Backlog Game Reviews 28: Super Mario Bros 2 / Super Mario Bros USA (NES / Famicom)

Hey there, and welcome to Backlog Game Reviews.

    Today let’s talk about Super Mario Bros 2. It was first released in North America on October 9^th, 1988. It would go on to be released in Europe on April 28^th, 1989, and it would see a Japanese release on September 14^th, 1992. Why was this game released in North America first? That's because at this time Japan already had its own version of Super Mario Bros 2, but that game was considered too difficult to be released overseas. So, Nintendo decided to turn the Japan-only game Doki Doki Panic into a Mario game and release it as Super Mario Bros 2. Let's take a look at what Nintendo decided to give international fans in place of the original Super Mario Bros 2. For this review, I played the Japanese version which goes by the name Super Mario USA.

The text scroll at the start of the game.

   The story starts with Mario sleeping and having a dream. In his dream, he's walking up a long staircase and at the end of the staircase is a door. Upon opening the door Mario comes face to face with a world different from his own, he also hears a faint voice. The voice welcomes Mario to the world of Subcon also known as the Land of Dreams. The voice then tells Mario that the people of Subcon are suffering at the hands of a being called Wart and asks for Mario's help.

The second half of the text scroll.

   After hearing this plea for help Mario suddenly awakes from his Dream. Telling himself it was just a dream Mario goes out to have a picnic with Luigi, Toad, and Princess Peach. While on their way to their picnic destination Mario tells everyone about his dream, and to his surprise, everyone said that they all had the same dream. Once they arrive at their picnic spot they find a cave and inside the cave is a staircase with a door at the top. They open it and find the world of Subcon on the other side. Realizing that it wasn’t just a dream Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach decide that it’s up to them to save this world from Wart.

The character select screen.

   The story while simple is pretty good. It takes place outside of the Mushroom Kingdom, introduces us to a new villain, and doesn't revolve around saving the princess again. The story feels new and fresh. It even has a surprise ending, something I'm sure a lot of people didn't see coming when they played this game for the first time. I also like that there's an opening cutscene that explains what's going on, something a lot of NES and Famicom games don't have.

Mario in the world of Subcon.

   Moving on to the gameplay, it's completely different from Super Mario Bros. It's still a platformer but a lot of changes were made to the formula. The one that most people will notice first is that you have four characters to choose from and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. There's Mario who's the most balanced character, he doesn't do anything better than the other 3 but he doesn't have anything bad going for him either. The next character is Luigi, he can jump the highest but he's slow and not as physically strong. Next, we have Toad who is the opposite of Luigi, he's the fastest and strongest character in the game but he has the lowest jump. And last is Princess Peach, she has the lowest speed and power in the game but she can use her dress to float in the air, this makes platforming sections a non-issue.

This game has a heavy focus on vertical platforming.

   I am a big fan of having multiple characters like this. It adds to the game's replay value by allowing you to tackle a stage in multiple ways, and it can make the game easier or harder. If you're having trouble with a stage that has a big focus on platforming you can choose Peach and blow through the stage, or you could challenge yourself by choosing Toad who due to his low jump has a hard time with platforming sections.

Mario vs Birdo. Birdo is a mid boss that you'll encounter in almost every stage.

   Another big change between this game and the first Super Mario Bros is the combat. In the last game, you defeated enemies by either jumping on them or throwing a fireball at them. In this game jumping on enemies does nothing, and Fire Flowers aren't in the game. So how do you attack? By throwing things. Throughout the game you'll find vegetables that can be thrown at enemies, you can even pick up an enemy and throw it at another enemy.

By grabbing on to a tuft of grass you can pluck vegetables from the ground.

   It's fun throwing stuff around but it does take some getting used to. It's hard to gauge how far your character can throw, causing you to miss a lot. And most bosses can only be defeated by picking up a projectile they threw at you and using it against them. It sounds easy enough but you can't pick up an enemy projectile once it touches the ground. You have to grab it in mid-air and then throw it, which is pretty difficult to do and might frustrate you if you can't get the hang of it.

Enemies can be picked up and used a projectiles.

   Overall this game is drastically different from Super Mario Bros, but it's different in a good way. All of the changes, while not perfect are fun and a nice change of pace. As long as you don't go into this game expecting it to improve on the formula from Super Mario Bros then you'll have fun with this installment in the series.

At the end of every stage you can play a slot machine if you have any coins. You'll get some extra lives if you win.

   As for the presentation it's much better this time around. The music while lacking in variety is great and will easily get stuck in your head, and the graphics have been heavily improved on. Everything is much more detailed and colorful, it's a great looking game for its time.

    That's all I have to say about Super Mario Bros 2. It's a huge change from the first Super Mario Bros but it's a lot of fun. I can easily recommend this to fans of 2D platformers. It's not a very long game so give it a try if you're bored over the weekend.

    Thank you for reading! Next time we'll be moving over to the Sega Saturn. I hope to see you again here at Backlog Game Reviews.
  
                       Click here for Super Mario Bros 2 gameplay video