“Super Mario Multiverse” – Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) by the Thunder Mage

For me, my first Mario was the second. And it may be my favorite of the NES Three.

My first Nintendo arrived under the tree in 1987. Unlike my affluent friends and classmates, I received the Basic Set. One console, one controller, no pack-in game, and a copy of the Nintendo Fun Club Newsletter, to which I immediately subscribed. Instead of Mario, my first games were Rad Racer and black box Baseball.

My only experience with SMB1 were occasional plays at a friend’s house. Duck Hunt dominated our playtime, leaving the Mushroom Kingdom largely ignored.

But then the Fun Club turned into Nintendo Power and when the first issue arrived, everything changed.  A new Mario game was plastered on the cover – Super Mario Bros. 2. The article inside was a shotgun blast of color and light. A far cry from the original’s drab brown and blue color palette, the new title was a rainbow blast explosion of strange creatures and new ways to play. I had to have it.

But there was one snag. A shortage. One the highest anticipated titles in NES history, stores sold out faster than the delivery guy could bring it. Every month, I’d beg my mom to buy me a copy and every month, she’d say no. Nothing available. Finally, more than halfway through the year, my mom went to Bradlees with my grandma and came home with my prize. An exuberant Mario leaping for a mushroom was on the cover. The label below read “Mario Madness”. Yes, indeed.

The next few months were a blur. Every waking hour was spent mastering the game. Learning every warp zone, discovering all the shortcuts. The pure kinetic glee derived from tossing a baddie into a group and watching them topple like bowling pins. Sub space, multiple characters to choose from, gambling for lives. It all worked in a way I didn’t think games could.

Month after month went by until I finally broke through. It was early December and my dad was hanging Christmas lights. Instead of helping, I finally made it to level 7-2. Furious floating, jumping, and slaying followed until I arrived at Wart’s lair. Getting the rhythm down proved difficult, especially as I did so to a chorus of, “Go help your Dad!”.

It was a race against the clock. My hands grew clammy. Gourds and carrots bounced harmlessly off bubble trails until I finally struck pay dirt. Peach tossed a final turnip down the Frog King’s gullet and away he fell to hoarse choking sounds and puffs of mouth smoke. The Subcon faeries escaped, Wart was beaten within an inch of his life and the final twist was revealed.

It was all a dream.

40-year-old me questions that ending, but 9-year-old me didn’t care. Watching a beautiful Mario sprite lazily snoring as the cast scrolled in the margin signified a game vanquished. As I stepped outside and helped dad with the Christmas lights, I could taste the sense of accomplishment. Another notch in my game belt.

In my open, I stated SMB2 may be my favorite of the NES Three. That wasn’t hyperbole but I also said may. All I know is if I need a Mario fix, I’m running to those four adventurers, the strange dream land of Subcon, and the enchanting adventure that awaits. Scaling vines like Mega Man tickles my heart. Jumping into monster mouths to advance levels still satisfies. Bonking enemies with root vegetables will never, ever get old.

Super Mario Bros. 2 is an outlier. A strange, jagged arrow shooting upward from the SMB timeline. Mario 3 may have improved Mario 1 in every conceivable way, but the plumber’s second adventure maintained the sense of adventure and pitch-perfect platforming that would become the series’ hallmark.

Despite the Doki Doki facts and re-skin ancestry, Super Mario Bros. 2 remains a singular experience in the Nintendo canon. Perhaps it’s the aunt who isn’t blood-related but still attends graduations, Thanksgivings, and family gatherings. That friend of the family who stops by for coffee on Saturday afternoons. But it’s a crucial part of the Mario canon that remains just as fun, if not more, than it’s pure blood relatives.

And if 9-year-old me has anything to say about it, it’s still a blast to play.

Writer, gamer, and beer geek, The Thunder Mage conjures words from the ether for a number of sites and publications. He currently serves as Lead Blogger and Music Writer for https://www.theaustinot.com (Austin culture) and has written for Texas Highways magazine, the Entertainment Weekly blogging community, and various film review sites. When he’s not mixing literary alchemy, he enjoys chasing his three-year-old around and advocating for video game accessibility on Twitter to the git gud sect.

Wahoo! You are a Super Reader! But the adventure doesn’t stop here… There’s more of this project in another castle! This article is just one level in an entire Super Mario Multiverse, a galactic collaboration between writers around the world sharing a bit of our hearts and memories about our favorite Mario games. Visit the Center of the Multiverse to see more: