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Comebackking's Retro Reviews: Super Mario Brothers 2 (Japan)

Started by comebackking1, October 15, 2007, 04:39:01 AM

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Super Mario Brothers 2: The Lost Levels
Published by: Nintendo
Developed by: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer
Number of Players: 1
Release Date:  US: October 1, 2007

Let me first preface the review by saying that there will be comparisons to the U.S. released Super Mario Brothers 2 (Doki Doki Panic in Japan).  As both were intended to be successors to the original Super Mario Brothers, I feel it's quite appropriate.  The Lost Levels was originally released only in Japan due to its unforgiving difficulty and the frustration it was likely to cause American players.  This is the game's first release in the U.S. in its original, unaltered form.

With that caveat out of the way, The Lost Levels features nothing new story wise.  The princess has been kidnapped again, and once again, it's up to Mario and his younger brother Luigi to rescue her and restore peace to the Mushroom Kingdom.  It's a tried and true story that works, but it feels bland compared to the world of Subcon featured in the U.S. release.  Subcon added new characters to the mix, such as shy-guys and Birdo, which are still relevant today in the Mario universe.  It also brought Princess Peach and Toad into the spotlight as playable characters.  The Lost Levels really didn't do anything new, and even though the story has never been a strong point of the Mario series, a little added substance would have been appreciated.

Graphically, both games looked good for their time.  The Lost Levels borrowed heavily from the original, featuring many sprites from the first entry, and running on the same engine.  Mario and Luigi look identical to their SMB counterparts, but "if it ain't broke don't fix it", right?  Some of the trees and mushrooms in the background are more detailed, and it feels like there are more things present onscreen than in the original.  Ultimately, though, it feels like more of the same, which isn't a bad thing, the Mushroom Kingdom is just as inviting as it ever was.

The world of Subcon features brand new sprites for all the characters as well as a whole new world to explore.  The sprites are colorful, and the world as a whole feels more detailed than its Mushroom Kingdom counterpart.  There are traditional side-scrolling levels as well as vertical scrolling areas.  Overall, The Lost Levels pales in comparison to SMB2, but it is a step up from its predecessor and should be commended for it.

The music and sound effects are going to sound really familiar to anyone who has played the original Super Mario Brothers.  In fact, they are exactly the same!  You still have the same four themes for outdoor levels, underground levels, water levels, and Bowser's castle.  The sound effects for jumping, grabbing a mushroom or fireflower, and tagging the flag are all intact just as you remember them.  It's still a very solid and catchy soundtrack; it just could have used something fresh.

The Lost Levels keeps most of the tried and true gameplay mechanics of the original with one notable exception, Luigi.  Mario controls just the same as he did, but Luigi has been given the ability to jump higher and further, at the cost of slipping and sliding as though he were on ice.  The game is very playable with either character, and each character will have advantages in certain areas.  Mario is far more useful in areas requiring precision jumps, while Luigi excels at jumping large gaps or accessing high, tough to reach areas.  You must play the entire game as the same character so it becomes necessary to choose based on your skill set.  The other change of note is the addition of blowing wind in some levels.  It can help or hinder in certain situations and is generally just a nuisance in areas already packed with enemies and numerous pitfalls.  Tight controls have always been a hallmark of the series and The Lost Levels is no exception.

The biggest change you will notice between SMB and The Lost Levels is the exponential increase in difficulty.  Even those that mastered the original are going to struggle to forge ahead.  There are fewer 1-ups, fewer checkpoints, many death-defying, precision jumps, and many inconveniently placed enemies.  To add to that, you only start with 3 lives and you can only continue at the beginning of the world you are in.  It's apparent that whoever designed these levels had a sick, sadistic sense of humor.  With practice the game can be conquered, but it's not for the faint of heart.

As a sequel The Lost Levels doesn't do anything drastically different save for the insane difficulty.  It takes the old engine, the same music, tried and true controls, and jacks up the challenge.  I think Nintendo made the correct decision in not releasing this initially, as the difficulty would have put off a lot of fledgling fans, and Mario may not have grown to the icon status that he has reached today.  It is, however, an important part of Nintendo's history and any Mario fans owe it to themselves to experience the sequel to the most important game in video game history.  You have, however, been warned!  Good luck!

Final Score: 8.75