Who ever reached worlds A to D in original SMB Lost Levels?

[Owlman]

I don't expect a straight answer here, but I was wondering about that. In case you aren't familiar with the original FDS version of SMB2/The Lost Levels, to reach world 9, you need to play through the game without using (and IIRC seeing?) any warp zones. To reach worlds A to D, you need to play through the game EIGHT TIMES. Not twice, eight times.

I wonder how many (primarily Japanese) player ever actually managed to do that? Even if you are really good at the game, who ever even bothered to play through it that often in a single session? Wait, can you actually save in that game? It's a FDS game after all. Even then, that's a lot of play time.

[retr0gamer]

I imagine if I was a japanese kid that only had a few games in my collection and loved Mario I'd have played the crap out of SMB Lost Levels and eked everything out of it. These days I've too much access to media to consume and disposable income so playing a game like that just wouldn't really be possible for me as I'd get frustrated and move on. I really want to give Lost Levels a go but think I'll be playing the All Stars version when I do.

I'm pretty sure the FDS version saves which of the extra worlds you have unlocked so you don't have to do it all in one play session.

[spanky]

Yeah, there's something about being a kid and having a limited amount of games at your disposal that motivates you to completely master something you'd otherwise drop if you had options.

Like most American kids, I never played the game until the Lost Levels and I was put off by how crazy difficult it was. I should probably give it another shot one day.

But if I was the same age in the mid 80's when it came out, and if it was only 1 of 3 games I actually owned? I could definitely see myself pulling off something like that during a lazy summer day. I was obsessed with Mario as a kid. It's good to have a life and be busy, but man I do miss the times I could dedicate an entire weekend to playing a video game.

[Deleted]

It's just not how I play games really. I'm a completionist for Mario games ordinarily (more the exception than the rule), but that's more for collectables. I'm not really a fan of such requirements, and I'm not overly keen on that game anyway. Honestly, I can't even keep up with beating my games, never mind 8 times through. It is kind of cool that content such as this exists for those that seek it though.

[dsparil]

The FDS version saves the number of times you've beaten the game so it doesn't need to be done in one sitting although you can't save in the middle. The number of people that got to 8 completions is probably pretty high over time. The tricky part is knowing to use the continue code from SMB1 since the sequel lets you continue from a menu. The overall method is a little obtuse but not difficult, and that info would have spread easily.

It's reputation for difficulty is a little unfounded in my opinion. There are some difficulty spikes and an assumption of familiarity with the physics, but anyone that can beat the first game can finish the second with a little practice. I suspect the All-Stars version might be a little harder because the physics aren't the same. (Edit: On second thought, the minor difference in block hitting probably doesn't matter that much.)

[🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀]

I've done it. On the GBA version, that is, but still.

It's a challenging game, but if you've beaten it once, you can beat it again. There's also a very easy 1up trick if you just want to go for the 8 completions, and you can continue at the start of each stage, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. When I played through it a couple years back I eventually was able to beat the game without continues (and without the 1up trick, naturally), so it's not as much of a drag as you might think. Now, if the game wouldn't save the amount of times you've beaten it, it would've been a different story.

I don't really remember worlds A-D specifically, but I believe they're easier than the most difficult parts of the regular worlds. I might be completely wrong though. Might have to dig around this forum to see how I felt about it at the time.

Considering it's almost half the game you're unlocking, I'd say it's enough content to go for it.

[Owlman]

Aug 9, 2021 9:17:21 GMT -5 dsparil said:

The FDS version saves the number of times you've beaten the game so it doesn't need to be done in one sitting although you can't save in the middle.

Okay, that changes it. No beating the whole thing eight times in one session then.