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Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

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Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
(Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan)
Developer(s)Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)
Designer(s)Takashi Tezuka
Composer(s)Kōji Kondō
SeriesMario
Platform(s)Famicom Disk System
Game Boy Advance
Virtual Console
ReleaseFamicom Disk System
Game Boy Advance
Virtual Console
Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single player

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, Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Tsū), is a platformer video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Famicom Disk System. First released in Japan on June 3, 1986, it is the direct sequel to the best-selling video game of all time, Super Mario Bros.[1] Due to the high difficulty of the game, 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 Famicom 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 8-bit Famicom version with all its original subtleties (albeit in English instead of Japanese).

The premise of the game is identical to Super Mario Bros.: King Bowser 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.[3][2][3][6] It is intended to challenge players who have mastered the original Super Mario Bros.[7][8]

Gameplay

In contrast to the previous game, 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, comprised of 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.[9][11] in the original Famicom (and Virtual Console) version. 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, many 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 which is similar to the "Minus World" glitch from Super Mario Bros.[7][9] World 9 is bizarre compared to other levels and seriously 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 in Super Mario Bros. 2, 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 Super Mario Bros 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. 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 which 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]

Reception and legacy

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.

Re-releases

Super Mario All-Stars

Main article: Super Mario All-Stars
File:Nintendo Power v52.png
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--one need only to beat World 8 once. 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 use warp zones, whether forward or backward, 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

Main article: 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.

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 Famicom Disk Version and features all levels from the original.

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 Virtual Console. 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

  1. ^ "Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition – Nintendo Records". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
  2. ^ a b c d e Thomas, Lucas M. (2007-10-03) Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels Review - Only in Japan. (Until now.) IGN. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels for Wii Review. Gamespot. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  4. ^ a b c The Lost Levels: Ultimate Test of 2D Super Mario Bros Skill. racketBOY. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Scalzo, John. (2007-10-03) Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Gaming Target. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  6. ^ a b c McLaughlin, Rus. (2007-11-08) IGN Presents The History of Super Mario Bros. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-04-13. Cite error: The named reference "ign2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c d e Nintendo Power Vol. 52, 1994-08.
  8. ^ a b Davis, Cameron. (2000-01-28) Super Mario Deluxe for Game Boy Color Review. Gamespot. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Super Mario Bros The Lost Levels The Great Games Experiment. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  10. ^ a b Hayward, Andrew. (2007-10-01) VC Update: Sin and Punishment, Mario: Lost Levels. 1up.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  11. ^ a b c d e The REAL Super Mario Bros. 2 SydLexia.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
  12. ^ a b c Suellentrop, Chris. (2007-11-05) Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels - After 20 years, I can finally play this lost gaming classic. Slate. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  13. ^ Harris, Craig. (2004-06-04) Classic NES Series: Super Mario Bros. - The classic's reborn on the GBA exactly as it was nearly 20 years ago. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.
  14. ^ Truta, Filip VC Update (Europe) - Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels for Just 600 Pts. Softpedia. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  15. ^ MCV Staff. (2007-09-17) Wii Virtual Console Makes a Big Bang! Market for Home Computing and Video Games. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  16. ^ Munn, Stephen. (2007-09-14) European Virtual Console gets a time-limited Mario, and Sin & Punishment. Aeropause. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  17. ^ http://www.vc-reviews.com/games/nes/super_mario_bros_the_lost_levels
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