Super Mario Bros. 2

This article is about the Nintendo Entertainment System game released in 1988. For other uses, see Super Mario Bros. 2 (disambiguation).

"Super Mario USA" redirects here. For other uses, see Super Mario USA (disambiguation).

"Mario 2" redirects here. For the level in Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge, see Mario 2 (level).

"Super Mario 2" redirects here. For the Norwegian DVD release of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, see Super Mario 2 (DVD).

Not to be confused with New Super Mario Bros. 2.

Super Mario Bros. 2
For alternate art, see the related gallery.
Developer	Nintendo R&D4
Publisher	Nintendo
Platforms	Nintendo Entertainment System, Family Computer, Nintendo PlayChoice-10, Virtual Console (Wii / 3DS / Wii U), NES Classic Edition, Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer, Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Classics
Release dates	Nintendo Entertainment System: October 9, 1988 April 28, 1989 May 4, 1989 Between 1989 and 1992 Family Computer: September 14, 1992 Nintendo PlayChoice-10: 1988[?] Virtual Console (Wii): May 25, 2007[?] May 25, 2007[?] July 2, 2007[?] August 10, 2007 July 15, 2008 Virtual Console (Nintendo 3DS): November 28, 2012 July 11, 2013[?] August 7, 2013[?] August 8, 2013[?] March 2, 2016[?] Virtual Console (Wii U): May 16, 2013[?] May 16, 2013[?] May 16, 2013[?] March 19, 2014[?] Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer November 10, 2016[?] NES Classic Edition: November 10, 2016[?] November 11, 2016[?] November 11, 2016[?] Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Classics: February 13, 2019 February 13, 2019 February 13, 2019 February 13, 2019 April 23, 2019[?] April 23, 2019[?]
Language	English
Genre	2D platformer
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone[?] CERO: - All ages[?] PEGI: - Three years and older[?] USK: - All ages[?] ClassInd: - General audience[?] GRAC: - All ages[?] ACB: - General[?]
Mode	Single player
Format	Famicom: Cartridge NES: Game Pak Wii: Digital download Wii U: Digital download Nintendo Switch: Digital download Nintendo 3DS: Digital download NES Classic Edition: Built-in
Input	Famicom: Famicom Controller NES: NES Controller Wii: Wii Remote (horizontal) Classic Controller Nintendo GameCube Controller Wii U: Wii U GamePad Wii Remote (horizontal) Classic Controller Wii U Pro Controller Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Joy-Con (horizontal) Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Famicom Controller (NSO) NES Controller (NSO) Super NES Controller (NSO) Nintendo 3DS: Gamepad NES Classic Edition: NES Classic Controller Classic Controller
Serial codes	NES: NES-MW-USA NES-MW-CAN NES-MW-EEC NES-MW-NOE NES-MW-SCN NES-MW-SCN NES-MW-SCN NES-MW-KOR PlayChoice-10: PCH1-R-MW Famicom: HVC-MT

Super Mario Bros. 2 is a 2D platform game originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in 1988. It is the second game in the Super Mario series outside Japan and the third entry overall. The game was later released in Japan under the name Super Mario USA for the Family Computer in 1992 and has since been re-released on many other systems, including a release on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2007, the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in 2012, the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2013, and the Nintendo Switch's Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Classics application in 2019. As a result of Japan already having a Super Mario Bros. 2 (known in English as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels and Super Mario Bros. for Super Players), the game did not make its debut in the country until after the release of Super Mario World, on September 14, 1992, making it Japan's sixth installment of the series.

One of the central game mechanics that differentiates Super Mario Bros. 2 from other Super Mario games is that players can select four characters—Mario, Luigi, Toad, or Princess Toadstool—and each of these characters has their unique gameplay mechanics, offering advantages and disadvantages in their stats. Another distinction is that players cannot defeat enemies by stomping on them; instead, players must either toss items at enemies or pick up and toss enemies at each other to defeat them.

Super Mario Bros. 2 came about after Nintendo of America deemed Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels too difficult for Western audiences, which led Nintendo to redevelop the Family Computer Disk System game Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic into a Super Mario Bros. game for the international release. After its release, the game became a commercial success, and eventually the game became well received enough that it was also released in Japan. After performing well both critically and commercially, Super Mario Bros. 2 was remade as one of the four games featured in Super Mario All-Stars, as well as having its own standalone remake in Super Mario Advance, both of which refer to it as Super Mario 2. Many enemies introduced in Super Mario Bros. 2 have become common recurring enemies in the Super Mario franchise, such as Bob-ombs, Pokeys, Shy Guys, and more, while the gameplay mechanic of picking up various items and tossing them has returned in several later games.

Story

Story from the instruction booklet

One evening, Mario had a strange dream. He dreamt of a long, long staircase leading up to a door. As soon as the door opened, he was confronted with a world he had never seen before spreading out as far as his eyes could see. When he strained his ears to listen, he heard a faint voice saying "Welcome to 'Subcon', the land of dreams. We have been cursed by Wart and we are completely under his evil spell. We have been awaiting your arrival. Please defeat Wart and return Subcon to its natural state. The curse Wart has put on you in the real world will not have any effect upon you here. Remember, Wart hates vegetables. Please help us!"

At the same time this was heard, a bolt of lightning flashed before Mario's eyes. Stunned, Mario lost his footing and tumbled upside down. He awoke with a start to find himself sitting up in his bed. To clear his head, Mario talked to Luigi, Toad and Princess about the strange dream he had. They decide to go to a nearby mountain for a picnic.

After arriving at the picnic area and looking at the scenery, they see a small cave nearby. When they enter this cave, to their great surprise, there's a stairway leading up, up and up. It is exactly like the one Mario saw in his dream. They all walk together up the stairs and at the top, find a door just like the one in Mario's dream. When Mario and his friends, in fear, open the door, to their surprise, the world that he saw in his dream spreads out before them!....

Mario discovers that Subcon has been taken over by Wart and that the events of his dream are true. Mario and co. are now on a quest to defeat Wart and restore peace to the dream world. At the end of the game, Mario, Luigi, Toadstool and Toad are seen being chanted on by the inhabitants of Subcon, who are carrying Wart across the room. Mario then wakes up and wonders about whether the events were true or just a dream. He then continues sleeping and the game ends.

In-game story

When Mario opened a door after climbing a long stair in his dream, another world spread before him and he heard a voice call for help to be freed from a spell.

After awakening, Mario went to a cave nearby and to his surprise he saw exactly what he saw in his dream....

Gameplay

A screenshot from the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Super Mario Bros. 2.

Since the game is a reskin of Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic, it has little in common with the original Super Mario Bros. For example, in order to defeat enemies, the player needs to pluck clumps of grass to receive items (such as vegetables), and then throw the vegetables at them. It is also possible to defeat enemies by jumping on them, picking them up and then throwing them to other enemies. There are a few elements in common with its predecessor, however, such as the appearances of the Mushroom and Starman, although the former has a different function. If the player has one health point remaining, they turn into their Small form. Additionally, there are no power-ups in the game that grant the player additional abilities in the Super form such as the ability to shoot fireballs, making Super Mario Bros. 2 one of the only 2D Super Mario titles (with the other being Super Mario Run) to not have additional forms after the Super form.

At the beginning of each level, the player can choose between the playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Toadstool. All four characters have different powers and statistics. When entering the next level, players can select a different character.

At the end of most levels of the game, the player fights Birdo. The player has to jump on the eggs that it spits, grab them and throw them back, hitting Birdo three times to gain a crystal which opens the Mask Gate at the end of the level. There are several colors of Birdos: pink, which only spits eggs; red, which spits eggs and fireballs and green, which only spits fireballs. For the green Birdos, there are Mushroom Blocks nearby for the player to use instead.

There are seven worlds in this game. The first six has three levels apiece, and the seventh has only two. The reason the final world is missing a third stage is not explained in the game, but the backstory for Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic makes it clear: the framing narrative for this game, which is a storybook and not a dream, has the final page of the story being torn in half, thus eliminating the part in which Wart is defeated. Essentially, in beating the game, the player is restoring the final chapter of the story.

Defeated enemies and Birdo can re-spawn if the player runs one screen away from the area where they normally appear and return, which may allow the player to defeat the enemies again in order to regain health if necessary; this still occurs in later releases (except Super Mario Advance), but a defeated Birdo does not reappear unless the player completely leaves and re-enters the areas where Birdo is fought.

Controls

Action(s)	NES	Wii Remote	Wii Classic Controller	GameCube Controller	Nintendo 3DS	Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller (Default)	Nintendo Switch Dual Joy-Con / Pro Controller (Default)	Nintendo Switch Single Joy-Con (Default)
Jump, accept, stop slots at the Bonus Chance			or	or	or	or	or
Dash, pick up objects, throw objects, pluck vegetables			or	or	or	or	or	or
Pause the game, confirm menu option								+
Select option after a Game Over								+
Select character, move character	(left/right)		or (left/right)	or (left/right)	or (left/right)	or (left/right)	(left/right)	(left/right)
Enter doors and other openings, climb up vine	(up)		or (up)	or (up)	or (up)	or (up)	(up)	(up)
Crouch (Power Squat Jump if held long enough), enter jars, climb down vines	(down)		or (down)	or (down)	or (down)	or (down)	(down)	(down)

Characters

Playable characters

Character Name	Mario	Luigi	Toad	Princess Toadstool
Artwork
Speed	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆	★★★★★	★★☆☆☆
Jump	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★☆☆☆	★★★☆☆
Strength	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆	★★★★★	★★☆☆☆
Description	Mario has average stats, making him an acceptable choice in all situations. He has no outstanding abilities.	Luigi has a high jump, but he is weaker than average. He is slightly slower than average as well.	Toad is the fastest and the strongest. He has the lowest jump in the game, however. Due to his poor jumping ability, he relies heavily on the charged jump.	The princess has a special float jump that allows her to hover in midair, which can be used to jump further or correct an otherwise fatal landing. As a tradeoff, she has the lowest speed and power.

Subcons

Image	Name	Description
	Subcons	The Subcon species are a group of peaceful fairy-like beings that have their land invaded by Wart. Wart traps them in jars, and they plead Mario and his friends for help. They also give Mario and his friends vital information to defeat Wart (namely that Wart hates vegetables).

Enemies and obstacles

Enemies

The rightmost column "Grab" denotes whether the enemy can be picked up and tossed. Every enemy in the game appeared in the original Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic.

Image	Name	Description	Levels		Grab
			First	Last
	Shyguy - Red	Wart's masked foot soldiers that walk along the ground. Shyguys are the most common enemies and are weak to all attacks. The red-clad ones walk off of ledges, like green Koopa Troopas.	World 1-1	World 7-2	Yes
	Shy Guy - Pink	Pink Shyguys turnaround when they reach the edge of platforms, like red Koopa Troopas.	World 1-1	World 7-2	Yes
	Tweeter	Masked birds that hop across the ground in short arches.	World 1-1	World 7-2	Yes
	Snifit - Red	Shyguys that spit bullets. The bullets travel horizontally and damage players on contact. There is only one red Snifit, which walks off of ledges like red Shyguys. Red Snifits otherwise appear on one of the slots in Bonus Chance.	World 3-3		Yes
	Snifit - Gray	Gray Snifits jump in place and spit bullets. In some levels, they appear green.	World 1-2	World 7-2	Yes
	Snifit - Pink	Pink-clad Snifits turnaround when the reach the edge of platforms. They are the most common Snifits.	World 1-2	World 7-2	Yes
	Ninji - 1	Impish ninjas. Ninjis are black but appear blue in underground caves. The first types of Ninjis jump vertically but otherwise remain still.	World 1-1	World 7-2	Yes
	Ninji - 2	The second types of Ninjis chase players and hop in low arches.	World 1-2	World 7-1	Yes
	Beezo - Red	Winged Shyguys that carry bidents. Red Beezos swoop down to strike players.	World 1-2	World 5-3	Yes
	Beezo - Gray	Gray Beezos fly forward in straight lines.	World 4-2	World 6-2	Yes
	Hoopster	Lady beetle-like enemies that live on vines. Hoopsters slowly crawl up and down, occasionally speeding up while descending. They harm players when they make contact with them from above or the side, but they can be safely stood on.	World 1-1	World 7-1	Yes
	Phanto	Masks that guard keys. Phantos are normally inert, but one comes to life when players grab a key. They doggedly fly after them as long as the key is held. They are uninhibited by terrain and transitions to other areas, even appearing in Subspace. A Phanto is defeated only when touched by players' invincible form with a stop watch in affect, but another one appears to take its place.	World 1-2	World 7-2	No
	Trouter	Goldfish-like enemies that ascend waterfalls. Players can use Trouters as platforms to jump across bodies of water, but they harm them when touched at the sides.	World 1-3	World 5-2	No
	Porcupo	Hedgehog enemies protected by spines. Direct contact damages players. Porcupos are defeated only when an item is tossed at them.	World 3-2	World 5-2	No
	Bob-Omb	Walking bombs that travel back and forth. They self-destruct when players are near. They can be used like normal bombs when tossed.	World 3-3	World 7-2	Yes
	Albatoss	Raptors that carry Bob-Ombs and fly horizontally. They drop them when players are below. Albatosses can be stood on and used to reach distant areas.	World 3-3	World 7-1	No
	Pidgit	Small crows that ride magic carpets. Pidgits swoop down to strike players, but this also makes them easier to defeat. Defeating a Pidgit leaves its magic carpet available for players to use.	World 1-2	World 5-3	Yes
	Cobrat	Snakes that spit bullets. Cobrats slither across terrain or sit in tall jars. When players approach, they jump out and fire a single bullet.	World 2-1	World 6-3	Yes
	Panser - Red	Flowers that release projectile fireballs. The red-petalled Pansers are stationary and shoot three at a time.	World 2-1	World 7-2	No
	Panser - Gray	Gray Pansers actively walk and turn around when they reach the edges of platforms. They fire fireballs straight up.	World 3-1	World 7-2	No
	Panser - Pink	The pink Pansers actively pursue Mario.	World 3-1	World 6-1	No
	Ostro	Ostrich-like creatures ridden by red Shyguys. Ridden Ostros chase after players, but if the Shyguys are removed they run in straight line. Ostros do not bounce off other enemies when tossed.	World 3-2	World 5-2	Yes
	Pokey	Segmented cactus enemies that slowly shuffle across terrain. Pokeys are of various heights. They can be defeated by having objects thrown at them or their body segments being removed one by one.	World 2-2	World 6-3	Yes
	Autobomb	Wheeled turrets, usually controlled by red Shyguys. Autobombs fire bullets, but if the Shyguys are removed, they simply move. Players can ride on them. They are only destroyed with items.	World 4-1	World 4-2	No
	Flurry	Snowman-like creatures that chase players across icy terrain. They move quickly but have poor traction.	World 4-1	World 4-3	Yes
	Spark	Masked electric orbs that cause damage on contact. Sparks hover in the air or travel across terrain, including the sides and ceilings.	World 1-3	World 7-2	No

Obstacles

Image	Name	Description	Levels
			First	Last
	Quicksand	Players slowly sink as they stand on top of quicksand. Jumping help keeps them above the surface.	World 2-1	World 6-1
	Shy Guy Generator / Bob-Omb Generator	The small-sized jars indefinitely expel Shyguys or Bob-Ombs. Unlike the large ones, they cannot be entered.	World 3-3	World 7-2
	Spikes	Spikes line the floor of fortresses. They damage players on contact, but Shyguys and other enemies can walk across them unharmed.	World 1-3	World 7-2

Bosses

Bosses are listed in the order that they are first encountered.

Image	Name	Description	Levels
			First	Last
Mid-bosses
	Birdo	Birdo appears at the end of every first and second level in the worlds. Birdo comes in three varieties. The pink one simply shoots eggs, which can be picked up and thrown back at her.	World 1-1	World 4-3
	Birdo - Red	The red one shoots randomly eggs or fireballs (which harms players if they touch them).	World 2-2	World 7-2
	Birdo - Gray	The remaining type appears green or gray depending on location (but are assigned to the same palette) and shoots only fireballs; these ones must be defeated with mushroom blocks.	World 5-1	World 7-1
	Mask Gate	It looks like a normal Mask Gate, but upon collecting the Crystal Ball, it starts attacking the players by flying into them. Players must attack it with Mushroom Blocks to stun it for a short period. Once it is stunned, it allows entry into Wart's room.	World 7-2
Bosses
	Mouser	Mouser is the first true boss players encounter. He attacks by throwing bombs. The bombs sit for a while before they explode, enabling players to pick them up and throw them at Mouser. If the bomb explodes on Mouser, he takes damage. There are two variants of Mouser: one with pink ears and one with green ears. A white and red variant was replaced by Clawgrip when Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic was retooled into Super Mario Bros. 2.