As I'm sure we all know, the first "Super Mario Bros" from 1985 was not only an amazing game, but a shift in video game culture as a whole, as that was pretty much cemented forever by that game. So much so, Nintendo decided to make a sequel to it; though only for Japan (until about a decade later). What is now known as "The Lost Levels", that original sequel, despite still being good, was very little more than a tough as nails level expansion to the original game; with the only big improvement being a few of the visuals, but even those were minor. Though, 2 years after that, in the US (where I'm from), we were greeted with this. A completely different game altogether. One that, as many know, is mostly a reskin of another Famicom only game, "Doki Doki Panic". An odd decision, sure, but was it the right one?
Absolutely. In fact, I'd argue that this game is, in some ways, better than the first game. Now, you could read that and say "but if it's just a reskin, how could it be that good?" Well, it's because this game, despite having different mechanics in place, still feels like a classic Mario game. That's because, according to Shigeru Miyamoto, this game was actually designed with Mario in mind. But, because of the event that it was originally based off of, Fuji TV would sponsor Nintendo to make it based off of that instead of making it a Mario game. Thankfully, as time went on, we'd have both at the end of the day, with this one being the definitive way to play it.
This is also where you get to play as one of four characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad; and it's not just cosmetic. Mario is the most balanced, Luigi jumps higher and is a touch more slippery, Peach is able to glide for a few seconds, and Toad runs very fast. Everybody is fun to play as, and this adds a lot of replayabilty to an already excellent game. One which concept is awesome and well executed, all with visuals that are much more colorful and full of life than ever before, as well as some even more forever memorable music. By all accounts, this game really is something special.
One reason why this game is so special is how it's played. Instead of jumping on enemies, you throw them (and objects), and while that may sound odd, it not only fits, but is also immensely satisfying. Mix that with the added super jump and the otherwise usual move set, and what you've got here is a game with consistently well designed and creative levels, as they rely more on the aforementioned fun mechanics unique to this game instead of the usual power ups we're used to (though invincibility stars and super mushrooms are present here).
Another reason for this game being special are the characters. The likes of Bob-ombs, Shy Guys, Pokeys, and Ninjis are all forever classic Mario foes, and they all not only fit the Mario universe perfectly (as time would prove), but also make their debut here. No Bowser or the usual villains here, but instead, we get the likes of Wart, Mouser, Fryguy, Birdo, Clawgrip, and Tryclyde; with Birdo seemingly being the only one of the bunch to have been in more Mario games than this, though usually in spin offs. I almost wish we'd see more of these characters, because their designs and boss battles are charming and memorable. I can kind of see why that hasn't happened thanks to what the context behind this game is, but still.
Really, there's nothing about this game I dislike. Is it a bit different compared to most other Mario games? Sure. But it manages to do what it sets out to do near perfectly, and despite it not starting existence as a Mario game, its fun gameplay and characters makes it fit in perfectly with the series, and is, in my eyes, the best 2nd game the plumber has ever been in on the NES/Famicom. This is one of my favorite games on the console, and I recommend anyone check it out if they haven't yet. While I can't personally choose which one mine is (since all 3 of the mainline games on the NES are so great), I can definitely see why this one is Shigeru Miyamoto's, as it really is excellent, and is one of the most underrated of the entire series.
