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Super Mario

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, informally referred to as Super Mario Bros. 2 JP, and alternatively known as Super Mario Bros. 2: For Super Players in the Japanese version of Super Mario All-Stars and known as Super Mario Bros. for Super Players in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, is a video game originally released on June 3, 1986 exclusively for the Family Computer Disk System as one of its launch titles, and is the second installment of the Super Mario series. It is a direct sequel to Super Mario Bros. that, prior to its Super Mario All-Stars remaster release for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993, was unavailable overseas.

SMB The Lost Levels title screen

The title screen of the 1986 FDS original

This particular game is known as simply Super Mario Bros. 2 (スーパーマリオブラザーズ2 Sūpāmarioburazāzu 2?) in Japan, unlike other regions. The reason for it in 1988, it was replaced by another game with the same name based on Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic in the US and PAL (which was later re-released in Japan in 1992 as "Super Mario USA"), due to Nintendo of America thought it would be too difficult for American audiences, and it was too much like the original Super Mario Bros.. As explained why it was canceled for its initial international release, The Lost Levels is a notorious title in the Mario franchise for having significantly more challenging levels than the previous game - even tougher than its arcade port, and introducing the Poison Mushroom as early as the first level, which serves as the polar opposite of the Super Mushroom as it injures Mario or Luigi upon consuming it and can be difficult to distinguish in the original FDS version, as it looks nearly identical. In All-Stars as well as Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, this harmful item was given a new sprite to have its own distinctive appearance. This high difficulty makes this game, like the Western Super Mario Bros. 2, considered the "black sheep" of the series. It is later revealed by the developers and even the game's packaging that Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is merely a game specifically designed for expert players who have mastered the original Super Mario Bros. and are looking for a new challenge, and therefore not recommended for the causal Mario gamer.

On the other hand, this game is the first in the Mario series to depict Luigi with his trademark high jumps superior to his brother Mario at the cost of low traction, which is introduced, as unlike the original Super Mario Bros., there is no two-player mode, which either brother must be chosen by the one player.

Despite Super Mario All-Stars on the Super NES being the first official release of The Lost Levels outside of Japan, the North American and European regions would not have the original unaltered version until the debut of the Virtual Console for the Wii in 2007, over twenty years after its release. It is also re-released for the Nintendo Switch Online in 2019 and is included in Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. in 2020.

Story[]

The story of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is identical to the first game and is said to be set in a "parallel world" to it.[1][2] The following text is translated from the Japanese instruction booklet.[3]

One day, the peaceful kingdom where Mushrooms live was invaded by the tribe of the huge turtle Koopa, whom possesses powerful magic. Said magical power transformed all the quiet Mushroom People into rocks, bricks and horsetails among other forms, and the Mushroom Kingdom fell into ruin. The only one who can undo this magic on the Mushrooms and revive them is the Mushroom Kingdom's own Princess Peach. She is presently in the hands of King Koopa. Mario has stood up to defeat the Turtle Tribe, rescue Princess Peach, and rebuild the peaceful Mushroom Kingdom. The Mario in the TV is you. Only you can bring this adventure quest (expedition) to a conclusion.

If Mario or Luigi complete levels 1-1 through 8-4 without using any warp zones (which is an extremely difficult task), he is transported to “Fantasy World”, world 9, with only one life, replaying those four levels until he dies.

Each time 8-4 is completed, a star is added to the title screen; after eight stars are earned, Mario or Luigi can play a second quest consisting of four new worlds, A through D. The story is the same as the first quest. This does not apply to the remakes, which lack the stars on the title screen.

Gameplay[]

World A-3 SMB Lost Levels

Gameplay screenshot of the All-Stars version of the game

Although the gameplay of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is identical to Super Mario Bros., it uses a slightly updated version of its engine, and therefore has new enemy behavior and features. It is divided into 13 new worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom, each of which have four levels like in the previous game. Mario and Luigi have to get to the end of the level by jumping over various gaps and avoiding or defeating the members of the Koopa Troop on their way. The brothers can use several platforms (some of them collapse when Mario or Luigi lands on them), stairs in the level, as well as Springboards (which come in red or green, the latter bring able to send them very high into the air). There are also Warp Pipes along the way, some of which Mario or Luigi can enter to visit various secret coin rooms before returning to the level, a bit further ahead than when he left. At the end of each level, a fortress stands with a Flagpole nearby. When a Mario Brother reaches the Flagpole, he takes down the enemy flag and enters the fortress, completing the level. The higher the spot they reach the flagpole, the more points he receives.

Unlike Super Mario Bros., The Lost Levels does not have two-player mode in the game; Mario or Luigi has to be played alone. Mario retains the same abilities as Super Mario Bros., but Luigi returns with the ability to jump higher than Mario can (which is retained in Super Mario Bros. 2 and some later Super Mario games such as Super Mario Galaxy or New Super Luigi U). On the downside, Luigi has slippery traction, so he could prove to be difficult to control at times.

Characters[]

Playable[]

  • Mario - After Mario learns that Bowser has captured the Princess again, he goes straight off to save her. He controls identically to Super Mario Bros.: He can jump far, run fast, and stop on a dime.
  • Luigi - Luigi is similar to Mario, but jumps slightly higher, and has worse traction, making it seem like he is walking on ice. This is the first Mario game to give Luigi distinct jumping physics.

Non-playable[]

  • Princess Peach - She is kidnapped by Bowser, and taken to his castle. Mario or Luigi will again have to go through 8 worlds to save her.
  • Mushroom Retainer - Different Toads were captured and taken to the castles in worlds 1-7 and A-C for Mario or Luigi to save. They explain that Princess Peach is "in another castle," which led to a long-running joke throughout the long-running series.
  • Bowser - Bowser, the main antagonist, has taken control of the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnapped all of the residents other than Mario and Luigi. Now the brothers will have to defeat Bowser to bring back peace to the land.
  • Fake Bowser - False Bowsers will appear at the end of every world other than 8, 9, and D. They are regular enemies with Bowser disguises on to fool you.
  • Bowser's Brother - A unique blue Bowser that appears in 8-4, 9-3, and D-4. He acts as a "pre-Bowser" Bowser.
  • Fake Bowser's Brother - a Fake Blue Bowser.

Enemies[]

  • Poison Mushroom - Disguised as either a Super Mushroom or 1-up Mushroom, this Mushroom has the same effect as getting hit by any other enemy (i.e. if the player is Super Mario or Fire Mario, they revert to regular Mario; if the player is regular Mario, they die).
  • Koopa Troopa - A turtle-like enemy that can be a projectile if jumped on first. There are two types of them, a green one and a red one. The green ones will walk off platforms while the red ones will turn around. If you jump on them, they will come back out of their shells after a few seconds.
  • Koopa Paratroopa - A Koopa Troopa with wings that will jump extra high or fly in a straight line. Like the regular Koopas, these are either red or green. If stomped, they will lose their wings.
  • Goomba - The most common enemy that will only try to run into you. They will sometimes attack in groups, where you will be able to kill them all while jumping once.
  • Lakitu - Lakitus sit atop clouds while they throw Spinies at you. They can be stomped but often fly too high to easily reach.
  • Spiny - Spinies are the enemies that Lakitus throw at you. They have spines on their backs, meaning that you cannot kill them by jumping on them. They can be defeated with a Koopa or Buzzy Beetle shell, fireball, or Super Star. They will also walk off ledges.
  • Buzzy Beetle - A beetle that is like a Koopa Troopa, except the only way to destroy it is to knock it off an edge, hit it with a shell, or to ram into it while invincible.
  • Piranha Plant - A carnivorous plant that will pop out of pipes trying to bite you. The green ones are identical to the ones in Super Mario Bros., and will stay in their pipe if Mario or Luigi are right next to it. This game introduces a new red variety that appears starting in World 4, which will continue to move in and out even with Mario or Luigi adjacent to their pipes.
  • Bullet Bill - A bullet that will be shot out of a cannon toward you.
  • Hammer Bros. - A pair of Koopa brothers that will throw hammers. They are often, but not always, found in pairs.
  • Cheep Cheep - Found in all underwater levels, these fish will try to swim into you. In a few levels on land, they will jump high into the air and try to hit you. In land levels, they can be stomped.
  • Blooper - A squid that will try to swim into you, or try to fly into you. This game introduces Bloopers that can fly in the air, which can be stomped.
  • Podoboo - A fireball that will pop out of lava in castle levels.

List of levels[]

World (As seen in SMBD) Level Setting Enemies found (first appearance in bold)
SMBTLLDX World 1
World 1

-1

Overworld Goomba, Koopa Troopa (red and green), Koopa Paratroopa (red and Green), Piranha Plant (green)
World 1

-2

Underground Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle
World 1

-3

Athletic Blooper, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa
World 1

-4

Castle Firebar, Koopa Troopa, False Bowser (Imported as World 1-4 of Vs. Super Mario Bros.)
SMBTLLDX World 2
World 2

-1

Dark Overworld Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant
World 2

-2

Dark Overworld Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Goomba, Piranha Plant (Imported as World 3-2 of Vs. Super Mario Bros.)
World 2

-3

Dark Athletic Jumping Cheep-Cheep, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Blooper
World 2

-4

Castle Koopa Troopa, Goomba, Firebar, Podoboo, False Bowser
SMBTLLDX World 3
World 3

-1

Overworld Hammer Bro., Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Bullet Bill, Piranha Plant
World 3

-2

Underwater Blooper, Cheep-Cheep, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa
World 3

-3

Athletic Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant
World 3

-4

Castle Firebar, Piranha Plant, False Bowser
SMBTLLDX World 4
World 4

-1

Overworld Piranha Plant (red), Lakitu, Spiny, Spiny Egg
World 4

-2

Overworld Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle, Lakitu, Spiny, Spiny Egg, Goomba
World 4

-3

Athletic Koopa Paratroopa, Bullet Bill (Imported as World 6-3 of Vs. Super Mario Bros.)
World 4

-4

Castle Firebar, Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Hammer Bro., Piranha Plant, Podoboo, False Bowser
SMBTLLDX World 5
World 5

-1

Overworld Buzzy Beetle, Piranha Plant, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Goomba
World 5

-2

Underground Piranha Plant, Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Buzzy Beetle
World 5

-3

Athletic Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Bullet Bill, Blooper
World 5

-4

Castle Podoboo, Firebar, False Bowser (Imported as World 6-4 of Vs. Super Mario Bros.)
SMBTLLDX World 6
World 6

-1

Overworld Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Goomba, Bullet Bill, Hammer Bro.
World 6

-2

Underwater Blooper, Cheep-Cheep, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa (Imported as World 7-2 of Vs. Super Mario Bros.)
World 6

-3

Athletic Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Cheep-Cheep (Imported as World 7-3 of Vs. Super Mario Bros.)
World 6

-4

Castle Podoboo, Firebar, Piranha Plant, Hammer Bro., False Bowser
SMBTLLDX World 7
World 7

-1

Dark Overworld Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Hammer Bro., Bullet Bill
World 7

-2

Dark Overworld Blooper, Cheep-Cheep, Piranha Plant
World 7

-3

Dark Athletic Jumping Cheep-Cheep, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa
World 7

-4

Castle Podoboo, Firebar, False Bowser
SMBTLLDX World 8
World 8

-1

Overworld Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle
World 8

-2

Overworld Goomba, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle, Lakitu, Spiny, Bullet Bill
World 8

-3

Athletic Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Bullet Bill, Hammer Bro.
World 8

-4

Castle Goomba, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Firebar, Podoboo, Buzzy Beetle, Hammer Bro., Blooper, Cheep-Cheep, False Bowser, Bowser
World 9

-1

Underwater Piranha Plant, Koopa Paratroopa, Bullet Bill, Lakitu, Spiny, Hammer Bro., Blooper, Buzzy Beetle
World 9

-2

Underwater Piranha Plant, Lakitu, Spiny
World 9

-3

Overworld False Bowser, Bowser
World 9

-4

Underwater Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Buzzy Beetle, Koopa Paratroopa, Hammer Bro., Blooper, Podoboo
SMBTLLDX World A
World A

-1

Overworld Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Hammer Bro.
World A

-2

Underground Piranha Plant, Hammer Bro., Bullet Bill
World A

-3

Athletic Jumping Cheep-Cheep, Blooper, Koopa Paratroopa
World A

-4

Castle Firebar, Podoboo, Koopa Troopa, Bullet Bill, False Bowser
SMBTLLDX World B
World B

-1

Overworld Buzzy Beetle, Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant, Koopa Paratroopa
World B

-2

Underwater Blooper, Cheep-Cheep, Koopa Paratroopa, Koopa Troopa, Firebar, Piranha Plant
World B

-3

Athletic Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Bullet Bill, Koopa Troopa
World B

-4

Castle Piranha Plant, Firebar, False Bowser
SMBTLLDX World C
World C

-1

Dark Overworld Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Hammer Bro., Buzzy Beetle
World C

-2

Dark Athletic Koopa Paratroopa, Jumping Cheep-Cheep, Blooper, Koopa Troopa, Bullet Bill
World C

-3

Dark Athletic Lakitu, Spiny, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Firebar
World C

-4

Castle Firebar, Koopa Troopa, Buzzy Beetle, Podoboo, False Bowser
SMBTLLDX World D
World D

-1

Overworld Hammer Bro., Koopa Paratroopa, Bullet Bill, Buzzy Beetle, Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant
World D

-2

Overworld Koopa Troopa, Buzzy Beetle, Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant, Bullet Bill
World D

-3

Overworld Bullet Bill, Piranha Plant, Hammer Bro., Koopa Paratroopa
World D

-4

Castle Piranha Plant, Firebar, Podoboo, Koopa Paratroopa, Jumping Cheep-Cheep, Hammer Bro., Blooper, False Bowser, Bowser [(Boss)(SNES remake)]

Secret Worlds[]

There are five secret worlds: World 9, World A, World B, World C, and World D. World 9 can be unlocked by beating worlds 1-8 without warp zones. When world 8-4 is completed, a star is added to the title screen; if there are at least eight stars, holding A then pressing start will start a second quest beginning in World A and ending with World D.

Remakes[]

The first appearance of the game outside of Japan was in remastered form in Super Mario All-Stars for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as in the Wii port, Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition. Some level designs were slightly modified to be made a bit easier, additional checkpoints and 1-ups were added, and Poison Mushrooms were altered to appear less similar to Super Mushrooms. A save feature was also added to allow starting the game from any accessed level.

The original Family Computer Disk System version was finally released much later on Wii's Virtual Console. Outside of Japan it was labeled an “import” and cost 100 Wii Points more than NES titles. The title also appears in Nintendo Entertainment System Online for Nintendo Switch in its original unaltered form for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.

The game appeared as an unlockable in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for Game Boy Color titled Super Mario Bros. for Super Players. It can be unlocked by scoring at least 300,000 points in the main Super Mario Bros.. The remake of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels notably removed Worlds 9 to D as well as wind in levels. Some levels were further altered to accommodate the Game Boy Color's smaller screen.

The original game was also released in all regions in a special 35th anniversary edition Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch mini-console. The title screen has been modified to allow starting from any accessed world (except World 9), high score retention, addition of a 2020 copyright date, and starting with infinite lives, but the game itself is original.

Reception[]

At the time of its release, The Lost Levels topped Famicom Tsūshin's charts.[4] The game was the most popular game on the Disk System, for which it sold about 2.5 million copies.[5] Retrospective critics viewed The Lost Levels as an expansion of the original,[6][5][7][8] akin to extra challenge levels tacked on its end.[6] Despite their similarities, the sequel is distinguished by its notorious difficulty.[9] 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die summarized the game as both "familiar and mysterious" and "simply rather unfair".[10] The Lost Levels replaced the original's accessible level designs with "insanely tough obstacle courses"[11] as if designed to intentionally frustrate and punish players beginning with its first poison mushroom.[12][9][6]

Retrospective reviewers recommended the game for those who mastered the original, or those who would appreciate a painful challenge.[9][8][13] Casual Mario fans, GameZone wrote, would not find much to enjoy.[13] Nintendo Life's reviewer felt that while the original was designed for recklessness, its sequel taught patience, and despite its difficulty, remained both "fiendishly clever" and fun.[9] On the other hand, GamesRadar felt that the game was an unoriginal, boring retread, and apart from its "pointlessly cruel" difficulty, not worthy of the player's time.[14] GamesRadar and IGN agreed with Nintendo of America's choice against releasing the harder game in the 1980s,[14][6] though Eurogamer thought that The Lost Levels was "technically a much better game" than the Doki Doki Panic-based Super Mario Bros. 2 the American market received instead.[8]

The Lost Levels is remembered among the most difficult games by Nintendo and in the video game medium. Three decades after the game's release, Kotaku wrote that the demanding player precision required in The Lost Levels made fast playthroughs (speedruns) "remarkably fun" to spectate. NES Remix 2 (2014), a compilation for the Wii U, similarly segmented The Lost Levels into speedrun challenges, which made the challenging gameplay more palatable. Many years after the release of The Lost Levels, fans of the series would modify Mario games to challenge each other with nearly impossible levels. The challenges of The Lost Levels presaged this Kaizo community, and according to IGN, The Lost Levels shares more in common with this subculture than with the Mario series itself. Indeed, the sequel is remembered as a black sheep in the franchise and a reminder of imbalanced gameplay in Nintendo's history.

Luigi received his first distinctive character traits in The Lost Levels: less ground friction, and the ability to jump farther. IGN considered this change to be the game's most significant, though the controls remained "cramped" and "crippled" with either character. The game's poison mushroom item, with its character-impairing effects, became a staple of the Mario franchise. Some of the Lost Levels appeared in a 1986 promotional release of Super Mario Bros., in which Nintendo modified in-game assets to fit themes from the Japanese radio show All Night Nippon. Journalists have ranked The Lost Levels among the least important in the Mario series and of Nintendo's top games.

Trivia[]

  • The game is referenced by Huey in Paper Mario: Color Splash.
  • The original Famicom Disk System version of the game was released alongside The Legend of Zelda of The Legend of Zelda series.
  • In S.M.B.: The Lost Levels, the character you play as is determined by a value, with 0 being Mario and 1 being Luigi. However, there are 254 other possible values (2-255) that can be set, but were not intended to. This creates a large variety of character color schemes and names.
    • Most characters' names are composed of 5 random sprite tiles from the game, but there are a select few that have an actual 5-letter name. These include:
      • #4: Iolui
      • #14: Mario (again)
      • #72: Uigiy
      • #136: Ariol
      • #140: Ariol (again)
      • #141: Uigiy (again)
        • #34 (⬜mari) has the name closest to a 5-letter name, with 4 consecutive letters. The ⬜ could also be replaced with an I to make Imari (which can be shifted 1 letter to make Mario).

Gallery[]

Hat mario To view Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels's
image gallery, click here.

External links[]

References[]

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20160315144248/http://imaikami.sakura.ne.jp/mario2/2m54.jpg
  2. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/vc_smb2/vc_smb2_01.html
  3. https://gamingalexandria.com/fds/Super%20Mario%20Bros%202/Super%20Mario%20Bros%202%20-%20Manual.pdf
  4. Irwin, Jon (October 6, 2014). Super Mario Bros. 2. Los Angeles: Boss Fight Books. pp. 22–29. ISBN 978-1-940535-05-0.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Super Mario Bros. 2". Atari HQ. May 4, 1999. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Thomas, Lucas M. (October 3, 2007). "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Review". IGN. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  7. Miller, Skyler. "Super Mario Bros. 2". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Whitehead, Dan (September 15, 2007). "Virtual Console Roundup". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Hughes, Robert (January 31, 2014). "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Wii U eShop / NES) Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  10. Donlan, Christian (2010). "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels". In Mott, Tony (ed.). 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-7893-2090-2. OCLC 754142901.
  11. McLaughlin, Rus (September 13, 2010). "IGN Presents: The History of Super Mario Bros". IGN. Archived from the original on March 20, 202. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  12. "The Top 125 Nintendo Games of All Time". IGN. September 24, 2014. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Sanchez, David (January 2, 2012). "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels - Does It Hold Up?". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Gilbert, Henry (December 28, 2011). "Why every Mario game is the best AND worst in the series". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2017.

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