Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario Bros. 2 is a platformer developed and published by Nintendo for the NES. It was released in North America in October 1988, Europe on April 28, 1989 and Japan on July 14, 1992. The game was also remade as part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection for the SNES, released on August 1, 1993 in North America and December 16, 1993 in Europe. It was rereleased on the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe, Australia and New Zealand on May 25, 2007 and North America on July 2, 2007. It is also in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as one of the unlockable game demos in "Masterpieces."

Unlike the majority of other Mario titles, SMB2 was not developed from an independent point, but rather it is a redesign of the Japanese Famicom Disk System game Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. Nintendo's original sequel to Super Mario Bros. was released in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2 in 1986, however because of that game's perceived difficulty and its close similarities to the original game, Nintendo decided not to release it in the West at that time. The redesigned Western version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was released in Japan in 1992 under the title Super Mario USA (スーパーマリオUSA), and in 1993 the original Japanese version was released to the rest of the world as "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels" (part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection for the SNES).

Because SMB2 is a redesign of a non-Mario game, the game differs greatly from the original Super Mario Bros. The game has sold over ten million copies, was the 3rd most sold title on the Nintendo Entertainment System and was critically acclaimed at the time. Many elements from Super Mario Bros. 2 have since become part of the Mario series canon and the repertoire of recurring elements. In addition to being remade with upgraded graphics in the Super Mario All-Stars collection, that remake became the basis for the Super Mario Advance game, which was a launch title for the Game Boy Advance. The GBA edition contains additional enhancements such as digitized voice, new enemies composed of very large sprites, and the Yoshi challenge.

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...."

- the title screen

"One evening, Mario had a strange dream. He dreamt of a long, long stairway 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 spread out before them!...."

- the manual