Playing Super Mario Bros 2
Next Version: Super Mario Bros 3.
So then there’s Super Mario Bros. 2, which hit the scene around 1988, and it was… well, it was a bit of a weird one, especially compared to the first game. Like, really different. This time around, you actually had a choice of four characters to play as: Mario, of course, his brother Luigi (who could jump a bit higher and floatier, which was pretty cool), Toad (who was super fast at picking things up), and even Princess Toadstool herself (who could float for a short time!). They all had their own unique abilities. The game itself felt kinda dreamlike and surreal, and get this – instead of jumping on enemies to beat ’em, you were mostly picking up stuff from the ground, like vegetables, and then chucking ’em at the bad guys.
Yeah, no traditional stomping on enemies in this one, which definitely threw some people for a loop at the time! You were constantly lifting and tossing items all over the place – enemies, blocks, veggies, you name it. This added a whole new strategic layer to how you approached the levels and dealt with danger. The visual style was also really distinct, with a different look and feel to it compared to other Mario games. It really did set itself apart from the rest of the series with these pretty unique mechanics and that overall strange vibe.
But you know what? That unique approach, giving you different characters with special skills and that quirky gameplay, is what made Super Mario Bros. 2 a hit in its own right. It offered players a totally fresh and different experience but still managed to keep that undeniable charm of the Mario universe. And you can definitely see its influence here and there in later games that incorporated some of the ideas or characters that first popped up in this weird, wonderful, and kinda controversial installment.