Retro Redux: Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario Bros. 2 is the first game in the series that has really caused a large amount of debate in the community. It’s one of those games that you either really like, or really don’t like. I, personally, happen to fall in the camp of those that don’t like the game. Before I talk about that, though, let’s discuss the game a little bit.

Super Mario Bros. 2 is the first game in the Mario franchise that was not a truly original Mario game, rather it was a redesign of a Famicom game known as Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic. That game centered on a family that was trying to rescue two children from Mamu, who would be known as Wart in the American redesign. Those family members were replaced by Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Peach, who was known simply as Princess in the game. Each of the characters had abilities that made them different from each other. Mario was the all around character who was pretty good at everything. Luigi was able to jump very long distances, Toad was smaller, but was very fast and Princess Peach had the ability to hover in the air for short periods.

This game came about famously because the executives at Nintendo during that time thought the original sequel to Super Mario Bros. was too hard for American audiences and decided, instead, to redesign Doki Doki Panic for the west. The original sequel would be released in America years later on the SNES in the compilation game Super Mario All-Stars under the title Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels. This America version of the game was released in Japan under the title Super Mario USA. Because the game was not a true entry into the Mario franchise it featured a number of characteristics that had never been seen before and many that would be carried over to the Mario franchise. Rather than having ? blocks above your character you would instead pull vegetables out of the ground that you could then throw at enemies. Sometimes these plants held surprises such as doors to secret areas. Other power ups would randomly appear during game play that you could catch and take advantage of.

Many of the characters in the game would see their roles moved over to the Mario franchise. Enemies like the Shy Guy made their first appearance in Super Mario Bros. 2. You could not jump on a lot of these enemies that you had been able to, so instead you had to throw the vegetables you pull out of the ground at them. Some of the enemies, such as Wart have not been seen again, but are highly sought after by fans of the series to make a return.

The game featured eight worlds with three levels each, rather than the four seen in Super Mario Bros. This made the game’s length shorter than its predecessor, but the game was also a bit more difficult. Many of the levels contained a mini-boss, usually in the form of Birdo, that had to be defeated before you could finish the level. This game also set the precedent of having to hit an enemy three times in order to defeat them, a trait which has carried over into a number of games outside the Mario world and is a staple in the game industry that continues to this day. There were warps areas that you could access by finding a hidden rocket ship that would shorten the game even further. You also had the ability before each level to choose which character you would use and that added a bit of strategy to the game. Some of the levels were better suited to the abilities of a particular character. For example, one of the worlds features a large area where you have to dig down through layers of dirt and this was one of Toad’s best abilities. He was much faster digging down than the other characters so it was best to have him while playing that level.

The music was one of the most memorable parts of that game and was used in a number of different ways by Nintendo. The soundtrack would be used prominently in the live action Super Mario Bros. Super Show, starring Danny Wells, and Cpt. Lou Albano. It’s still to this day, outside of the themes from the original Super Mario Bros., some of the most well remembered themes.

This was the second game in the main Mario series, but it’s one of the few games that I just didn’t like. The departure from the formula set in the original, and returned to in Super Mario Bros. 3 was too off putting and I just couldn’t get into it. It did feature some things that I really do like, and would like to see brought back such as the ability to choose different characters. The introduction of some new enemies that have become huge additions such as Shy Guy and the first sightings of Bob-ombs, though they didn’t walk yet are some of the aspects I really like about the game. The differences allowed Nintendo to explore the Mario franchise a bit more than they did with the Japanese version of the game, which was essentially a slightly enhanced graphical overhaul of the original. It’s not a bad game, by any means. It controls well, had some memorable levels, a catchy soundtrack and some really welcome additions to the franchise, but I’m one of those people that says, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I thought the original Mario game was about as close to perfection then as you could get and they fiddled with it. I do own Super Mario Bros. 2 and do occasionally pop it in and play it, but when deciding on a retro Mario game to play it usually is a choice between Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario World.

If you have any thoughts on this game, or want to tell me how wrong I am, leave me a comment or head on over to the forums and let me know. Are there any games that you would like to see featured? Leave me a comment and let me know that as well. There’s a good chance it could show up here in the future.