3/5 ★ – Spongyoshi's review of Super Mario Bros. 2.

Unrelated game becomes Super Mario Bros' sequel outside of Japan. Ends up surprisingly working. This game definitely feels like an interesting change of pace compared to it's predecessor. You cannot defeat your enemies anymore by jumping on them. Instead, you need to throw something at them. Could be plants from the grounds or even other enemies! This shakes up the formula quite a bit and offer many interesting ideas for the game to experiment with, especially with bosses! Not only that but you're also able to pick which character you wanna play for each stages. Each character has his own attributes and while the game encourages picking different characters for each stages, it's hard to not default to a specific one which kinda undermines the whole point, sadly.. At least I can play through a Mario game as Toad, that's cool! Level design-wise, it feels way more varied than Super Mario Bros with many setting changes that influences the stage design. One stage you'll try not to slip down off a platform then the next you'll dig through a pyramid in search of a key! The level design isn't afraid to be creative either. While it sometimes can be jarring by sometimes going with a maze-like structure or having an abudance of enemies, it does make the game fun to run through unlike Super Mario Bros that became pretty samey on the last few stages. Overall, the biggest flaw of this game would be it's difficulty and unclarity, which Super Mario Bros in general was able to combat. It's also slower-paced in comparison which can either be a strength or weakness compared who you ask. It's also way more creative and varied! In the end, I would say their pros & cons even them out and picking a favorite of the two could be tricky. I feel like Super Mario Bros is the better game to revist but Super Mario Bros 2 is the better game to complete, personally.