hey you guys did you know that super mario bros. 2 is actually a reskin of a japanese-only famicom game called doki doki pan-BANG.
I hesitate to be too harsh on Super Mario Bros. 2. Because as a weird, obscure Famicom game it’s probably pretty alright. But it’s packaged as a Super Mario Bros. game, so that’s what I feel I have to judge it as, and it’s sure as hell what I wanted out of it.
This game wants to convince you so bad that it’s a Mario game with familiar sounds and the occasional familiar theme, but it’s not. It’s Mario’s dream about a game he imported from Japan called Doki Doki Panic.
And I just don’t think it’s very fun, or very Mario. There’s moments of enjoyable platforming, and some cute level gimmicks, but for the most part the level design is just far too obtuse, far too often. Combine that with incredibly slippery movement and its just an absolute chore to get through.
And look, I love trans women, amen Nintendo, but god it’s so fucking exhausting fighting the same one over and over.
It would be disingenuous of me to say that the Mario franchise doesn’t owe a lot of its modern identity to Super Mario Bros. 2. A number of things from this Doki Doki Panic reskin would go on to become series staples, including recurring characters, enemies, some mechanics, and level themes. I can even understand why Nintendo of America thought Western audiences might enjoy something different than Lost Levels. But man, everything that came both before and after just did it better - including Lost Levels itself. This franchise deserves so much better than to owe so much to Super Mario Bros. 2.
I hesitate to be too harsh on Super Mario Bros. 2. Because as a weird, obscure Famicom game it’s probably pretty alright. But it’s packaged as a Super Mario Bros. game, so that’s what I feel I have to judge it as, and it’s sure as hell what I wanted out of it.
This game wants to convince you so bad that it’s a Mario game with familiar sounds and the occasional familiar theme, but it’s not. It’s Mario’s dream about a game he imported from Japan called Doki Doki Panic.
And I just don’t think it’s very fun, or very Mario. There’s moments of enjoyable platforming, and some cute level gimmicks, but for the most part the level design is just far too obtuse, far too often. Combine that with incredibly slippery movement and its just an absolute chore to get through.
And look, I love trans women, amen Nintendo, but god it’s so fucking exhausting fighting the same one over and over.
It would be disingenuous of me to say that the Mario franchise doesn’t owe a lot of its modern identity to Super Mario Bros. 2. A number of things from this Doki Doki Panic reskin would go on to become series staples, including recurring characters, enemies, some mechanics, and level themes. I can even understand why Nintendo of America thought Western audiences might enjoy something different than Lost Levels. But man, everything that came both before and after just did it better - including Lost Levels itself. This franchise deserves so much better than to owe so much to Super Mario Bros. 2.