It is again up to Mario and Luigi to rescue the Princess from the clutches of King Koopa, who has abducted her once more. This sequel to Super Mario Bros., which should not be mistaken for the Western version of the game titled Super Mario Bros. 2, is an expansion of the first game, with many graphics and concepts being reused. However, there are also new ones featured.
This game does not include a two-player mode like the first one; instead, you can play as either Mario or Luigi, and the gameplay for each character is distinct from one another. Luigi can jump higher, whereas Mario is better at controlling his footing on the ground.
The following power-ups are available: Super Mushrooms, which make a character briefly unstoppable; Fire Flowers, which grant the ability to launch fireballs at adversaries; Starman, which makes a character temporarily untouchable; and 1-Up Mushrooms, which gives the player a different life. Poison Mushrooms, brand new to this game, serve as a power-down and will attack you as if they were an adversary.
The objective is to make it from the left side of the level to the right side, avoiding dangers and defeating adversaries along the way and progressing through a sequence of eight worlds, each containing four stories. Unless, of course, a warp zone is discovered that enables some regions to be skipped. However, several new strategies can be used for or against the player. Some piranha plants will emerge from their pipe even if you are standing very next to them, and bloopers may now be seen outside the water even while in the water. The presence of wind has the potential to affect how jumps will behave. In certain warp zones, the player will be transported to an earlier level rather than farther on in the game’s progression.
