Super Mario Bros. 2

In 1986, Nintendo released the sequel to the smash hit "Super Mario Brothers" in Japan on the Famicom Disk System. It proved to be a very successful sequel in Japan, because the Japanese love challenging games, however, it was not released anywhere else due to it being too difficult for others to enjoy.

The sequel's graphics look the exact same as it's original successor in every way, but with a few nice details which I love so much. The ground is now more rockier, the mushrooms and clouds smile, the red Piranha plants, the gust of winds in some levels, the springs which make you jump even higher, and of course the poisonous mushrooms.

At the start you have two characters you can choose from: Mario(well balanced character but jumps shorter) Luigi(skids and slower to control but jumps higher) *the choice is yours*

I love the extra nice levels (depending on how you finish the game)they added into this game: Finish the game without using warp pipes(access to World 9) Finish the game eight times(access to World A - D)

This sequel blows the original out of the water, it is my favorite Super Mario game, and I truely recommend getting a Famicom Disk System plus this game "Super Mario Brothers 2".

I give this game a 10/10!!! truly a mighty sequel that is hardly known. Give it a try if you love challenging games.

This game is similar to the original Super Mario Bros. People remove points for that, but I won't. The reason why I rated it one star below the original is because they made the difficulty a bit too high. And do I need to mention I'm not good at video games? I think I do. Other than that, it's great.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels isn't for the faint of heart. Originally released in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2, it was deemed too difficult for Western audiences-and honestly, that label wasn't wrong. This game isn't just hard; it's borderline unforgiving. But for the right kind of player, that's exactly what makes it so fascinating.

Chapter 1: Familiar, But Meaner

At first glance, it looks like a slightly remixed version of the original Super Mario Bros. The visuals and sound are nearly identical, but the gameplay is where things take a sharp left turn. Jumps are tighter, enemies are placed more deviously, and even the power-ups can betray you (looking at you, poison mushroom). It's a sequel that seems designed not to welcome you in-but to push you back out.

The level design often feels like a gauntlet of traps, requiring pixel-perfect timing, memorization, and sometimes, pure trial-and-error. It's more about endurance than exploration.

Chapter 2: A Test of Skill and Patience

There's no doubt that The Lost Levels was made for hardcore fans of the original. It demands precision and punishes recklessness. For players who love a steep challenge and don't mind repeating the same section over and over just to master it, this is pure heaven. For everyone else, it can feel more frustrating than fun.

The introduction of Luigi as a playable character-with higher jumps but slipperier control-is a nice touch, adding some gameplay variety and difficulty options (though both are tough in their own ways).

Final Thoughts

This isn't a warm, welcoming platformer. It's a "you think you're good at Mario? Prove it" kind of game. And while that makes it divisive, it also makes it uniquely compelling in its own right. Not essential for casual fans, but for those who crave old-school challenge, The Lost Levels earns its reputation.

7/10 - A ruthless but rewarding sequel that doubles down on difficulty. Fun, if you're up for the fight.

As someone who's never really been outside of the USA, I never really knew about this games existence until I really got into video game history a number of years ago. I'm glad I did though, because there's so much history that makes the hobby all the more enjoyable. But in doing so, you can imagine my surprise after finding out that the "Super Mario Bros 2" we got here was a reskin of "Doki Doki Panic" and that the original sequel that was intended wasn't released globally (which makes sense looking back, since SMB2 is very odd compared to the other Mario games-still one of my favorites). At least, until a couple of decades later; only now being called "Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels" instead (despite the title screen still showing "Super Mario Bros 2"). But playing it as it is and has always been, is this infamous game really a good sequel?

Not really. That's not to say it's a bad-or even a not good game, because it is, but as a sequel, it really fails at doing anything that much better. Though, to be fair, it also doesn't do much worse either. The gameplay is precise and fun, the music is the same great stuff, the visuals are slightly improved with a couple of added visual details that gives this game the particles of identity it needs, and the levels can be immensely satisfying to complete. Speaking of which, the levels, as many may know, are HARD. While it's not quite Kaizo hard, the level designers really had a field day by making some of the most tough and occasionally baffling level design choices in a 2D platformer, and it's a stark contrast to the level design in the first SMB. Though, that's not to say they're not well thought out and well designed, because they are, but man, I can almost guarantee that you will want to scream if you stick with this until the end.

But aside from that, this game still feels mostly the same as the first one, which is this games biggest problem. It's much less of a sequel but more of a level expansion pack that takes very little steps forward. The music, gameplay, and context behind the game are all 1 to 1 the exact same as the first game; visuals being the only thing KIND OF improved, but even they look basically identical. You or anyone would be forgiven if they saw a screenshot from this game and believed it was from the first game, because they look and feel that much of the same, and anyone expecting any big steps forward here are going to be disappointed.

Though, because of this game's mission of being a very slightly improved, but tougher than nails successor to the first game still being successful, it's no wonder why this game still has an audience. It may not be that good of a sequel, but it's still fun and brutal enough to where it fits in the Mario lineage just fine, and when you mix that with the fact that this game sticks true to what the first game did right, it's understandable why some consider this to be the best 2nd game the iconic plumber had. For me, the one we got in the US is infinitely better and much more enjoyable, but because of how different and odd it is compared to every other Mario game, I can see why some may disagree with me. Overall, I recommend anyone who hasn't played this to at least try it. Who knows? Maybe the added difficulty will strike a chord with you like it has for many others. It may be underwhelming, but it's still satisfying. Just remember to not play this game if you have a bad day beforehand.

One of the reasons I wanted Super Mario All-Stars was simply to play this game. Nowadays, I can breeze through any of the other Mario games with minimal difficulty (aside from Yoshi's Island, haven't played that one too many times). It retained the feel of the original classic, but with several new twists, such as poison mushrooms, wind, powerful spring boards, "maze" effects in open air levels (i.e. 7-3, C-3), and in one case, a goal that's on a different plane than the level's starting point. It took me probably over 20 times to beat level 8-4 (Mario 3 blatantly rips off the "jump off a ledge and angle yourself left into a pirahna plant to avoid falling into a pit" situation), but I managed to beat that, the "secret" world 9, and the greater challenges of levels A-D (although D-4 doesn't have the same sting as 8-4). The only problem is that the save feature on the Super Nintendo is essentially unlimited lives, as it allows you to save after each individual level. Still, very much worth playing if you like Mario games and miss the old days of 2-D sidescrolling platform games.