Get to Know About Super Mario Bros 2
I remember the first time I popped Super Mario Bros. 2 into the NES—it felt like someone had taken the classic Mario formula and given it a quirky twist. Instead of just running and jumping on Goombas, you could actually pick them up and toss them, along with vegetables pulled right out of the ground. The whole game takes place in a dreamland called Subcon, which explains why clams flip you around underwater and floating carpets whisk you away to new heights. It’s such a departure from the original Mario world that you’re constantly surprised by what’s around the next corner.
What really sold me, though, was the roster of characters. Mario is your all-around guy, but Luigi’s jump feels delightfully floaty, Princess Toadstool hovers for a second after each leap, and Toad can muscle through enemies faster than anyone. Deciding who to use on a particular stage becomes its own little strategy—sometimes you need Toad’s speed to grab a key, other times Peach’s hover saves you from a tricky platform. It’s like each level was designed to spotlight a different skill, so swapping characters on the fly never gets old.
The level design in SMB2 is surprisingly varied. You go from underground caves littered with pots and piranha plants to dreamlike skies where you ride on a magic carpet. There are desert ruins with quicksand traps, an eerie submarine stage, and even a bonus board game where you battle to collect power-ups. And the final showdown with Wart, the frog king who rules Subcon, feels earned—you’ve been tossing vegetables at him for weeks by then, so it’s satisfying to see him get his comeuppance.
Even after all these years, I still find myself coming back to that lighthearted chaos. It’s a Mario game, sure, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The colorful worlds, the choice of characters, and the hide-and-seek secrets tucked into each level all combine to make Super Mario Bros. 2 feel like a funhouse mirror version of the Mushroom Kingdom—and I think that’s exactly why it holds up so well.