Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan)
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Takashi Tezuka
Composer(s)	Kōji Kondō
Series	Mario
Platform(s)	Family Computer Disk System Game Boy Advance Virtual Console
Release date(s)	Family Computer Disk System JP 3 June 1986 NA Cancelled EU Cancelled AUS Cancelled Game Boy Advance JP August 10, 2004 NA Cancelled EU Cancelled AUS Cancelled Virtual Console JP May 1, 2007 NA October 1, 2007 EU September 14, 2007 AUS September 14, 2007
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single player
Media	Family Computer Disk System 128k Disk Card Game Boy Advance 64 megabit cartridge

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, known in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2 (スーパーマリオブラザーズ2^?), is a platformer video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Family Computer Disk System. First released in Japan on June 3, 1986, it is the direct sequel to the second best-selling video game of all time, Super Mario Bros.^[1] Due to the game's high difficulty and similarity to its predecessor, Nintendo of America chose not to release it in the United States.^[2][3] A full remake, entitled Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, was included as part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection for the Super NES.^[4][5] More recently, the original Disk System version was made available as a download (including North America) for the Wii Virtual Console as of 2007.^[3][5] Unlike the 16-bit SNES version, the Virtual Console version is the original Disk System version with all its original subtitles (although like Super Mario Bros., the original game was already entirely in English).

The premise of the game is identical to Super Mario Bros.: King Koopa has abducted Princess Toadstool and is holding her captive in one of his castles. Either Mario or Luigi must navigate through the Mushroom Kingdom, overcome Bowser's henchmen, and rescue the Princess. The game uses the same game engine as its predecessor and is quite similar in visual style; however, the level of difficulty is significantly higher.^[2][3][6] It is intended to challenge players who have mastered the original Super Mario Bros.^[7][8]

Gameplay

In contrast to its predecessor, Super Mario Bros. 2 does not feature a two-player mode. At the start of the game, players are given a selection between Mario or Luigi to control. It is also the first entry of the Mario series in which Mario and Luigi exhibit differing movements:^[2][5] Mario exhibits better traction than his brother, whereas Luigi is more agile and can leap over longer distances.^[9][10] Minor tweaks have been made to the physics engine, allowing Mario or Luigi to bounce higher off the backs of enemies.^[11] Aside from improved sound quality, the background music and sound effects are lifted entirely from the previous game. The various character sprites are (for the most part) also unchanged, though more detail is given to the surrounding backgrounds and terrain.^[3][5]

Super Mario Bros. 2 follows a similar style of level progression as its predecessor: 8 Worlds, having four levels each. At the end of each world, Mario or Luigi navigates through a lava-filled castle, culminating in a battle against Bowser.^[5] The first eight Worlds are numbered 1-8, while the remaining four —earned by completing the game eight consecutive times^[2][11] —are lettered A-D in the original Disk System (and Virtual Console) version.^[9][11] It is still possible to bypass parts of the game by exploiting warp zones, hidden rooms which automatically transport Mario or Luigi to a different World. However, unlike the previous game, two of Super Mario Bros. 2's warp zones lead backwards, thereby depositing unwitting players in Worlds they have already visited.^[3][12] Alternatively, should players complete the game without utilizing warp zones at all, they are instead rerouted to "Fantasy World" (also known as World 9), a repeating bonus stage that is similar to the "Minus World" glitch from Super Mario Bros.^[7][9] World 9 is bizarre compared to other levels and defies both the laws of physics and the conventions of the game (e.g. there is fire underwater, clouds underwater, a Bowser in 9-3, no Bowser in 9-4, and underwater flagpoles).

The game features no new enemies, though many of them behave differently from before. Land-borne enemies such as Goombas, Koopa Troopas, and Lakitus now appear during underwater levels, while sea creatures such as Cheep Cheeps and Bloopers can be found hovering in midair.^[3][12] Hammer Bros. are much more aggressive and will continuously advance towards Mario, far past their starting points. In addition, red Piranha Plants are more aggressive and will emerge from their pipes even if Mario or Luigi are standing directly beside them^[9][4] (in the original Super Mario Bros., Piranha Plants stay dormant if Mario is standing in close proximity). Lastly, in Worlds 8-4 and D-4, Bowser will appear twice inside his castle. The first Bowser is a fake, and is a darker hue of green than his counterpart.^[9][11] This does not happen in any level of the previous game.

The Poison Mushroom, a recurring obstacle in the Mario series, is first introduced in Super Mario Bros. 2 as a booby-trap disguised as a power-up.^[6][10] While similar in shape to a Super Mushroom, the poison variety will harm Mario if he touches it.^[7][12] The resultant damage is similar to being struck by an enemy: if Super Mario touches a Poison Mushroom, he will revert to regular Mario; if regular Mario touches one, the player will lose a life.^[3][5] In the original release, Poison Mushrooms are distinguishable by their brown spots (as opposed to the red spots of a Super Mushroom); in later editions of the game, the mushroom sports a telltale skull marking; and in all editions, Poison Mushrooms have "angry" eyes. Another new obstacle, windstorms, now appears during clifftop levels. The gusts blow intermittently from left to right,^[5] and are strong enough to push Mario or Luigi off a ledge.^[2][4] The direction of the wind is determined by the leaf animations that blow across the screen.^[11] Also introduced are special green springs, which bounce Mario or Luigi extremely high. These are usually used to cross large gaps.

Development

The Lost Levels did not see release outside of Japan until 1993. Nintendo feared the high difficulty of the game would frustrate American audiences.^[6] The president of Nintendo of America, Howard Lincoln, is reported to have disliked the game, believing that it did little to innovate the franchise.^[5][9]

Legacy

Several aspects of The Lost Levels have gone on to become standards in the Mario series. The appearance of the mushrooms, being shorter and wider with eyes, defined their appearance in all subsequent games. The gameplay mechanic of Mario and Luigi having different abilities (i.e. Luigi jumps higher but skids more) was later reused in the Super Mario Advance series of Game Boy Advance remakes. Poison mushrooms have proven to be an enduring aspect of The Lost Levels, appearing in subsequent games such as Super Mario Kart, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Mario Party series, the Super Smash Bros. series and Luigi's Mansion. Even the box art, which features Mario holding up two fingers in a V sign to symbolize the number 2, started a tradition of Mario using the V sign as a "victory" pose in later games.

Re-releases

Super Mario All-Stars

Lost Levels Havoc: Cover of the August 1993 issue of Nintendo Power^[7]

A remake of Super Mario Bros. 2, entitled The Lost Levels, was released in 1993 as part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. In Japan, the game subtitle "For Super Players" was added.^[8] Each game in the collection is given a 16-bit graphical and sound upgrade, as well as a save feature which enables players to restart from any level if all lives are lost, not just the beginning of the World.^[7] In the original, there was no save feature, but one could continue an infinite number of times from the beginning of the World if all lives were lost. Several changes have been made to lower the overall difficulty, such as increasing the starting amount of extra lives from 3 to 5, as well as the aforementioned saved game feature.

Aside from the graphical facelift, several other changes to gameplay have been made as well. There are no longer any prerequisites for entering Worlds A through D; rather, the player can access World A-1 directly after completion of World 8-4. Each of the lettered Worlds behave in a similar fashion to the original Super Mario Bros "Hard Mode" (i.e. all Goombas are replaced with Buzzy Beetles, and enemies generally move faster), but most of the levels are substantially different from Worlds 1-8 (with a few recycled levels, such as C-3 and C-4 taken from the already difficult 7-3 and 7-4 but made still harder). World 9 remains hidden, and players who skip entire worlds using warp zones are disqualified from entering it. For those who do qualify, however, the special greeting has been removed and, unlike the original, Mario (or Luigi) is automatically advanced to World A-1 upon completing it (as opposed to World 9 being a repeating level).

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe

In May 1999, a handheld port of The Lost Levels (under the Japanese title For Super Players) appeared as an unlockable reward in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color.^[13] Similar to the All-Stars remake, this port includes a save feature. Among the many differences between the Super Nintendo and Game Boy Color versions is the exclusion of Worlds 9 and A-D. The overall difficulty has been reduced through various means, including the elimination of strong winds and the shortening of jumps. The physical differences between Mario and Luigi have been removed, allowing them to move in an identical manner, and the graphics are mostly the same as Super Mario Bros.'s, rather than the original graphics of the FDS version.

Famicom Mini

On August 10, 2004, the game was re-released as part of the Game Boy Advance Famicom Mini series. It is a direct port of the original Disk System version and features all levels from the original. It is also the only rerelease that is currently only available in Japan.

Virtual Console

In observance of the 2007 Japanese Hanabi Festival, the original Super Mario Bros. 2 was made available as a download for the Wii's Virtual Console service. The title is priced at the standard 500 Wii Points in Japan and 600 in all other regions.^[14] In Europe and Australia, the game was released for a limited time during the latter half of September. Nintendo of Europe announced that Super Mario Bros. 2 would be retired as a download at the end of the month.^[15][16] Contrary to that statement, however, the game was later reinstated on August 22, 2008.^[17] Essentially an exact copy of the original, there is no save feature, but the Wii does allow this game (and most other Virtual Console games) to be "suspended" (paused indefinitely) in its built-in flash memory even when the power is turned off. Aside from that, there is no other attempt to lower the game's difficulty, or any other significant difference compared to the original.

References

External links

• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels at Virtual Console Reviews
• Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels at the Mario Wiki
• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels at NinDB