The Lost Levels

The REAL Super Mario Bros. 2 that we never got for two reasons:

1. It was too similar to the original.

2. It was Kaizo Mario before Kaizo Mario was cool.

For these two reasons, the folks down west said no, and stole one of Japan's games and made it into the SMB 2 that we all remember.

Despite its infamous reputation, The Lost Levels is actually not a bad game -- but it is very frustrating. The last two levels of the original game will probably take you several hours, and world C-4 is damn near impossible without cheats.

The Lost Levels by Ubeenbamboozledson August 2, 2021

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels 

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was first released in Japan for the Famicom as Super Mario Bros. 2. It was designed for players who had mastered the original. Nintendo of America deemed the title "too difficult" for North American audiences, so they instead chose another game as the western region's Super Mario Bros. 2, which was a re-skin of Doki Doki Panic.

Later, in 1993, North America got to experience The Lost Levels in the 5-in-1 compilation Super Mario All-Stars for SNES. It was later ported to the Game Boy Color (in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe), Game Boy Advance (in Japan only), and Virtual Console.

Reviewers viewed Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels as an extension of the original release, especially its difficulty progression. Journalists appreciated the game's challenge when spectating speedruns, and recognized the game as a precursor to the franchise's subculture in which fans create and share nearly impossible levels.

God, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is so fucking hard.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels by VGTrivia January 29, 2018