mario Bros. 35

• Abridged Arena Array: Due to the nature of the level queue^note (each player selects a level, then those levels are placed in a playlist every player goes through, from the lowest-level player's pick to highest), there are a few courses you're going to be seeing a lot of:
  • World 1-1, of course, is the most common by far, simply due to everyone having it unlocked from the beginning, meaning both newbies who haven't unlocked anything else and players who are just picking the default (perhaps because they've given up figuring out what their selection means) will be contributing several copies.
  • World 1-2 is an easily farmable level containing several powerups, a Star, and a Warp Zone, and it will be picked frequently by players hoping to go through it over and over. It also is an extremely common second level because the queue will avoid adding the same level twice in a row (unless the first level is also the 35th), so it is also often picked by low-level accounts or the game using it as a substitute for 1-1s.
• Breather Level:
  • The underwater levels. As most enemies walk on the ground, players can simply swim over them. However, some enemies like Hammer Bros. might be a bit harder to go through, as they chase after you.
  • Seeing 1-1, 1-2, and other levels you're comfortable with definitely qualify as this after going through a painfully difficult Castle level. 1-1 and 1-2 let you farm any coins you need along with having a good flow of powerups (including Stars which you can use to mow through enemies easily). With the right tools, even threats such as Hammer Bros and Bowser himself can be defeated with no problem here where you can send them to other people who might be going through a troublesome level and get an easy kill through doing so.
  • 3-2 and 5-1 are very flat levels with little in the way of platforming obstacles. Because of this, kicked shells or Stars can easily rack up a very large amount of time since the enemies (save Lakitu) are all on the same height of the level as you.
• Demonic Spiders:
  • Bowsers naturally are a big hazard since they can appear in small corridors, forcing you to either defeat them or suffer damage. They will also chase and shoot fire at you if you advance past them. Their fire breath can get you off guard as it can travel vertically way higher or lower in a non-castle level.
  • Lakitus as per usual can be a nightmare, especially if the level does not have platforms high enough to knock them out. Naturally, the Spinies they spawn are also a huge pain if you don't have a means to defeat them. Making matters worse, unlike in the original game, Lakitu won't retreat when you approach the flagpole, making it nearly always stick around until you defeat it^note (the only ways to get rid of a Lakitu without defeating it are to enter a pipe, climb a vine, or wait for it to leave after a pre-set amount of time) - sending it to another player, who can send it back... If several players are using the "Attackers" target option, a single Lakitu can very quickly multiply into a screen-filling horde.
  • Hammer Bros once again are frustrating to deal with as they can spawn in very inconvenient locations such as the stairs just prior to the level goal or small platforms and require good timing or luck to get past. They'll relentlessly chase after you should you pass them.
• Difficulty Spike: The community has discovered that the course queue is not just weighted by where a course appears in the original game, but also by the level of the accounts in the match (i.e. courses selected by lower-level accounts appear tend to appear earlier in the match). Cue players making alternate accounts and exploiting the course select glitch (see Good Bad Bugs below) to send That One Level abnormally early in the match, especially if it's 8-4.
• Game-Breaker: Having a Fire Flower and/or Star is generally the easiest way to roll in this one due to being able to easily mow down enemies and collect a lot of time. Just be careful not to lose your powerup during a crucial spot. This is in a game where Fire Flowers are generally sparse during the later scale of the original game.
• Goddamned Bats:
  • Cheep Cheeps spawned in on levels they don't naturally appear in can catch a player off guard since their movements are random. They also have the annoying habit of changing enemy trajectories if they collide with other minions which can throw off your timing. Thankfully they do not reappear when they fall off the screen.
  • Piranha Plants that are sent from other players can be extremely annoying if placed at the edge of a platform above you or in a tight hallway. If you lack a fire flower and don't have an item box available to use, you may have to take a hit.
  • Bloopers can fly erratically above ground. Good thing they can be stomped on in this state.
  • Paratroopas can be a nuisance as the green ones will bounce around, making them difficult to jump on or hit with a fireball. The red ones fly up and down in a single spot, becoming tricky to deal with if they spawn on a ledge above you or in a narrow hallway. Furthermore, there are unique green Paratroopas spawned in 7-3 that quickly fly back and forth in a horizontal trajectory which can create problems if you try to jump on or avoid them.
  • Podoboos/Lava Bubbles are rarely sent to other players^note (they can only be defeated with a Super Star, POW Block, Koopa shell, or the level clear, all of which are non-trivial to accomplish), but can catch unaware players off guard since they can jump out of the ground at any spot. They also don't go away when they fall off the screen, unlike Cheep Cheeps.
• Good Bad Bugs:
  • Prior to version 1.0.2, it was possible to choose levels that weren’t unlocked yet by pressing A and Down at the same time on the level select screen.
  • If the player is Small Mario and somehow manages to draw a Mushroom or Fire Flower from the roulette box in the very same frame that an enemy strikes them, the transform animation/sound effect will play at the same time as the lose-a-life music, and when the former is complete, Mario will jump off the screen in whichever position he ended up in (rather than his usual lose-a-life sprite) afterward.
• Most Wonderful Sound: The punching sound when a player who isn't you is KO'ed can count, while the additional "Phweee!" that plays along with it when you KO an opponent is certain to bring a smile to your face.
• That One Level:
  • 2-3 and 7-3 (which is the same level but with some Koopa Troopas and extra Cheep Cheeps) are already considered tricky at best due to focusing on outrunning the Cheep Cheeps and hoping not to get hit by one on the last platform segment, but now, also include the non-native enemies sent by other opponents, including Piranha Plants, Hammer Bros and possibly even Bowser himself. Better hope you have 20 coins with you to bank on getting a Star, which makes it a Luck-Based Mission as well.
  • 4-4 and 7-4, already painful for being looping mazes, are even worse in this game due to the enemy onslaught potentially blocking the hallways you need to pass or causing you to go down the wrong path. The lack of native powerups and coins makes them even worse.
  • 8-2 is horribly painful, not only for the variety of enemies and potential pitfalls, but for the huge jump right after a pipe with only a few blocks to get a running start from.

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