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The Minus World is the popular term for an unbeatable level in Nintendo's 1985 platform game Super Mario Bros.. The player can access the Minus World by performing a glitch in the second level.

Level content

The Minus World is a glitch level hidden within Nintendo's 1985 side-scrolling platform game, Super Mario Bros.. The player can access it through the game's second level, world 1–2. World 1–2 contains a hidden warp zone with pipes that transport the player to worlds 2, 3, and 4, accessed by running over a brick wall near the exit. If the player does not run over the wall, they can use a glitch that allows the player character, Mario, to clip through the bricks and access the warp zone. If the glitch is performed correctly, the pipes that normally lead to worlds 2 or 4 will instead lead to a level referred to "world –1" on the heads-up display.

World –1's level design is identical to that of two other levels in the game, worlds 2–2 and 7–2. It is set underwater, and the player must avoid enemies such as squids and fishes. However, when reaching the pipe that normally sends the player to the end of the level, it transports the player back to the start. This creates a never-ending loop, and the player is trapped until they lose all their lives.

Background and technical information

Unlike other glitches in Super Mario Bros., such as an exploit that rewards infinite lives, the Minus World was not intentionally programmed by the developers. However, game director Shigeru Miyamoto joked that it could be considered a feature because it does not crash the game.