# kaizo

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkaɪ.zoʊ/

## Definitions
1. A philosophy of game design distinguished by very high difficulty levels and hidden traps that can only be solved by repeated deaths and trial and error, especially associated with romhacks of Super Mario games.

## Etymology
From Kaizo Mario World, the name of an early set of fan-created levels in this style first released in 2007, where kaizo is from Japanese 改造 (kaizō, “revamp, remodel, modify”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/kaizo