SMB 2 - The 'Original' Super Mario Bros. 2

The 'Original' Super Mario Bros 2. 

What are we actually playing?

In America, we received copies of an NES game called "Super Mario Bros. 2" and that was the game we accepted as being the sequel to Super Mario Bros. The truth is, that's not the real sequel to the game. The game we've been playing is really a reskin of a Japanese game called "Doki Doki Panic." 

Have we ever played the original?

We did eventually get to play the game on the SNES, but it goes by the name "Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels." Japan even got to play our version of SMB 2, but the game was called "Super Mario USA." 

   

Why are there two versions of SMB 2?

The reason that they did all of this over one game is because they thought that the game would be too hard for Americans to play. The game had challenging levels with new obstacles and even a poison mushroom that looks nearly identical to the mushroom power-up from the original game. 

What is a poison mushroom?

The poison mushroom does the opposite of a regular mushroom. Instead of making Mario taller, it makes you shorter or kills you. In the SNES version of the game, the mushroom was turned purple so we would have less trouble telling them apart. The power-down is more of an obstacle or a "false hope" item that you have to avoid when you come across one.

    

Final Words.

The claim it was "too hard" for Americans didn't age too well once speedrunners started to become a thing on the internet, now did it? Anyway, this ends my blog. I'll be posting a new blog next week. Cya later.

(Doki Doki Panic, Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA), Super Mario USA, and Super Mario Bros. 2 (JAPAN) cover arts are by Nintendo. Screenshot of Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels by travicopter. SMB 2. (JAPAN) Poison Mushroom image by KICVGCPAUTTP. SMB 2. (USA) Poison Mushroom Image by Dragonshadow3.)