Not too long after the huge success of Super Mario Bros, people were hungering for more Mario adventures. Nintendo responded, and in 1988 fans were treated to a sequel that heavily diverged from the original. Super Mario Bros 2 proved to be different in virtually every conceivable way, but the game was well-received by fans. However, those fans had been deceived, for another game was made, in the fires of Mt. Nintendo.
OK, so that’s a bit dramatic, but it’s also true that Nintendo released another Super Mario Bros 2. This game launched in 1986, so how it could be that two years later, the same game launched again?
The answer is that they are not the same game, and they were released in different markets. The original SMB2 was a continuation of the style and gameplay of SMB1, but it was also much harder (which this meerkat can testify to), and Nintendo of America were concerned this would alienate the North American and European markets. As a result, the Japanese version of SMB2 would not hit western shores until years later, whilst the North American and European markets received a retooled version of an altogether different game. Doki Doki Panic featured all sorts of quirky mechanics, and a completely different world to that of the Mushroom Kingdom, but it proved adaptable enough for Nintendo, and thus an entirely new SMB2 was born.
For me personally, it’s something of an irony that I did eventually beat The Lost Levels (as the Japanese SMB2 is known in the UK), but never beat the supposedly easier version of SMB2! Whilst I certainly enjoyed the very different style and form of what we got in the UK, I was never quite able to overcome it.
Focusing on the US/European release, Super Mario Bros 2 features radically changed mechanics to the original Mario game. Here, Mario can pick up enemies (and also uproot plants), and throw them at other enemies to defeat them. He can also find magic potions that create portal doors, and also other items of potential use. Recurring mini boss fights wait at the end of most stages, in the form of Birdo, who’s eggs can be grabbed and thrown back as weapons. Iconic Mario enemies such as Shyguys made their debut in SMB2, as did Bob-ombs.
The game is certainly vibrant, with a catchy soundtrack, and layers of depth that rather defied the technology of the time. Elements of the game have stayed with Nintendo and the Mario games, such as POW blocks, whilst Birdo went on to appear in some of the Mario Kart games, and the Shyguys even found their way into the 2023 Super Mario Bros movie! It has certainly left a worthy legacy.