Super Mario Bros. 2

- Reviewed on NES Classic -

Super Mario Bros. 2 released in October, 1988. 

This title was / is a sequel to the iconic first game, Super Mario Bros. This game is famously known to be a re-skin of another game title, called Doki Doki Panic. 

The backstory of Super Mario Bros. 2 and its release is that the traditional / original Super Mario Bros. 2 game consisted of extremely hard to beat levels and was never released in the states, or anywhere as a matter of fact, except Japan. 

Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan had the same appearance / look as the original game (Super Mario Bros.) but had (as mentioned) really hard levels to accomplish. 

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

Super Mario Bros. 2 consists of four playable characters, and you can choose either one of the four after completing every level, so you don't have to choose and stick with just one character. These characters consist of...

    - Mario
    - Luigi
    - Toad
    - Princess Toadstool

I will be honest; I did not enjoy playing as either Luigi or Princess Toadstool. 

Yes, they both have special traits, Luigi can jump and last in the air longer, and Princess Toadstool can float after jumping for a little while, however I found these traits more distracting than helping in a way. 

Mario was my main option / choice because he had everything, trait wise, set to default. This helped big time with the ice levels and climbing levels. 

Toad has extra speed, but I did not care for this in Super Mario Bros. 2 because the enemies tend to just appear out of nowhere and attack without being able to see them beforehand. 

One thing that really bothered me was that this was a re-skin of another game (Doki Doki Panic). 

Knowing this beforehand, I never got that traditional Mario theme feel, even though some original Mario characters were somewhat birthed within this game, Birdo being a prime example (even though he / she was named Ostro in this game). 

Music is always a delight for me in Video Games, this aspect along with Concept Art, are both my favorite things about Video Games to see / explore. 

I bring Music up because this game did not succeed in this category, and this made me feel annoyed while playing. 

There was not that much variety in music in Super Mario Bros. 2 and it got to the point where I even knew there was a boss battle ahead because every boss battle had the same music tone. 

There was also a reoccurring aspect in Super Mario Bros. 2 where there would be long / wide empty rooms with no secrets and no points of interest. 

I found this very confusing and due to its location, after I died in the level(s), I would constantly have to run to the other side of the long empty (pointless) rooms. 

Pointless rooms aside, playing through the levels was very fun and the difficulty progress / elevation was great. 

The difficulty of World 1-1 compared to World 2-1 is unbelievably changed and you are up for a challenge if you find a secret area to skip worlds in, because you won't be prepared for the even bigger difficulty spike if you choose to skip worlds, not knowing what's ahead. 

Enemies are one of a kind in Super Mario Bros. 2, and some enemies don't even appear in later titles of the Mario Series. The complete list of enemies is shown below...

    - Albatoss
    - Autobomb
    - Beezo
    - Bob-omb
    - Clawgrip
    - Cobrat
    - Flurry
    - Fryguy
    - Hawkmouth
    - Hoopster
    - Mouser
    - Ninji
    - Ostro
    - Panser
    - Phanto
    - Pidgit
    - Pokey
    - Porcupo
    - Shy Guy
    - Snifit
    - Spark
    - Trouter
    - Tryclyde
    - Tweeter
    - Wart
    - Whale

There was / are many different puzzles in Super Mario Bros. 2 that I kind of enjoyed but also could've been happier if they weren't a puzzle in the first place. 

One key example is that if you want an extra heart (hit-point), you have to obtain a bottle with a hidden red door inside and throw it on the ground to spawn the door. 

Unless you look up a guide, there is no way to tell if you will get the secret mushroom on the other side of that door. The mushrooms are what gives you an extra hit-point. 

Getting extra lives requires you to collect coins within the secret door areas from the previously explained, puzzle involving the bottle and red door. 

Another puzzle that appears often, is getting keys to unlock doors but after collecting the key(s), you have to run away from the Phantos that are protecting the key. 

Finally, there is Ostro. Ostro is the creature at the end of every level that shoots out white pellets that you must jump on, grab, and throw back at him / her about three times to collect the glowing orb and finish each level. 

Ostro would later become (be named) Birdo in the later Mario titles and he / she has been a main character ever since. 

Super Mario Bros. 2 is the only game to have Ostro (Birdo) be the final boss of the sub-levels. 

On the third level of each world however, there are main bosses that you must defeat in order to move on to the next world. The main bosses at the end of each world are called...

    - Clawgrip 
    - Fryguy
    - Hawkmouth
    - Mouser
    - Tryclyde
    - Wart

Surprisingly, Bowser is not even in this game at all and that really was a downer for me after completing this game entirely and not seeing him. 

This game truly is a standalone game in terms of being similar to the previous Super Mario Bros. and all future Mario titles. 

I had a great time playing Super Mario Bros. 2, but in the end, I most likely won't ever play this game again and it probably is my least favorite Mario title of all time. 

Pros: 

    - Able to Choose Characters After Each Level
    - Fun Boss Battles
    - Creative Stages
    - Control / Movement is Great
    - Creative Enemies / Items

Cons:

    - Long, Empty, Pointless Rooms
    - Not a Traditional Mario Bros. Game
    - Extra Lives and Hearts is Luck Based
    - Frame Rate Drops 
    - Consistent Lag
    - Repetitive Music Selection

My Rating for Super Mario Bros. 2 (on NES Classic):

3 / 5


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All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.



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