Platform: Famicom Disk System

Developer: Nintendo R&D4

Publisher: Nintendo

Release Date (JP): June 3rd, 1986

Genre: Platformer

Nerd Rating: 9 out of 10

Jesus, am I really doing this?  

I guess we’re doing this.

I never thought I’d approach a Super Mario Bros. review.  I mean, how does one even touch the subject?  It’s been done to death!  What could little ol’ me possibly contribute to a conversation that’s been going on for over 30 years?  

Well, it just so happens I’ve found myself obsessively playing this game ever since I imported it straight from Japan (a story I will, perhaps, cover at a later time).  And me obsessively playing a video game almost never happens anymore-

*gasp*

What kind of video game reviewer are you?

A lousy one.  Now let’s get this party started.

Yes, you did read the title of this review correctly.  This is Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and not Super Mario Bros.  But it’s pretty much the same game with some minor differences I don’t have to address but will, for those who have been cryogenically frozen since 2001.

We all know about Super Mario Bros., and by now we’re all familiar (I would hope, anyway) with the story behind the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, so I’m not going to go into all of that.  What I will do – like I do with almost all of my reviews – is approach this from a personal angle.

I was given a top loader Nintendo in 1993 – a time when the Super Nintendo was in full force and the NES was eyeing its pension as it neared retirement.  It wasn’t long before a neighbor kid gave me his Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cart.  Just like everyone else out there, I was obsessed.  It was an instant hit with young ZB, and I have since played it to death.  I’ve become quite good at it in fact, despite what any Twitch viewer might say (it’s all about cradling the right controller in your hands, trust me!).

When I discovered the fascinating history behind Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, I was enticed by the notion of importing a Famicom and Famicom Disk System so I could play the original sequel as it was intended.  Sure, I had unknowingly played it for years as part of Super Mario All-Stars, but it wasn’t the same.  And as I would later discover, it really wasn’t the same!

If you’ve read Adventures in Flea Marketing Vol. I, you’ll know that in late 2014 I was fortunate enough to come across a Super Famicom at my local flea market.  That opened my world to import gaming.  And though that world is…still rather barren, it did plant the seed in my head that one day I’d maybe pick up an original Famicom.

Well, that day came sometime last month.  When I spent a week in the Land of the Rising Sun!

Yes.  I bit the bullet.  I picked up a Famicom, a Famicom Disk System, Devil World, Super Mario Bros. (because three copies of the game apparently aren’t enough), and of course Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (A.K.A. Super Mario Bros. 2).

One of my life goals achieved!

Now before I have an existential breakdown prompted by that previous statement, I’m going to give you my superfluous take on Super Mario Bros. and what it means to me.  I will then go on to explain the minor differences found in the sequel and why it’s worth (or not worth) bringing into this country.

Super Mario Bros. really is something special.  You don’t need me to tell you that.  But what is it that has won this game international acclaim?

Super Mario Bros. is the ultimate pick-up-and-play game.  It’s not too long, it’s not too short.  No passwords, no saves.  You get three lives.  If you run out, game over.  Not continue.  Game over.  Meaning you haul your ass right back to level one.

There’s no crying in Super Mario Bros.

It’s not a very difficult game, but it’s also not too easy.  It’s simple, yet it does everything right as a platformer.  As early an entry into the genre as it may have been, it got it all perfect on the first try.

And though it is simple, there’s an understated elegance to this game.  The way it moves, the way it feels…even the way it looks.  The graphics are archaic by today’s standards, sure.  But you can’t look at that blocky Mario in his blocky world and say there isn’t something appealing about it all.  And everything from the power-ups to the game’s mechanics, to the enemies, to the level design, and just the overall creativity of the Mario Universe; it’s all very much perfect.  And somehow very uniquely its own.  

I mean, how many games can successfully pull off a boss battle where all you have to do is run past the boss?  It lasts 2.3 seconds, yet it’s incredibly rewarding.

And though it’s since been done to death, how innovative was it to introduce a character who jumps on enemies and progresses from small to large, to a projectile weapon?  Well, I’m really not sure because I wasn’t there at the time and I don’t completely know if that was a first, but…

Can you imagine what it was like to experience this game when it first came out?  How groundbreaking it was?  I know some of you were around for its initial release, but for those of us who weren’t, I imagine it may have been something akin to audiences seeing the original run of Star Wars in theaters back in 1977 when sci-fi movies were still campy as hell.

What really makes Super Mario Bros. unique is its controls.  I’m not sure if there are any other games (at least from what I’ve played) that can compare to its masterful handling.  It’s smooth as butter.  It’s intuitive.  I feel like they did a better job programming the controls in this game than God did programming us.  The amount of influence you have over Mario’s movements is so immense, your fingers become one with what you see on screen.

One of the reasons I can keep coming back to this game over and over again is that it is so much fun to ride the B button all the way to the end.  I marvel at some of the incredibly close calls I’ve had, the remarkably tight maneuvers, and the mere pixel’s difference that can make or break a run.  Playing this game is an art.  And if you do it right, it can be quite mesmerizing to watch.

Alright, enough jacking my own ego off, time to get to the “2” of Super Mario Bros. 2 (Lost Levels).

One of the reasons we never saw this sequel in its original form is that it was considered too similar to the original.  Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is nearly identical in terms of graphics, with some touched-up assets including clouds with more personality, eyes on mushrooms, slightly enhanced detail in the ground sprites, and so on.

This game introduces some new elements, such as wind, the infamous “poison” mushroom, red piranha plants (who pop out even if you stand next to their home pipe), floating Bloopers on regular platforming stages, and other small tweaks that make this much harder than the first.

This is the keyword: Harder.

In more ways than one.

If you catch my drift.

For those who have mastered and played the original to death, this is a wet dream.  From the old Super Mario Bros. experience, this was the new challenge you were always waiting for.  Well, until Super Mario Maker came along.  Or countless ROM hacks.  Whatever, for 1986 this was the only way for “Super Players” to test their skills.  The significant increase in difficulty is all that was needed to make Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels worth every penny.  It makes up for the lack of originality by turning an old experience fresh and new.  And while the first game never really grows old for me, I love that I have a way to really put my SMB skills to the test.  It’s fun, refreshing, and just an all-around good time.

Plus, they were merciful enough to grant you unlimited continues, so you can keep plugging away until you master this game.  Though I will warn you – we’re looking at a near-mythic level of difficulty here.  Foul language may occur.

But wait!

When you master the Mario game, I’ve got news for you.  The Luigi game is even harder!

That’s right.  Instead of the classic two-player option of the first, we are given the choice between a Mario game and a Luigi game.  And while I commend them for giving us the rare opportunity for some quality one-on-one time with the Weeg, I must say it is disappointing to lose the second player in this installment.  It’s also disappointing that such an opportunity is offered in a game where Luigi appears in that lame golfer outfit. 

I never did like his color scheme in the first Super Mario Bros.

For the first time, Luigi and Mario are presented with distinguishing characteristics.  While Mario is smooth to control, Luigi jumps way too high and is slippery, making for a gameplay experience that I myself have yet to master.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels not only demands your best performance, but it also forces you to exert a little extra brain power.  Unlike the first game, there are some areas where you might get stuck.  A hidden block may become essential, and one of those annoying Bowser castles where you have to guess the correct path will be even more tedious.  Expect the unexpected and know that whatever was considered below the belt in the first SMB is fair game in this one.

Now it’s true we’ve seen the real sequel included in both Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Bros Deluxe,  however, not only are they not graphically identical to the Japanese SMB2, but I found these were lacking the control experience that made the original so difficult. The way All-Stars operates makes its SMB and Lost Levels feel like watered-down versions of the source material, and the port that appears in Deluxe is missing the wind and in general feels easier. Not to mention both games allow you to save.

Now I don’t want to downplay those two collections.  They are each fantastic in their own right.  However, my point is, it’s worth getting the original if you can.

One other area I need to cover is the music. 

Exact same as the original.  I mean exact.  Remember, this sequel uses identical assets in almost every way, and as such not a single track is new or altered (well, okay the final victory tune is enhanced, but that’s it).  With that said, I will acknowledge the importance, catchiness, and simplicity of the soundtrack, not to mention how well it fits with the bright, fun, and colorful world.  However, allow me to commit heresy by stating that I’ve never loved the music in the first Super Mario Bros.  Sure, it’s iconic, but it just doesn’t do it for me.  Now if we’re talking great Mario soundtracks, I’m actually quite fond of the tunes in Super Mario Land, Super Mario Bros. 2 (A.K.A Super Mario U.S.A. A.K.A Doki Doki Panic), and Super Mario 64.  But we’re not talking about those games now, are we? 

I think that pretty much covers it, don’t you think?

And after all of this, you may find it to be quite the surprise when I say that Super Mario Bros. is not my favorite game.  It’s probably in my top ten, though I do not like it as much as Earthworm Jim, Super Metroid, Batman: The Video Game, Zelda II, or the Mega Man series.  It is an amazing game though, and it undeniably deserves every bit of praise it receives.  It’s a historically significant game that simply does not age and remains a timeless classic, easy to pick up by gamers of any age and skill level – undeniably fun each and every time.

What do you guys think?  Did I do a good job?  Did I say anything that hasn’t been said?  Was this worthwhile?  No?  

Oh.