Super Mario Bros. 2 (known as Super Mario USA in Japanese, and Super Mario 2 in Super Mario Advance) is the second game in the Super Mario series outside Japan. It is a 2D platforming game originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America on October 9, 1988. In the years that followed, it has been ported to many other systems, including a release on the Wii Virtual Console in 2007, the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2012, and the Wii U Virtual Console in 2013. As a result of Japan already having a Super Mario Bros. 2 (known in English as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels), the game did not make its debut in the country until after the release of Super Mario World, on July 14, 1992, making it Japan's fifth installment of the series.

One of the central game mechanics that differentiates Super Mario Bros. 2 from other Super Mario games is that players can select four characters – Mario, Luigi, Toad, or Princess Toadstool – and each of these characters have their unique gameplay mechanics, offering advantages and disadvantages in their stats. Another distinction is that players cannot defeat enemies by stomping on them: players need to either toss items at enemies or pick up and toss enemies at each other to defeat them.

Super Mario Bros. 2 came about after Nintendo of America deemed Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels too difficult for Western audiences,[10] which led Nintendo to redevelop the Family Computer Disk System game Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic into a Super Mario Bros. game for the international release. After its release, the game became a commercial success, and eventually the game became well received enough that it was also released in Japan. After performing well both critically and commercially, Super Mario Bros. 2 has been re-released as one of the Mario games featured in Super Mario All-Stars, and as well as having its own remake in Super Mario Advance. Many enemies first introduced in Super Mario Bros. 2 have become common recurring enemies in the Mario which includes Bob-Ombs, Pokeys, Shyguys, and more, while the gameplay ability of picking up various items and tossing them has been reused in several later games.

Story [ edit ]

Story from Instruction Booklet

One night, Mario had a strange dream. He found himself climbing a long staircase leading up to a mysterious door. Opening the door, Mario's eyes fell upon an incredible world unlike anything he'd ever seen. A quiet voice spoke to Mario, saying, "Welcome to Subcon, the land of dreams. Our once-beautiful world now suffers at the hands of the evil Wart. Please help us! Only you can free us from his tyranny. Oh, and remember one thing: Wart hates vegetables." However, before Mario could figure out what was happening, he suddenly awoke on his bed and realized that it was all a dream. The next day, while heading out to a picnic with his friends Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad, Mario told the tale of his strange dream. Hearing this was quite a shock to his friends, who all had the very same dream the night before. Upon arriving at their picnic spot, the group noticed a small cave. Inside was a long staircase that led up to a door. At the top, the four friends opened the door and stood shocked by what they saw. It was Subcon - the world of their dreams!

Mario discovers that Subcon has been taken over by Wart and that the events of his dream are true. Mario and co. are now on a quest to defeat Wart and restore peace to the dream world. At the end of the game, Mario, Luigi, Toadstool and Toad are seen being chanted on by the inhabitants of Subcon, who are carrying Wart across the room. Mario then wakes up and wonders about whether the events were true or just a dream. He then continues sleeping and the game ends.

In-Game Story

When Mario opened a door after climbing a long stair in his dream, another world spread before him and he heard a (faint)[11] voice call for help to be freed from a spell. After awakening, Mario went to a cave nearby and to his surprise he saw exactly what he saw in his dream....

Gameplay [ edit ]

Super Mario Bros. 2. A screenshot from the Nintendo Entertainment System version of

Since the game is based on Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, it has little in common with the original Super Mario Bros. For example, in order to defeat enemies, the player needs to pluck blades of grass to receive items (such as vegetables), and then throw the vegetables at them. It is also possible to defeat enemies by jumping on them, picking them up and then throwing them to other enemies. There are a few elements in common with its predecessor, however, such as the appearances of the Mushroom and Starman, although the former has a different function. Additionally, there are no power-ups in the game that grant the player additional abilities in the Super form such as the ability to shoot fireballs, making Super Mario Bros. 2 one of the only 2D Super Mario titles (with the other being Super Mario Run) to not have additional forms after the Super form.

At the beginning of each level, the player can choose between the playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Toadstool. All four characters have different powers and statistics. When entering the next level or losing a life, players can select a different character.

At the end of most levels of the game, the player fights Birdo. The player has to jump on the eggs that Birdo spits, grab them and throw them back, hitting Birdo three times to gain a crystal which opens the Mask Gate at the end of the level. There are several colors of Birdos: pink, which only spits eggs; red, which spits eggs and fireballs and green, which only spits fireballs. For the green Birdos, there are Mushroom Blocks nearby for the player to use instead.

There are seven worlds in this game. The first six has three levels apiece, and the seventh has two. At the end of each world, the player encounters one boss. Mouser is encountered at the end of World 1, Tryclyde in World 2, Mouser again in World 3, Fryguy in World 4, Clawgrip in World 5, Tryclyde again in World 6, and Wart himself at the end of World 7.

Defeated enemies and Birdo can re-spawn if the player runs one screen away from the area where they normally appear and return, which may allow the player to defeat the enemies again in order to regain health if necessary; this still occurs in later releases (except Super Mario Advance), but a defeated Birdo will not reappear unless the player completely leaves and re-enters the areas where Birdo is fought.

Controls [ edit ]

NES [ edit ]

SNES [ edit ]















Game Boy Advance [ edit ]















Wii (Wii Remote) [ edit ]















Wii (Classic Controller) [ edit ]















Nintendo 3DS [ edit ]















Wii U [ edit ]















Nintendo Switch [ edit ]















Characters [ edit ]

Playable characters [ edit ]

Character Name Mario Luigi Toad Princess Toadstool Artwork Speed ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★☆☆☆ Jump ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ Power ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★☆☆☆ Description Mario has average stats, making him an acceptable choice in all situations. He has no outstanding abilities. Luigi has a high jump, but he is weaker than average. He is slightly slower than average as well. Toad is the fastest and the strongest. He has the lowest jump in the game, however. Due to his poor jumping ability, he relies heavily on the charged jump. The princess has a special float jump that allows her to hover in midair, which can be used to jump further or correct an otherwise fatal landing. As a tradeoff, she has the lowest speed and power.

Supporting characters [ edit ]

Image Description Subcon

The Subcon species are a group of peaceful fairy-like beings that have their land invaded by Wart. Wart traps them in jars, and they plead Mario and his friends for help. They also give Mario and his friends vital information to defeat Wart (Wart hates vegetables).

Enemies [ edit ]

Image Description Albatoss

Albatosses fly only horizontally. They can drop Bob-Ombs on players, but they can also be ridden. Unlike other enemies, they cannot be picked up, but they are defeated as with any other enemy. Autobomb

Shyguys often ride Autobombs. Autobombs shoot projectiles, but if the Shyguy is removed, they will simply move. Players can ride on Autobombs, but Autobombs must be destroyed with an item. Beezo

Beezos fly down and attempt to run into the player with their bidents. Players can jump on them and pick them up. Bob-Omb

Bob-Ombs run back and forth and will eventually self-destruct if they are near a player. If they self-destruct, they can harm players. Players can pick them up and throw them. Cobrat

Cobrats are seen roaming on the ground, but they can also hide in jars. If they spot a player, they may jump and shoot a single projectile. Cobrats can be picked up and thrown. Flurry

Flurries are found only in ice levels. Here, they attempt to run into the player. They move faster than average, but they are prone to slipping. Hoopster

Hoopsters crawl slowly on vines, attempting to harm players. Players can jump on them and even pick them up and throw them. Ninji

Some Ninjis are stationary enemies that simply jump while others charge and jump into the player. They can be picked up and thrown. Ostro

Ostros are seen often being ridden by Shyguys. If the Shyguy is removed, they travel in a straight line. They can be picked up and thrown, but they do not bounce off enemies. Panser

Pansers shoot fireballs at the player. Red varieties are stationary and shoot three fireballs. The green/gray variety patrols and shoots up fireballs. Pink varieties chase the player and shoot three fireballs. Phanto

Phantos are normally dormant enemies, but if players pick up a key, they will attempt to fly into the player. If players drops the key, they deactivate. They cannot be picked up and there are limited methods to destroy them. Pidgit

Pidgits are always seen on carpets. Pidgits attempt to dive bomb into the player, but players can jump on them, pick them up, and throw them. Once the Pidgit has been removed, players can ride the carpet and control it for a brief amount of time. Pokey

Pokeys attack players by moving slowly into them. Pokeys can be various heights. They can be defeated by having objects thrown at them or their body segments being removed one by one. Porcupo

Porcupos cannot be jumped on, so to defeat them, players must throw an object at them. Shyguy

The basic enemies of the game, Shyguys walk back and forth, harming the player if they run into him or her. They can be picked up and thrown. Red Shyguys walk off cliffs while pink Shyguys turn at the ledges. Small Fry Guy

Small versions of Fryguy that bounce in the player's direction. They appear when Fryguy is defeated. They cannot be picked up or thrown, and must have an item thrown at them to be defeated. Snifit

Snifits shoot projectiles at players, but they act similar to Shyguys. Gray/green Snifits jump and fire projectiles while the sole red Snifit can walk off ledges. Pink Snifits turn around ledges. Spark

Sparks circle around platforms or hover in the air. Sparks can harm players if players touch them. Trouter

Trouters jump from below and fall back. Players can use them as platforms to jump across gaps, but Trouters can harm players if players touch them at the sides. Tweeter

Tweeters, although they have wings, are found hopping across the ground. They can be picked up and thrown. Whale

Not typical enemies, whales serve generally as platforms. Their bodies and their tails can be jumped on. Their waterspouts can also carry players, but the waterspouts can harm players if players touch them at the sides.

Image Description Birdo



Birdo is a recurring mini-boss, appearing at the end of every first and second level in the worlds. Birdo comes in three varieties. The pink one shoots simply eggs, which can be picked up and thrown at it. The red one shoots randomly eggs or fireballs (which harms players if they touch them). The remaining type appears green or gray depending on location (but are assigned to the same palette) and shoots only fireballs; these ones must be defeated with Mushroom Blocks.

Bosses [ edit ]

Image Description Mouser

Mouser is the first true boss players encounter. He attacks by throwing bombs. The bombs sit for a while before they explode, enabling players to pick them up and throw them at Mouser. If the bomb explodes on Mouser, he takes damage. There are three variants of Mouser: one gray with pink ears, one gray with green ears, and one white with red ears. Its white and red variant, which appears in World 5-3, was replaced by Clawgrip when Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic was remade into Super Mario Bros. 2. Tryclyde

Tryclyde shoots a series of fireballs that harms the player if the player touches them. Players must throw several Mushroom Blocks at Tryclyde to defeat him. Fryguy

Fryguy shoots fireballs at players. Players must throw Mushroom Blocks at him to damage him. Once he takes enough damage, he bursts into Small Fry Guys. These take one hit from a Mushroom Block to be defeated, and destroying these enemies clears the level. Clawgrip

Clawgrip throws rocks at players. These rocks can be picked up and tossed at Clawgrip, inflicting damage on him. Once he is hit five times, he is defeated. Mask Gate

Although most Mask Gates are harmless and allow completion to the level, the Mask Gate within the dream factory is aggressive, attacking the players by flying into them. Players must attack it with Mushroom Blocks to stun it for a short period. Once it is stunned, it allows entry into Wart's room. Wart

Wart is the final boss of the game. He moves back and forth and shoots harmful bubbles at the player. A machine nearby spawns vegetables. To defeat Wart, players must throw these vegetables at Wart when Wart's mouth is open. Wart takes six hits to defeat.

Items [ edit ]

List of levels [ edit ]

Enemies that make their first level appearance are marked with an asterisk.

Development [ edit ]

Super Mario Bros. 2 started out as a prototype Mario-style platform game developed by Kensuke Tanabe, a developer for Nintendo. The prototype game emphasized vertically scrolling levels and throwing blocks. It was originally intended to be a two player co-op game, allowing players to toss each other around. However, the technical limitations of the Nintendo Entertainment System made it difficult to produce a polished game with these elements. It was decided to add more Mario-like elements, such as horizontal levels (although many vertically oriented levels were retained in the final project).[12] Some time later, the Fuji Television Company requested that Nintendo create a video game using Yume Kōjō mascots, and Tanabe developed the prototype into Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, which became one of the best-selling games for the Family Computer Disk System.

In 1987, Nintendo of America got its first look at the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2. Nintendo of America believed that Super Mario Bros. 2, which was a slightly altered version of the first Super Mario Bros. game with an increased difficulty level, would not be a commercial success in the United States and elsewhere in the world. To deal with this, Nintendo took the finished Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and reverted the licensing changes to once again feature Mario and his friends as playable characters. The game would later be released in Japan under the name Super Mario USA in 1992.

Many characters and abilities from Super Mario Bros. 2 later reappear in the Super Mario series. Princess Peach's occasional ability to hover in midair and pull vegetables from the ground (Super Smash Bros. Melee), for example, originates from this game. Toad's nimbleness (as seen in the Mario Kart series, where he is a light driver with good acceleration, and from his running speed in Mario Sports Mix) could also have been influenced from his uprooting speed first introduced in Super Mario Bros. 2. Shyguys, Snifits, Bob-Ombs, Pokeys, and Birdo were also introduced and would later be incorporated into later Mario games. Some of the enemies (most notably Bob-Ombs and Pokeys) have made countless reappearances as enemies within many of the later Super Mario titles. Wart, the main villain, never reappeared in a Mario game after Super Mario Bros. 2, but he appeared in the Nintendo Comics System, and was mentioned in later games. He also appeared as an ally in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening under his Japanese name, "Mamu". The four playable characters return in Super Mario 3D World, where they retain their unique abilities from Super Mario Bros. 2.

Remakes and ports [ edit ]

Super Mario Bros. 2 Super Mario USA

Super Mario Advance [ edit ]

Main article: Super Mario Advance

The most notable port of Super Mario Bros. 2 is Super Mario Advance for the Game Boy Advance. This port featured the enhanced graphics and sound effects of the Super Mario All-Stars remaster, as well as voice acting and various other slight changes. It was bundled with an enhanced port of the original Mario Bros. game.

References to other games [ edit ]

References in later games [ edit ]

Notable mistakes and errors [ edit ]

Some errors can be found in the credits of the game:

Ostro and Birdo have their names swapped.

and have their names swapped. Hoopster is spelled "Hoopst a r".

r". Clawgrip is spelled "Clawg l ip".

ip". Tryclyde is spelled "Triclyde".

These errors remain in Super Mario All-Stars, but are fixed in Super Mario Advance. However, all Japanese releases (dubbed Super Mario USA) do not change the names in the credits, instead keeping the Western localizations.

Another mistake which was never fixed for the enhanced ports is the color of the vegetable tufts – in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, the grass is consistently black, while in Super Mario Bros. 2 they are red, but keep the black coloring after being picked up. Enhanced ports maintain the red coloring for the tufts, though they turn green when dug out.

Additionally, at least three versions of the North American manual exist. One version provides the full description of Birdo ("Ostro") as "He thinks he is a girl and he spits eggs from his mouth. He'd rather be called "birdetta."[sic][15], while another version omits the second sentence[16]. The full "Birdetta" version is more true to the original Japanese version, which explains that Birdo, known as "Catherine" in Japan, would rather be called "Cathy."[17] A third version of the manual is known to exist which properly labels Birdo and Ostro,[18] keeps the full Birdo bio,[19] and shows artwork of the unusual pink Beezo as gray and misnamed.[20] This matches its depiction in the game and the Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic manual.[21]

The NES Super Mario Bros. 2 manual reuses enemy sprites and artwork from the Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic manual (with the notable exception of the Pokey artwork, as well as the omission of a grey Shyguy and addition of Tweeter, Flurry, Spark, and Clawgrip[21]). Thus, it uses the designs of Albatoss and Phanto from Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic.[22]

During the ending celebration sequence in the NES version, there are common mistakes in the number of levels each hero completes.

Staff [ edit ]

A number of people involved in the game include the composer Koji Kondo, known for composing the main Super Mario Bros. theme. Kensuke Tanabe is the director of the game with Shigeru Miyamoto and Hiroshi Yamauchi as producers.

Pre-release and unused content [ edit ]

A prototype build was purchased in 2005. There is a different color palette, which includes tans and oranges, which contrasts with the final version's reds and blues. Princess Toadstool is shown to have more hair. Characters needed to use a Magic Lamp to access Sub-space, similar to Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic.

Glitches [ edit ]

Jar-entering glitch [ edit ]

This is a major glitch. It requires precise timing; the character must be small and must enter a jar at the same time they are hit by a Phanto. If this is done correctly, the defeat fanfare will play as usual. However, the character will still go through the jar. When they exit, the character will have no health sections left, yet will still be alive. This glitch remains in the Super Mario All-Stars enhanced port.

Disappearing Mushroom Blocks [ edit ]

If the player throws a Mushroom Block offscreen and does not see it land, even to a place where it should safely land, it disappears until the player leaves through a door and comes back.

Critical reception [ edit ]

Super Mario Bros. 2 has been received positively, with IGN editor Lucas Thomas praising the graphics, sound and replay value[23], although he insisted that Western gamers could have gotten into the Japanese version of the game. GameSpot critic Alex Navarro agreed, and commented that the game "...shows that veering from the beaten path of a franchise's standard game design isn't always a bad idea"[24].

The game placed 47th in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997.[25]. It also placed 81st in the 200th Issue of GameInformer's "Top 200 Games of All Times" and placed 18th on IGN's Top 100 NES Games list[26]. As for sales, it is the fourth best-selling NES game, with 10 million copies sold worldwide.

Reviews Release Reviewer, Publication Score Comment Wii Marcel van Duyn, Nintendo Life 8/10 "It's a bit of an oddball to players familiar with other Mario games, sure, but the fact that it's so different from the rest of the series is what makes Super Mario Bros. 2 such an entertaining game. If you want a fun but unusual Mario experience, look no further - this is pretty much the textbook definition of it." Wii Lucas M.Thomas, IGN 8.5/10 "American gamers really do have the skill to play the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, but it was a good move by Nintendo anyway to create this less frustrating, more funky game &#Array; the American Mario 2 is still a lot of fun, and it inspired several aspects of future Super Mario titles. At 500 Wii Points, it's a great value for download. The only reason you may not want to pick it up is if, like Super Mario World, you already own it in another form &#Array; this game was re-released with enhanced graphics and a few other bonuses as Super Mario Advance for the launch of the Game Boy Advance back in 2001. As for the "real" Super Mario Bros. 2? Who knows. But the Virtual Console offers Nintendo a great avenue to distribute it here in its original 8-bit form, should the company ever decide we can handle it." Wii Alex Navarro, GameSpot 8/10 "For all its inherent weirdness, SMB2 was, and still is, quite a bit of fun. The level designs are still challenging to navigate, the bosses are still amusing to fight, and the presentation holds up. This is especially true of the music, which is some of the very best of the era. One minute spent in any of the game's subterranean levels is all you need to get that catchy tune stuck in your head for the rest of your natural life. At 500 Wii Points ($5), Super Mario Bros. 2 is a game well worth downloading, both for older audiences who remember playing it back in the day, and younger players interested in a history lesson. Granted, its value is lessened somewhat if you already own the fabulous Super Mario Advance for the GBA, or specifically want to play the Super Mario All-Stars version that came out for the SNES. But, for everyone else, it's a great platformer that shows that veering from the beaten path of a franchise's standard game design isn't always a bad idea." Aggregators Compiler Platform / Score GameRankings 81.25%

Media [ edit ]

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Super Mario Bros. 2 media.

Super Mario Bros. 2 Title theme

File info Media:SMB2-Title.oga

Gallery [ edit ]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Super Mario Bros. 2.

Television [ edit ]

Super Mario Bros. 2 was represented heavily in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! along with the original Super Mario Bros. Nearly all of the characters (notably excepting Wart and Pansers) and game play props appeared in the stories, and were in fact often more prominent than the original game's features.

Quotes [ edit ]

" Uprooting and lifting things as you played gave the game a new feel. It was released in Japan as Super Mario USA. " — Shigeru Miyamoto, Super Mario History 1985-2010 Booklet

" — Shigeru Miyamoto, " The basic controls have a very free, silly feeling to them that I absolutely love. " — Takashi Tezuka, Super Mario History 1985-2010 Booklet

" — Takashi Tezuka, "I adjusted the sounds of the NES to make it sound like a lot of different instruments were being played." — Koji Kondo, Super Mario History 1985-2010 Booklet

Names in other languages [ edit ]

Language Name Meaning Chinese (Simplified) 超级马力欧USA

Chāojí Mǎlì'ōu USA Super Mario USA Chinese (Traditional) 超級瑪利歐USA

Chāojí Mǎlì'ōu USA Super Mario USA

See also [ edit ]

Trivia [ edit ]

The Mario picture that appears in the box art is a flipped and modified version of the picture that appears on Mario's Super Mario Bros. artwork.

artwork. If the player takes the shortest route possible, the only bosses the player needs to fight are Birdo, Tryclyde (Mouser in Super Mario Advance ), Mask Gate, and Wart. [27]

), Mask Gate, and Wart. The South Korean Virtual Console release on Wii is the Japanese version, Super Mario USA , whereas the 3DS uses the English version, Super Mario Bros. 2 .

, whereas the 3DS uses the English version, . If the player defeats Wart with Luigi, he will do one jump in the ending cutscene instead of two.

References [ edit ]