In the lead up to Super Mario Bros Wonder, I decided to dig into the backlog and play one of the only mainline Mario titles I haven’t beaten: Super Mario Bros. 2 aka Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic aka Super Mario USA.
Super Mario Bros 2 is an odd piece in the patchwork quilt that is the Super Mario franchise; mostly due to it being a retooling of the unrelated, Japanese-only release Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. I won’t belabor the point however, I was unimpressed. I didn’t find the game very fair, intuitive, or most importantly, fun. That said, I was intrigued by the sheer amount of gameplay and level elements that appear in this game yet are seen nowhere else (to my knowledge) in the Super Mario franchise. I felt that it was such a shame that none of these unique and creative ideas would ever see the light of day again later in the series.
That brings me to the primary topic of discussion for this post. I’ve decided to list three unique gameplay devices and elements from Super Mario Bros 2 that need to make a comeback and be reintroduced to Nintendo’s flagship franchise!
1. Rocket Ship
It’s hard to put into words why I enjoy this tiny rocket ship so much, but suffice it to say, I like it a lot! When I first encountered one in the game (by plucking it out of the ground, funnily enough) I couldn’t help but laugh at its seemingly random inclusion in a game that in no way has a through line with interstellar travel. Plus, I just found it super cute. Look at that little stubby rocket! He’s just a cute little guy!
In the game, this diminutive rocket functions essentially the same as a doorway in that it transports the player seamlessly to another portion of the level. With this context in mind, and given the cuteness of its presentation, the question looms large: WHY DO WE NOT HAVE THIS ROCKET SHIP IN OTHER MARIO GAMES?!?!?
Surely I can’t be the only one asking this? Since it serves the same transporting purpose as doorways do in the 2D Mario games, I think a 50/50 rocket ship to door ratio moving forward is a reasonable ask of Nintendo developers. Given the choice, why would one simply walk through a doorway when they could hop in a cute little rocket ship? Additionally, since this game was released before the founding of his company/publicity stunt SpaceX, it canonically means that Elon Musk had nothing to do with the inspiration or creation of this rocket, thus clearing the consciouses of gamers worldwide as they no longer have to worry about supporting an attention-starved, narcissistic, absentee father/billionaire.
2. Wart
This opinion is a fairly common one, I’ll admit, but Nintendo needs to bring Wart back as the main boss of a Mario game. Listen, Bowser is cool – we love him- but even he needs a respite every now and again.
Due to being a frog, and therefore an amphibian, Wart plays a critical role in diversifying the taxonomical orders represented in Mario series’ main antagonists. Thanks to Wart, long gone are the days of exclusively reptilian final bosses! This casts wide open the doors of opportunity for us as players to see a host of vertebrate kingdoms represented in the Super Mario franchise. What could be next? A main villain that’s a fish? A bird? Dare I say, a mammal? The possibilities are endless.
Also, similar to the Rocket Ship discussed earlier in this piece, Wart is just a cutie patootie. I mean, just take a look at this guy! Those short, stubby legs. The white, round, paunchy belly. And don’t even get me started on that luxurious medallion around his neck. How could a villain with such a cute, chubby physique and sophisticated, refined affinity for jewelry only appear once as the penultimate bad guy of a Mario title? Nintendo, if you’re reading this (you aren’t), you have to bring Wart back (you won’t).
3. Vegetables
Last, but certainly not least, are the vegetables. This is by no means a slight against Mario’s usual nutritional staple of mushrooms, but they’re hardly enough to constitute a healthy diet on their own. Our man needs some vegetables!
These guys come in a variety as well! Featured in the game are radishes, peppers, beets, and what I believe to be (open to interpretation) two kinds of onions. These veggies serve primarily as projectile weapons in the game, and in this absurd scenario in which a harmless, even beneficial, vegetable serves as a weapon lies an important lesson that I’m sure Nintendo wanted us as players to recognize: rather than destroying and annihilating others with military prowess and deadly strongman chauvinism, we should confront our enemies by less violent, perhaps non-violent, means. Maybe our duty is to talk to those we’re at odds with, perhaps serve them a meal. What would we have at that meal, you ask?
Perhaps…. Vegetables?
I know some may say I’m “reaching” with this point, but to me one would have to be downright oblivious to not see the greater pacifist message hidden in Super Mario Bros 2. And frankly, given the state of our geopolitical landscape and decaying federal socioeconomic programs due to ballooning military budgets, I think it’s a message we should all take to heart.
And, in line with our previous two Super Mario Bros 2 inclusions, the vegetables featured in the game are just super cute! Look how adorable the little face is on this onion, man!
Bring ’em Back
There you have it, folks, three unique elements from Super Mario Bros 2 that need to be weaved back into the series again and my completely rational, logical, and realistic explanations of why that is! The rocket ship, Wart, and the assorted vegetables were such highlights for me in a game that I otherwise found to be lacking, and they made me long for Nintendo to go back to their more creatively adventurous early days.
And I mean all three are just bonkers cute, we can all admit that, right?!