I first heard about this game in an issue of Nintendo Power way back in the mid-90's. By that point, the original Super NES edition of Super Mario All-Stars had been out for a few years but I never owned that as a kid so I had never played this game or even knew that it existed before. I really didn't know what to think of the title The Lost Levels. Remember, I was only like nine or so years old at this point anyway but still, I was still thinking, "Why couldn't they just call it Super Mario Bros. 4? Isn't that what it is?" That's what I thought it was. I thought it was some sort of fourth game in the series that had gone undiscovered or something for years and had just now been released. As I eventually discovered, I wasn't that far off in my thinking but at the time, my young brain just couldn't process or comprehend what that subtitle meant. In any case, as I've stated so many times here that I probably sound like a broken record, years went by and I never played The Lost Levels or even thought about it that much until I started watching James Rolfe's videos over at Cinemassacre.com. I don't think he ever talked about this issue while he was playing his Angry Video Game Nerd character but in gaming videos where he would be himself, he would sometimes mention how The Lost Levels was, in fact, the original Super Mario Bros. 2, before we finally ended up with the game that we officially know as being the first sequel to the original Super Mario Bros. Rolfe didn't explain the whole story in that particular video but once I got the Wii edition of Super Mario All-Stars, I looked the game up myself and found out what its deal was.
Even though it's often referred to as being the original intended sequel to Super Mario Bros., according to the developers, this actually was not their original gameplan. Doki Doki Panic, the game that was eventually refurbished by Nintendo of America and released over here as Super Mario Bros. 2, indeed started out as a prototype for the sequel but was changed to something completely different due to licensing issues (and, from what I hear, was released in Japan in a rather crude and somewhat unfinished form). So, to fill the gap, Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka created this game, which is basically a remake of the original, with the only major difference being the increased difficulty of the gameplay. Because of this, Nintendo of America decided not to release the game in the U.S. and opted instead to essentially finish Miyamoto and his team originally intended to do, turning Doki Doki Panic into Super Mario Bros. 2 and releasing it in the U.S. as such. And obviously, until Super Mario All-Stars, The Lost Levels went virtually unheard of in America.
When I first played The Lost Levels on my Wii edition of All-Stars, I had no idea about how hard it is. After playing it for just a little bit and effectively getting my ass handed to me, I was thinking to myself, "Good God, this is freaking hard!" It was after that that I did my research and read the backstory on the game. My reaction was, "Well, that explains a lot." I think that Nintendo of America made the right decision in not releasing this in the U.S. until almost a decade later. While I wouldn't call it a bad game at all, it is frustrating to say the least. It may not be as sadistically hard as something like Silver Surfer on the NES, but it's still a game that, as the Angry Video Game Nerd would put it, kicks your ass until diarrhea comes out of your dick! There are so many levels here where you will think that this game just hates you, that it's giving you a beatdown because you owe it money or something. While I do get that it was intended to be a game that would challenge those players that had mastered the original, I do think that it goes overboard in some instances and can feel just downright cruel and unfair. I just want to make it clear, though, that, even though I am going to talk about how downright difficult and unfair I think this game is at points, I don't hate it. Beating it was actually rewarding simply because of how hard it is and there is a fun factor that comes from that. However, that does not extinguish the fact that I do genuinely feel that this game sometimes goes a little too far.
Besides its difficulty, another reason why Nintendo of America initially decided not to release the game in America is because of how similar it is to the original. When you play the game, that fact is undeniable. Again, I've only played the All-Stars edition but since that version looks exactly like edition of the original game that's in that pack, I'm going to assume that the same can be said for both original versions. Heck, the game apparently used the same engine as the original so it should look very similar. While there are minor differences made to the moves that one can pull off in the game, like being able to bounce higher when you jump on enemies, the movement mechanics are basically the same and so are the music and sound effects, save for very minute, practically unnoticeable, new additions. From what I can tell, while the character sprites are pretty much the same in the original version, more detail is put into the actual design of the levels. The story and basic gameplay are also the same: Bowser has kidnapped Princess Toadstool and you have to journey through eight increasingly difficult worlds in order to rescue her. That may sound like the same story for nearly all of the Mario games but most of the other games put some sort of new spin it, like in Super Mario Bros. 3, where you're liberating a bunch of different lands by the princess' orders when she herself is suddenly kidnapped at the end of the game or in Super Mario 64 where you're having to journey through worlds in the castle's paintings and collect power stars in order to progress further. Here, though, there is nothing changed in-between the two games in terms of the story, how you progress through the game, and the basic structure of the worlds: four levels, with the fourth being a castle where you face Bowser at the end. The various level types that were present in the original, (normal platforming ones, underground ones, swimming ones, rope ones, etc.) all return here as well as the coin heavens, coin rooms, and the Warp Zones (although, as I'll get into shortly, you have to be careful about the Warp Zones in this game). And, like the original game's Minus World, it is possible to access an unusual new world after you complete the game (without using any Warp Zones, that is) as well as four more worlds by completing the game eight times. It must be noted that at the time I'm writing this, I have never accessed those hidden worlds and, therefore, I doubt you will see anything about them in the final review. If so, I might do an update on this review one day and talk about those worlds after I've played them (emphasis on "might," though, because this game is hard enough to beat once, let alone eight times). In any case, I just felt that you should know that.
Despite all of these similarities, though, there are some very noticeable differences between the games as well. First off, there's no two-player mode. However, at the beginning of the game, you're given an option of playing either as Mario or Luigi and this is also the first game that highlights each brother's pros and cons. While Mario is basically the same as he was originally, with the same agile movements and jumping ability, Luigi can actually jump higher and farther, making him more useful in clearing large gaps. On the flip side, though, Luigi jumps so high that he often bangs his head against the ceiling in fairly narrow spaces, which can cause you to fall into oblivion, so it's best to be using Mario in those situations. In other words, this game not only gives you a choice but the characters' different ways of moving create a slightly more complex gameplay system, forcing you to think about which one is the best to play as in a given level and world. (Personally, I almost always just use Mario and grin and bear the obstacles that are thrown at me with him.)
There are no new enemies introduced in this game but, that said, the enemies that are here tend to behave much differently than the way they did in the original. In the swimming levels, you actually run into Goombas, Koopas, and Lakitus! As if you didn't have enough crap to dodge underwater, now you have to deal with these typically land-based enemies. Moreover, not only are there plenty of levels where Cheep-Cheeps are flying up at you but you can also find Bloopers hovering in the air in some levels. While they're not as aggravating in the air as they are underwater, seeing as how you can actually stomp on them when they're hovering around, I was not happy when I first realized that I would now have to deal with the most annoying underwater enemy even when I wasn't in a swimming level. The Hammer Bros. are much more aggressive this time around and will continue to move towards you while throwing their hammers at you. In addition to the classic green Piranha Plants, there's also a red kind in this game that will poke their heads out even if you stand right next to their pipes. They'll still stay down in their pipes if you stand on top of them, though, and thank God for that. And finally, when you fight Bowser in his final castle, he'll actually appear twice, with the first one being an imposter before you face the real one. This fake Bowser also appears in a couple of the game's extra levels as well.
While the enemies may remain the same, save for some of them having new attitudes and ways of attacking, there are some new obstacles and hazards that you must contend with in this game. The most notable one is the Poison Mushroom, a booby-trap that's disguised as a power-up. If one runs into you when you're Super or Fire Mario, you'll downgrade back to regular Mario and if it hits you while you're regular Mario, you'll lose a life altogether. These damn things have a bad habit of popping up when you really need a genuine power-up as well, so you have to keep an eye on what comes out of Item Blocks when you hit them. There are spots in some levels where some really strong winds that blow you to the left or right suddenly pop up and you often have to jump with or against them, forcing you to keep your timing skills sharp. In addition to the typical red springs from the original game are green springs that send you flying off into the wild blue yonder. While they are essential in crossing huge gaps, since you can't see where your character is for a little bit, you have to make sure that there is plenty of terrain on the screen for when you finally do come back down to Earth; otherwise, you may end up falling to your death. The trap that will probably make you break your TV if you fall for it is the fake Warp Zone. While the Warp Zones from the original game do return, the game designers decided to be real assholes and put in two fake ones that will send you back to an earlier world if you enter them! I've fallen for those things a few times in my playthroughs of the game, mainly because I'd either forgotten which was which or that they existed altogether, and when you don't have a gameplay file saved up, it's pretty damn irritating when you realize you have to fight your way back to where you were. In other words, you really have to watch what you're doing in this game because it will get you when you least expect it.
Of course, the biggest difference between this game and the original is the difficulty level. There are many factors that contribute to why this game is so hard. For one, the game doesn't take much time to gradually ease you into the difficulty like most games do. You'll only be playing the first few levels for a few minutes before you notice how tricky the game is and once you get to the second world, war is pretty much on. Many of the levels consist of tricky obstacle courses, whether that be due to a large amount of enemies that are present in one space, a bunch of very difficult jumping challenges (which range from a series of hard to land on platforms to having to build up speed and then jump off a narrow block in order to cross a gap), factors like the wind that sometimes pops up, or, in some instances, a combination of one or all of those hazards. Speaking of the enemies, this game really goes overboard with the worst enemies, in particular the Lakitus and the Hammer Bros., often forcing you to deal with awful combinations of the baddies that you absolutely despise, especially in the last few worlds. Even worse is that you typically can't find a power-up to make your life easier in those situations and that leads to another thing: this game gets really stingy with the power-ups. There were will be so many times where you're stuck as regular Mario and you desperately need at least a Mushroom so you can have an extra hit on you when you run a gauntlet of difficult enemies but you either won't find it or it will happen to be in an invisible Item Block that you stumble across purely by accident (which is often the case in the castle levels especially). Actually, invisible blocks can be hazardous in and of themselves, often popping up in the midst of a bunch of enemies and smacking you back down into the line of fire when you unintentionally activate them. Moreover, when it comes to item blocks, there are some instances where you find a Mushroom but while trying to get it, you end up accidentally activating either a 1-Up or, worst of all, a Poison Mushroom, which cancels out the normal Mushroom before you can get it. I've done that I don't know how many times and it is quite frustrating. You sometimes end up activating a Mushroom or an Invincibility Star when they're stuck between two walls and you have to hit them from underneath the bricks that they crawl or bounce across in order to give them the boost they need to get across the walls. It's difficult to do that, it eats up time, and sometimes, the item will end jumping over the left wall and scrolling off the screen to where you can't get it (like the original Super Mario Bros., the game will only let you go forward). These are just some of the headaches that you have to deal with in The Lost Levels and I'm sure that I will talk about more when I go through the levels themselves. Just because a game is challenging doesn't make it bad but, as I've said, there are so many instances in this game where I've been like, "Whoa, enough already!"
I don't know if this was the case in the original version of The Lost Levels but the developers of Super Mario All-Stars at least realized how difficult this game was and did their best to ease your suffering as much as possible. While the save feature for the other three games only saves what world you happen to be on at the time (if you don't finish the world before you save, you'll have to play through all of its levels again when you come back to it), you can save your progress one level at a time here. In addition, most of the levels (save for the castle levels as well as one or two near the end of the game) have a halfway point that, once you pass through it, you'll start there if you get killed (in levels as difficult as these, this really comes in handy). However, despite that little bit of a helping hand, this is still a frustrating game and even that small advantage probably won't keep you from getting very, very agitated while playing (either that or I'm just not very patient, which is also a distinct possibility).
Level 1-1: As I said before, even though it's the first level, this game doesn't pull many punches from the start. The first power-up is in one of the unmarked bricks with the Koopa walking across them that you come across right after the start and even then, you have to hit it from underneath one of the other bricks in order to bounce it out from between the two blocks. The only power-up that you get is near the end of the level. There are two Poisonous Mushrooms lying in Item Blocks placed throughout, quite a few Goombas, Koopas, Paratroopas, and Piranha Plants, and a big gap that you have to jump over in the middle of the level (although it is possible to walk over the brick platform above it). There's also a 1-Up, an Invincibility Star, and a pipe that leads to a coin room here. However, you have to approach that pipe from the right; otherwise, you'll fall down a pit. The coin room also has a power-up in it but it's hidden in a block on the ceiling that you have reveal some hidden coin blocks in order to reach. And the brick on the left wall has a Poison Mushroom in it. If this already sounds tricky, you haven't seen anything yet. This game is just getting started.
Level 1-2: The first underground level ratchets up the difficulty a few more notches. There are a bunch of difficult jumps here that involve platforms that begin to fall as soon as you jump on them, spots where the only "platforms" you can jump on are the tops of pipes containing Piranha Plants, and other enemies like Goombas, Koopas and Paratroopas, and Buzzy Beetles. Other than an Invincibility Star that makes jumping across those Piranha Plant-infested pipes easier (you still have to time your jumps carefully, though), the only power-ups in the main part of the level are in some of the bricks that make up the ceiling. They're very tricky to reach no matter how powered up you are. If you're small, you have to chase the Mushroom over to the end of the ceiling while avoiding enemies and pitfalls. If you're big, you still may not be able to reach some of them if you're not playing as Luigi and there's one section where you have to be careful because if you activate one power-up right after another, you'll cancel out the first one. It's best to make a hole in the bricks so you can catch the two 1-Up Mushrooms in this section and then activate the power-ups, which you can reach by breaking through some bricks to the left. (Of course, you have to be careful not to make the screen scroll too far to the right or you won't be able to get everything.) However, there are also three Warp Zones you can access here. One is near the beginning and you can get to it by activating a vine from a block and climbing up it. The other two are beyond the exit. If you manage to get up on the ceiling and go over the typical exit, you come to a room that houses one Warp Zone and if you go down the leftmost pipe here, you'll wind up in yet another room with a different Warp Zone. However, this Warp Zone is much harder to get to since, if you're large, you have to run underneath a column, break a bit of brick, then run and slide again so you can make it underneath the column completely and reach the pipe to the zone (if your timing is off, you'll end up falling to your death). Again, I'm telling you, it only gets harder from here.
Level 1-3: This stage may be short but it certainly isn't sweet. It's a series of jumps high up in the air that involves interconnected platforms that you have to manipulate by standing on one to make the other rise so you can use it to get to where you need to go, a bunch of narrow clifftops that you have to get across, floating Bloopers that you have to dodge (wait until one gets close to you and then stomp on him), and only one power-up. What's even more frustrating is that if you're small, the Mushroom that comes out of that Item Block will go to the right and fall off the cliff, so you have to grab it from the left as quickly as possible. All in all, while this level isn't as nearly as complex as the previous one or some of the later ones, it's still not to be taken lightly.
Level 1-4: Like Level 1-3, the first castle level is rather small and simple, but still a bit tricky. The one power-up is at the very beginning of the level and is so high up and close to the edge of the gap that getting the item can be difficult. If you're small, you'll have to grab the Mushroom by jumping across the gap as it falls to the right. If you're big, you'll have to build up a bit of speed on the very small platform the block is hovering over and jump up to the Fire Flower from the left (Luigi makes this much easier). The main hazards here are rotating firebars found on the ceilings and floors of the hallways as well as on a couple of the platforms and in fact, the ones in the hallways are so difficult to avoid when you're big due to the claustrophobic nature of the passages that it's almost a better idea to not go for the Item Block at the beginning if you enter this level small. If you do decide to chance it while super-sized, then it's best to duck to avoid the firebars and then jump. In any case, you know you're getting close to Bowser when you see his fireballs coming at you, which are easy enough to dodge this first time around, and Bowser himself isn't too difficult in this first level, even in this game. If you have fire power, you can take him out with fireballs. If not, it's not too hard to run under him when he jumps or cross over him with the aid of the floating platform above him. Jump for that axe and dump his shell-covered rear end into the lava!
Level 2-1: This one isn't too bad, all things considered. The enemies are the typical Goombas and Paratroopas and there aren't that many tricky jumps or obstacles. The only thing really worth noting, other than this is the first bridge level in the game, is that this is the introduction of the Super Spring, the green type of spring that will launch you up into the sky. When you jump on one of those things, you have to be really careful in trying to position your off-screen character over a platform that he can land on. (While that's not too difficult here, it gets much harder later on in the game, where there aren't many platforms to land on and the ones that you're given are very small and narrow.) Other than that, though, this level isn't too bad, although the power-ups and items can take some effort to get. There's also both a coin room and heaven here (some of the coins in the room are tricky to get if you're big).
Level 2-2: This rather long and wide-open level involves a lot of running and long-jumping in order to make it over some big gaps and tricky obstacles. Some of the jumps require you to build up speed and jump right before you hit a block on the edge of the gap, another requires you to do the same and stop on a one-block column in order to reach an Item Block with an Invincibility Star, and there's one spot where you have to activate some hidden coin blocks and use them as stepping stones in order to reach a floating pipe (you can probably jump the gap here instead if you build up enough speed but I've never done that because there isn't much room with which to do so). There's no shortage of enemies here either, with Goombas, Koopas and Paratroopas, and Piranha Plants infesting every long stretch of path, so you also have to watch out while attempting those run-and-jumps (in addition, the final staircase leading to the flagpole has a trio of Goombas falling down it so you'd best jump on the floating single block in order to avoid them). The two power-ups here are quite hard to get as well, especially if you're big when you go for the second one, and the coin room here is the one with the easily accessible Poison Mushroom with the real power-up in the ceiling. I wouldn't call this level hard per se but it can be frustrating nevertheless.
Level 2-3: Another bridge level, this one has enemies flying around everywhere, like Paratroopas, floating Bloopers, and, worst of all, flying Cheep-Cheeps. While the level isn't very long, it's not that easy either, with the jumps that you have to do while dodging the airborne enemies (even though those Cheep-Cheeps will knock themselves out if they hit your feet from beneath, the impact can fling you off a platform if you're close to the edge or mess up your jump if they hit you in the middle of one, causing you to fall to your death). While there's one sole power-up here, the good news is that it's not hard to get; the bad news is that, if you're not careful, the flying enemies may cause you to lose it as soon as you get it. If you're already Super Mario, though, I highly recommend going for the Fire Flower that will come out of the Item Block because it makes contending with the enemies much easier. The best course of action is to keep moving and jumping to make it to the flagpole in one piece.
Level 2-4: This castle level is a bit harder than the first one, with run and jumps that you have to do in order to clear pools of lava but you also have to dodge firebars on the edge of the platforms at the same time, jump across platforms with said firebars, and make your way through narrow passages that either have firebars on both the ceiling and floor or firebars on the ceiling and small pits of lava strewn across the floor. You can clear those little pits of lava by just running across them but you still have to watch the firebars and both of these halls are especially tough if you're powered up because you're a much bigger target in that case. In addition, the sole power-up here is hidden and it's right before said pair of passageways so you have to debate whether or not you want to take it. The spot leading up to Bowser is a section with platforms in lava that have firebars on them as well as Podoboos jumping out of the lava, so you must watch what you're doing there. Fortunately, though, there's an opportunity for a 1-Up at the beginning of the level that you can do through each playthrough so you won't game over: you clobber a Koopa, kick his shell, and then chase after it while it mows down some Goombas and some more Koopas (you have to dodge the shell once it bounces off the block at the end of the path, though). When you get to Bowser, there's a block with ten coins in one of the columns hanging down from the ceiling but you have to dodge his fireballs in order to get it. I say forget about the coins and just keep your mind on getting to the axe to drop Bowser into the lava.
Level 3-1: The Hammer Bros. make their first appearance at the beginning of this level and while they may not be hard to get rid of at this point, you will grow to absolutely despise them by the end of the game. The first pipe in this level leads to a coin room but it also leads to a Warp Zone that will send you all the way back to World 1 so it's best to ignore that pipe. This level involves a lot of jumping up onto floating brick platforms in order to make it over obstacles and move on as well as the first appearance of Bullet Bill halfway through. There are quite a few other enemies here as well, mostly Koopas and Paratroopas as well as the ever present Piranha Plants. Fortunately, the three power-ups (one of which is an Invincibility Star at the beginning) are not that hard to get to and the same goes for the vine leading to a coin heaven early on as well. However, there's also a Poison Mushroom and a 1-Up that is extremely hard to get without Luigi, so that sort of balances things out.
Level 3-2: The first underwater level, oh joy. In truth, this one isn't that bad, although there are plenty of Cheep-Cheeps to dodge as well as those annoying ass Bloopers (three show up in the section leading up to the exit pipe, making things all the more miserable for you). There are also some Koopas walking on the ocean floor that you can't do anything about except dodging if you're not Fire Mario (and if you didn't enter the level as such, you're shit out of luck because there are no power-ups here). While there aren't as many tight spaces here as there will be in later swimming levels, the screen can still get a bit crowded and it's particularly bad when there's a Blooper approaching and you can't move that much. There are also some spots at the top of the screen where it looks as if you can leap out of the water onto dry land but they're just there to tease you so just ignore them. The only thing to do is do your best in dodging the enemis and once you see that exit pipe, dart for it.
Level 3-3: More jumping across narrow clifftops with balancing platforms that you have to use in order to make your way across some spots, single floating platforms that fall when you stand on them, and Paratroopas that you either have to dodge or use as makeshift stepping stones. The last section is particularly hard because you have to stand on a falling platform and jump repeatedly to not fall to your doom while you wait for the Piranha Plant in the nearby pipe to go down and when you get across that, you have to activate two hidden blocks above a bluff in order to hop across two more to reach the flagpole. There's just one power-up and it's hard to get if you're not playing as Luigi. There's also an opportunity for a 1-Up involving a Koopa shell but, unlike the one in the last castle level, it's harder to pull off because the enemies will fall off the side of the platform if you're not quick enough in dispatching them. While I wouldn't say this level is difficult (although I did lose quite a bit of lives to that section with the falling platform and the pipe housing a Piranha Plant, mainly because I either jumped too soon, too late, or not at all), this is where the game is beginning to get more difficult.
Level 3-4: I hate these castle levels where you have to take a certain path in order to progress because I always forget which path is correct and I end up wasting time and, in some cases, taking a hit. The first path you have to take is the lowest one, which is so small that it's best not to be powered up when you try to go through it (you'll have to slide if you are and the little lava pit on the floor with the jumping Podoboo makes that quite hazardous). There is a power-up after this bit but getting it can make the next section hard too. You have to take the highest path next and in order to reach it, you have to make several invisible blocks appear (for the longest time, I couldn't figure out how to get up there and I thought the game designers had deliberately tricked me!) Afterward, jumping from the small staircase floating in the air to the highest passage is where being powered up might be a hinderance because it's possible to hit your head and fall into the wrong path or, worse, down the pitfall below (it's best to duck and jump). You also have to dodge some firebars here and then jump to a platform floating in lava in order to reach Bowser so, again, you might want to duck and jump to avoid disaster. The one good thing about this level is that, save for a Podoboo jumping out of the pool of lava underneath, Bowser isn't hard to deal with since there's no ceiling above him, making jump over him easy enough (just don't let him trick you because he could very possibly jump when you do).
Level 4-1: Now, we're starting to get really difficult. In this level, you're introduced to the red type of Piranha Plants that will continue to stick their heads out of their pipes even if you're standing next to them and, even worse, annoying ass Lakitu. While Lakitu will only plague you in certain sections of the level, he's still one of the most irritating Mario enemies ever and if you didn't hate him before, you will really grow to hate him in this game. In any case, there's also a tricky jump here where you will have to take a running leap onto this spring in order to make it over this gap (I sometimes mess up and end up losing a life) and a pipe that leads to a swimming area that may be filled with coins but also has three Bloopers that will crowd in on you as well as two Buzzy Beetles walking on the bottom of the middle section that you can't do anything about even if you're Fire Mario (unless you're really desperate for coins, I would advise skipping this area). The two power-ups are easy enough to get for the most part (although if the second one comes out as a Fire Flower, you may find it a bit hard to get to) and near the end of the level is a block with a vine that leads to a coin heaven. The drawbacks to that coin heaven, though, are that you have to activate and climb up the vine while dealing with Lakitu and after you complete the heaven, it'll send you back a little bit in the level and while this may be a good way to rack up coins, you may end up running short on time. In conclusion, view this level as a precursor for the challenges that lie ahead.
Level 4-2: Like the previous one, this level is short but difficult as all get-out, with Bullet Bill turrets, Buzzy Beetles, Lakitu again, and a couple of Hammer Bros. in the section that leads to the flagpole. When it comes to the two power-ups, one is right in the middle of some turrets at the beginning of the level and the other is in a row of Item Blocks that, one, is tricky to get to if you're big due to how it's right above a turret and, two, can be accidentally canceled out by the Poison Mushroom in the block at the other end of the row if it's a Mushroom and you're chasing it. There is a pipe that leads to a coin room but it's underneath the row of Item Blocks that the second Hammer Brother is standing on, which means you have to get past the first one (and it's difficult to that without getting hit if you're not Fire Mario) and run under the blocks in order to do so and even then, you still have to dodge the second brother's hammers. I typically don't stop for the items and just get through this level as quickly as possible in order to keep from taking a hit. However, I always try to go for the Invincibility Star that's right after the Bullet Bill turrets at the beginning because Lakitu comes up shortly afterward and definitely want to get rid of him before he cause you trouble here.
Level 4-3: This level is just cruel. It's another platforming level up high in the sky but a good majority of the platforms are either of that type that falls as soon as you stand on them or those pulley ones where you have to stand on one to make the other rise so you can move on. There are also some long jumps where it's best to use nearby Paratroopas as stepping stones to ensure a safe landing, other where you have to run and jump on springs in order to make it across, and near the end of the level, Bullet Bills start shooting from the right so you have to watch out for them too (it's possible to use them as stepping stones as well but it's not a sure thing). There's one power-up here and if you're small, the Mushroom is hardly worth the effort since getting will involve you having to do a potentially hazardous jump (in fact, the Fire Flower is hard to get too since you have to jump up on the block and the only platform beneath is moving back and forth). The last leg of the level gives you two choices and neither one is all that great. If you manage to get up on the last clifftop, you'll have to jump from one platform to two Paratroopas, land on one very small, narrow block, jump to another one, and then grab the flagpole. The lower route is a tad bit easier but you'll have to do a running jump on those little platforms and trying to stop on those after doing so is extremely difficult. If I were betting man, I would say that you will lose some lives here (I know I've lost my fair share of them).
Level 4-4: This is the worst castle level yet. You've got longer than average rotating firebars that force you to really watch where you're standing when they come around, enemies in tight passageways as well as ones that fall down on you from above, platforms that will fall right into the lava if you stand on them too long, forcing you to make some rather hard jumps to the next passage, a spot where you have to jump on a block with a rotating firebar and then quickly jump up onto the next ledge before it comes around (this is easier with Luigi but it's still very possible to get burned), and a Hammer Brother right after one of those firebars, forcing you to do some more fancy jumping if you're not Fire Mario or Luigi (with all of the hazards here, it's almost impossible to keep any power-up you may have). Moreover, the sole power-up that's here is only accessible by taking the middle passage in a spot where there are two firebars and even if you manage to activate the Mushroom, you have to drop down, chase it, and jump for it as it falls toward the lava. In addition, the section that leads to Bowser involves jumping across two platforms (the second of which is one of those small, narrow blocks) that are suspended over lava and when you face Bowser, there's a rotating firebar on his bridge as well as a low-hanging column descending from the ceiling, which doesn't give you much to space to contend with him. Your best bet is waiting until Bowser jumps and then quickly dashing under him towards the axe.
Level 5-1: This level is quite long and introduces a new type of hazard: the wind. Halfway into this stage when you get to the top of a brick staircase, it'll start blowing and while it is necessary in order to make it across the wide gap afterward, you have to be ready for it and be careful with your jumping or you'll get blown to your death. The wind aside, this level has a lot of Piranha Plant-infested pipes, including quite a few at the beginning that hang upside down, Buzzy Beetles, and Paratroopas, so you have to be very careful. There are no power-ups to be found here, though there is a 1-Up in a hidden block near the staircase where the wind blows (it's hard to get, though), a pipe early on that leads to a coin room, and a block near the end of the level that leads to a coin heaven as well as the Warp Zone for World 6. And incidentally, if you don't use said Warp Zone, then you have to get out of this level by making some hidden blocks appear to the left of the huge wall that almost completely blocks the path to the flagpole, jump on top of said wall, and run across it to the finish.
Level 5-2: Another underground level, this one isn't as long as the previous level but that doesn't make it any easier. There are more upside down pipes with Piranha Plants in them, plenty of Goombas, Koopa, and Buzzy Beetles, many of which you have to contend with in tight, narrow spaces, a couple of Poison Mushrooms that you could end up activating, and some elevators near the end that can be a bit difficult to jump across. The good news is that there are a fair amount of power-ups, including an easily accessible one at the very beginning as well as an Invincibility Star near the middle and a 1-Up Mushroom in one of the blocks that make up the ceiling right after the star but, of course, after you let it loose, you have to chase after it in order to catch it. You can also gain access to Warp Zones 7 and 8 here. The latter is reached by a vine in a block right before the elevators and the former can be reached by getting on top of the ceiling and running past the standard exit to the zone.
Level 5-3: While this level is short, not only is it another platforming level in the sky but it's also a non-castle level that loops in spots when you don't take the right path; in this case, it's the very first section. The good thing about this initial looping section is that going to the end of it without taking the correct path leads to a power-up that resets so you can go through twice if you desire a Fire Flower (it's the only power-up to be found here, as well). In any case, to move onto the second section, you have to make it to a floating pipe that's up rather high by using two hovering Paratroopas as stepping stones (you have to watch out for the Piranha Plant inside the pipe as well). The good news is that the passage to the next section is a coin room so you ran rack up some money on your way. The second section requires you to make your way across some clifftops using those balancing platforms while avoiding both Bullet Bills as well as floating Bloopers. In one spot, you have to leap from a sliding platform in the middle of a big gap to a Paratroopa in order to make it to a clifftop and then jump across three automatically falling ones to another before finally making it to another balancing platform that leads to the flagpole.
Level 5-4: A buttload of rotating firebars, Podoboo-spitting lava pools, and difficult jumps that often involve either narrow or falling platforms make the next castle level insanely challenging. It really is hard to describe this level except to say that you will find yourself jumping and dodging (and, no doubt, dying) a lot. The sole power-up here is a nightmare to get and keep because it's right above a rotating firebar that itself is in-between two other firebars. There's also an awful spot where the safer route is on top of a floating platform but if you can't make it, you'll have to jump across two falling platforms hovering above the lava with a Podoboo jumping in-between them in order to make it across. By the time you make it to Bowser, you'll probably be ready to get past him as quickly as possible in order to end this level but you still must be patient because you have to watch out for the Podoboo that jumps out of the lava beneath his bridge. (I've been killed by that damn thing a few times and it is really frustrating.)
Level 6-1: You're presented with a power-up, an Invincibility Star, and a 1-Up right at the beginning of this level, which is never a good sign and, sure enough, this level is more than a little tricky. Unfortunately, the aforementioned items are caught between two columns of bricks and you have to bump them from underneath in order to get them out if you're small. It's best to go for the star, though, because there's a Hammer Brother right after this section and being invincible will make dealing with him much easier. Some of the other obstacles here include more upside down, Piranha Plant-housing pipes, another Hammer Brother immediately after one of those obstacles, a big pipe that forces you to find a hidden coin block in order to get up over it (that's not difficult at all, though), and more wind near the end, which can make it very hard to stay on a moving platform that you must use to clear one of the last pitfalls before the flagpole. There's one other power-up about halfway through the level but, if it's a Mushroom, you'll have to run to get it and that includes running through a spot where there's a Piranha Plant on the top and bottom. In addition, you have to be careful about hitting the other item blocks that are next to the one containing said power-up because one contains a Poison Mushroom. There's also a pipe leading to a coin room beneath the staircase where the wind starts but, due to said wind, it's best not to chance it because you can very easily end up getting blown to your death (not to mention the fact that you have to be very careful not to hit the Piranha Plant in the pipe). Finally, the staircase leading to the flagpole has four pipes with Piranha Plants around it, three of which actually make up the steps. In other words, you can't be too eager to get out of here once you see that flagpole or you'll end up getting chomped!
Level 6-2: Remember back at the first swimming level when I said that level was nothing compared to the others in this game? Well, levels like this one were what I was talking about. This level is awful, with a bunch of tight spaces, columns, boxes, and bars of coral that you have to swim around, descending platforms that threaten to push you down into oblivion, and Cheep-Cheeps and Bloopers galore (as well as some random Koopas and Paratroopas here and there). There are no power-ups here and some of the many coins here are more of a hassle than they're worth since they can lead you into spots where you can either be easily cornered and damaged by enemies or underneath low-hanging obstacles that can send you falling down gaps in the ocean floor if you bump them too hard. The only way to make out of here in one piece is to keep an eye on the enemies and obstacles here and to keep moving as much as possible (if you can enter this level as Fire Mario or Luigi, it makes a big difference).
Level 6-3: Another bridge level filled with Paratroopas and flying Cheep-Cheeps and this is the worst one yet, with the added hazard of those falling platforms. There are two power-ups here and while the second is simple enough to get, the first one, floating in mid-air in the midst of falling platforms, is much harder, particularly if you're already big and it's a Fire Flower. As with the other levels of this type, you'd best keep moving and jumping on the enemies whenever you can. And you had better have sharpened up on your Paratroopa jumping skills by this point because jumping on one is the only to get to the clifftops where you can jump to the flagpole (you also have to jump on a Paratroopa in order to reach the top of the pole as well).
Level 6-4: Another castle level where you must take the right path in order to proceed and, naturally, the correct paths in this case are the most hazardous: running underneath a long moving firebar, jumping over a Hammer Brother in order to the get the top platform in a row of three (if you land on the middle platform while avoiding the Brother, don't go too far on it and you'll have to do the whole thing again), dodging a Podoboo and a firebar on said top platform, then taking a lower route that has Piranha Plant-housing pipes along it to jump onto two platforms with firebars on them (one of which is one block), jumping down on the lowest path (which itself is tricky to do because of the descending platforms in that section as well as the lava), and finally running across a small, Podoboo-spitting lava pit as well as past another firebar. Even after you've taken the correct path to the level, you still have to make it to Bowser by riding a moving platform across another lava pool. Worst of all, not only do you have to fight Bowser on another bridge above a Podoboo-spitting stretch of lava but Bowser now starts throwing hammers at you! Needless to say, this makes this encounter much more challenging the ones before so you really have to watch yourself here.
Level 7-1: With the end approaching, the game really starts to become an endurance test. The path in this level is choked with Piranha Plant-infested pipes (with many spots where they're pointing in both directions), flying Cheep-Cheeps throughout a large section, more wind, plenty of Koopas and Paratroopas, some Bullet Bill turrets (one of which serves as a platform necessary to reach the flagpole), Buzzy Beetles, and more Hammer Bros. Moreover, from here on out, the Hammer Bros. will be much more difficult than they were before, moving quickly towards you while they attack as well as being able to jump from the top platform they stand on straight down to the ground instead of having to stop on the middle one. Fortunately, there's an Invincibility Star a little before you first run into the Brothers, which makes getting by them much easier (there's another Brother near the end, though). The power-ups here can be very difficult to get and the same goes for the 1-Up Mushroom, which is in one of the bricks of the platform that the pair of Hammer Bros. stand on. Halfway through the level is a pipe that you can reach by bouncing off two Paratroopas that leads to three bonus areas in a row: a coin room, a long windy area where you can use the shell of a Paratroopa to earn a 1-Up, and another coin room. Don't get cocky when you get these rewards, though, because it only gets more difficult from here on out.
Level 7-2: Another level that loops in the first section, this one marks the unwelcome return of Lakitu and you'd best get him out of the way as soon as he appears in the second part of the level; otherwise, you'll have to jump across some narrow blocks with rotating firebars on them while trying to dodge his Spinies at the same time. The good news about this is that in the first section, there's an Item Block and if you manage to grab a Mushroom from it when you're small (getting a Fire Flower from it is virtually impossible), you'll be able to get a Fire Flower in the coin room that leads to the next section. Firepower will come in very handy in ridding yourself of Lakitu and his Spinies as well as the Koopas in the next section. Finally, to get to the flagpole, you have to make a rather hairy jump from a Paratroopa to a falling platform to the top of a large pipe where you'll be able to grab the pole.
Level 7-3: Wind, very wide gaps, and super springs make for a rather challenging level. This is where your super spring-jumping skills will be put to the test because you absolutely must use them to cross the enormous gaps here and you'll have to position your landings on the narrow clifftops and platforms as best as you can or you'll end up falling to your death. I'd also advise trying as best as you can to not land on the tricky balancing platforms that appear near the end of the level because they're hard enough to work with without the wind. Fortunately, there aren't many enemies here save for some Paratroopas and Piranha Plants (although one Paratroopa will make taking off with a spring a bit tricky) but on the flip side, the sole power-up here is hard to get due to its position in conjunction with the wind. The last leg leading up to the flagpole is a series of narrow platforms, a Paratroopa, and one last platform with a firebar on it before the pole. Moreover, the wind stops right before that last platform with the firebar, killing your ability to jump far, so you have to do a bit of dash jump to get to it, which can be a challenge due to how narrow the platform is as well as the firebar on the one you need to get to.
Level 7-4: Bowser's really upping the ante on the difficulty of his booby-trapped fortresses. More firebars and lava, a series of lifts that you have to make difficult jumps across, tight bottom paths that can be very hard (almost impossible) to get through if you fall down there when you're big, and a series of platforms suspended above Podoboo-spitting lava that ends with a firebar-housing platform that sits right in the lava. While there is a chance for a 1-Up a little over halfway through involving a Koopa shell and a bunch of Buzzy Beetles, the level's sole power-up near the beginning is in a hidden block right above a firebar that itself is right on the edge. Still, it's worth going for and even if you don't get the power-up, the block is a good way to jump on the nearby lifts without having to worry about getting burned by said firebar. As for Bowser, while the ceiling is high and the lava beneath his bridge doesn't spew a Podoboo, you still have to get around a firebar on the bridge as well as dodge Bowser's hammers. The minute you see an opening, run like hell!
Level 8-1: This level is absolutely loaded with enemies: Goombas, Koopas and Paratroopas, Buzzy Beetles, Piranha Plants, Bullet Bills, Hammer Bros., virtually all of them are here and there are many sections where you have to deal with almost all of them at once. While there is a power-up early on, it's in one of many Item Blocks that make up a platform and not only are there enemies beneath it that make chasing after a Mushroom hazardous, if you're not careful, you'll also end up activating a Poison Mushroom and canceling out the item you were trying to get. There's a bit of wind after this part and when you jump towards a trio of Paratroopas that you must use to cross a gap, the wind will stop and if you're not careful, it might throw off your jumping precision. After that is a Hammer Brother and while you can use the nearby Buzzy Beetle to dispense with him, you have to hit him quick or you'll get tagged by a Bullet Bill (there's a power-up in one of the bricks here but it's so high up that I wouldn't risk going for it). After you make the next leap, you have to deal with two Hammer Brothers that appear one after the other, so you have to jump with great skill to keep from taking a hit. The last section leading to the flagpole involves jumps from parts of the ground with pipes housing Piranha Plants and Koopas to tiny blocks hanging in mid-air and so on until you reach the pole. You also have to be careful of one pipe in particular here because it'll lead you to a Warp Zone that takes you all the way back to World 5!
Level 8-2: Weirdly enough, the version of this level in the original Japanese game is different from the American All-Stars version, with blocks that are no longer present and hidden coin blocks replacing blocks that were camouflaged by the castle walls in the earlier version (finding these blocks, which are necessary to advance, can eat up time as well). Really odd fact about this level. In any case, there are more tricky jumps involving the wind, Hammer Bros., and plenty of Koopas and Buzzy Beetles. You also have to be careful there are Poison Mushrooms to be found here as well and the power-up at the beginning is so high above the gap that it can be hard to get, especially if you're already Super Mario. Like I said, there's a part where you'll have to use a sudden burst of wind in order to make it over a large column. You have to run with the wind and jump on a spring while doing so in order to sail over the obstacle. It's best to just try to make it to the other side rather than trying to land on top of the column. This level also attempts to trick you into wasting time because the pipe at the end leads to a coin room that will dump you back in the middle of the level instead of to the flagpole. You have to climb up a vine that's deployed from a floating block with a Paratroopa beneath it near the end of the level to find the pole (the good thing is you won't have to deal with the Hammer Bros. that stand in front of the pipe).
Level 8-3: The first time I played this game, this level almost made me quit. I'm serious. The middle section of this stage is so damn hard that I was about ready to just give up and leave the game unfinished. While the first section, which involves you jumping across some clouds while using Paratroopas as stepping stones, isn't so bad (your best bet is to ignore the spring and use long jumps to make your way through here instead), after that is the nightmare section. You have to run a across a wide-open stretch of cloud with two Hammer Bros., two hidden blocks that contain Poison Mushrooms, and, on top of all that, a Lakitu that's bombing you from above. Lakitu actually appears in the first section and while it is possible to get rid of him there, he always respawns by the time I reach this part and I can never manage to jump on him again (it's almost impossible to keep a Fire Flower on you during all of this crap as well). Dodging the Spinies and the Hammer Bros. is hard enough but the hidden blocks with the Poison Mushrooms can hinder your chance to jump out of the way as well (I got killed because of those things plenty of times). There are some power-ups and a vine that leads to a coin heaven after this section but by the time I get past the second Hammer Brother, I'm too frustrated to think to go for them (not to mention that they're so hard to get) and I try to continue on. There are two more Hammer Bros. up ahead and while there's an Invincibility Star nearby, I always forget about it since it's hidden and even if I got it, I'd more than likely run out right before I get to the Brothers. Finally, you have to activate two more hidden blocks in order to get up onto a balancing platform and jump across a gap to the flagpole. Many times, I was so frantic to get out of here that I didn't think to try to find the blocks and I tried jumping for the platform, falling to my death and having to do the whole thing again (there's no halfway point with this level). I don't know, maybe some less impulsive and hot-headed players out there have been able to clear this level without the amount of difficulty that I encountered but this level just drove me insane and it's really a miracle that I didn't just give up as a result (again, a big part of the issue could be that I'm just too impatient for this sort of thing but this level is still very irritating nonetheless).
Level 8-4: Bowser's final castle is, fittingly enough, another maze where taking the correct route is crucial and wouldn't you know it that this is the most confusing one of all? The first room involves you having to across one pool of lava (the only way to do this is to get underneath the stairs you start on because you won't have enough room to charge up your jump as Mario and you'll hit the ceiling as Luigi), run past some firebars and skip across another pool of lava with a Podoboo and a firebar on the next platform (just doing a running jump is the best way to do this) and then going down the pipe that has a small platform above it (doing this is difficult because of the Piranha Plant and it won't be the last time you'll have to do it in this level either). The pipe leads to a small underwater area with firebars (how is that even fair?) and a couple of Bloopers. In other words, you'll have to be very careful in swimming around these obstacles. After that is another small room where you'll have get to a pipe that's beneath a platform, with this one being an overhang that makes it quite difficult (there's a hidden power-up to the left of the pipe you come out of and I highly advise getting it). The next room has more Piranha Plants, Paratroopas, a floating Blooper, a Poison Mushroom, and a tricky where you have to keep the long firebar on the other side of the lava pool in-sight in order to journey. In addition, if you go down the third pipe in this room, you'll wind up back at the beginning (I did fall for that the first couple of times because I ended up forgetting about it; when I get caught up in the moment, I tend to forget important things). After you get past the firebar, which you must do so by waiting until the sliding platform on the lava lines up with the other small bricks there and then making a dash jump over the firebar, you go through a long hallway which ends with a spot where you have to deal with two Paratroopas in order to make it over this small lava pit. The Paratroopas move in two different directions so you have to wait until they're both in the right positions to make it safely across the gap. Fortunately, after that is another well-needed power-up and if you were lucky enough to keep the last one, you'll now be Fire Mario or Luigi. The firepower will be very helpful because a fake Bowser is at the start of the next section and if you can't get rid of him that way, you'll have to run past him and risk taking a hit from his hammers. In addition, there's a trap right before him that, if you fall for it, will force you to take a pipe all the way back to the beginning and if that happens, it's very likely that you'll run out of time before you get all the way back here. After the fake Bowser, getting to the real one is relatively easy compared to the other crap you've gone through in this castle but that doesn't make fighting him any simpler. Not only is he throwing hammers but there are two low-hanging columns in front of him that hinder your jumping and the latter one has a firebar on it, giving you something else to dodge. If you don't have any firepower (and may God have mercy on you if you don't), then you have to dodge the hammers and the bar and wait for the right opportunity to run under Bowser and grab the axe. Once you do that, you can rest easy knowing that you've finally beaten this endurance test of a game.
And that's Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels or the original Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, depending on who you talk to. Whatever you call it, while it's not a bad game at all, it's still one hard son of a bitch, with very challenging levels and enemies, aspects that seem to be there to punish you for trying to take the easy way out (i.e. some of the Warp Zones), and some of the stuff that you're forced to do in the levels seems absolutely insane and sadistic. Aside from the Mega Man games, particularly Mega Man 2, I've played few video games that were this challenging. I'm pretty sure that there were times while I was playing this game that my blood pressure went up to very dangerous levels and, as much as I'm ashamed to say, I did lose it and started yelling like crazy at the television (when I was alone in the house, of course). In other words, if you're hot-headed and impatient like me, it's probably in your best interest to steer clear of this game. But, if you want a game that really challenges you gaming abilities, then by all means, pick this game up, whether it be in the form of either All-Stars edition or the actual original game if you're in a position where you can get your hands on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment