One of Nintendo‘s most difficullt games almost never made it to the West. The NES was Nintendo’s first dedicated home console, and is still home to some of its greatest hits. Its library put Nintendo on the map, introducing the world to franchises like The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Metroid.

But one of those classic games almost never made it to the NES — at least not outside of Japan — in part due to concerns over its increased difficulty and American audiences’ preferences. Thankfully, it eventually saw a worldwide release and became one of the most iconic Nintendo titles of its era.

The game we know today as Super Mario Bros. 2 wasn’t always a Mario game; it was actually an original title called Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. But to understand how that happened, we need to look back at a bit of Nintendo history.

The Original Super Mario Bros. 2 Was “Too Hard” For The US

It was 1986, and Nintendo had just released a game called Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan, which ramped up the difficulty of the original Super Mario Bros. significantly. It utilized more complicated level design, and allowed players to switch between Mario and Luigi, each of whom had different movement speeds, acceleration styles, and jump heights.

The Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 also introduced some new hazards: a poison mushroom that would either shrink or outright kill the player character; invisible blocks whose location you have to memorize; and warp pipes that teleport you back to previous levels, erasing your progress. It was crushingly difficult, but in essence a true sequel to the original Super Mario Bros., building on its baseline with new ideas

Just three years earlier, in 1983, the American video game market had crashed, with sales cratering, console manufacturers going bankrupt, and countless copies of Atari games, including the infamous E.T., being surreptitiously dumped into a New Mexico landfill. The NES’ 1985 US launch marked the beginnings of a comeback for the video game industry.

In other words, the NES was selling well, and Mario was already becoming Nintendo’s flagship property. Nintendo considered releasing the Japan-only version of Super Mario Bros. 2 in the territory to capitalize on that, but was acutely aware of the industry recession. Risk-averse, the company ultimately decided not to release the original Super Mario Bros. 2 in the West, believing its difficulty would deter consumers from picking it up.

Meanwhile, Nintendo was also developing a concept for a new Mario game. Early prototypes featured mechanics that allowed players to pick up and throw objects, or even each other, to complete a series of vertically scrolling levels. This was eventually shelved, citing lackluster gameplay, until broadcast company Fuji Television approached Nintendo to create a game featuring the mascots from their Yume Kōjō media expo.

That game became Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, released in Japan on July 10, 1987. Nintendo, looking for a more accessible Mario concept for the US market, latched onto that, embarking on an effort to convert this entirely unrelated title into a recognizable franchise. Naturally, the original characters were replaced with Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad, and a running action was added to more closely match the original Super Mario Bros.

The American version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was an instant critical and commercial success, becoming the best-selling video game in the US for 14 months in a row, and the best-selling standalone game for the NES overall (the top three are all games that were included with certain purchases of NES consoles). Nintendo eventually re-released the adapted verison of Doki Doki Panic in Japan some years later under the title Super Mario Bros. USA.

As for the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2, it remained exclusive for some time. It first came to the West as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels in 1993, released as part of the Super Mario All-Stars game collection for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It’s still readily playable today on Nintendo Switch Online as part of the Nintendo Entertainment System classics collection.

Date Founded

September 23, 1889

CEO

Satoru Iwata

Subsidiaries

Nintendo EPD, Nintendo SPD, Nintendo EAD

Consoles

Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Game Boy Color, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Switch Lite

Services

Nintendo Switch Online