I wrote this back on January 14, 2015, but I never got around to posting it. They're musings about playing the NES/Famicom Lost Levels. I must have started writing but never finished. However, I'm posting it now. Enjoy!
This is the NES version imported to the Wii Virtual Console, mind you, so I have the option to suspend my current playthrough anytime I need to. With the ability to continue from the beginning of the world in which I get a Game Over along with the option to suspend my current playthrough, you would almost think that it was a cakewalk.
Except that it isn't. It's a one-way ticket into crazytown.
At least in Super Mario All Stars, you could save and resume right from the level you are having trouble on and even go back a bit if you like.
Perhaps you are thinking, "Come on, it's just a game." Let's be real: The Lost Levels is the real Super Mario Bros. 2, even if we grew up playing a totally different game. This one looks similar to the original with some different graphics, the same music and sound effects (except for that screetching sound when you quickly turn around and face the other direction) as the first game. However, it is totally different.
First things first: You can play as Luigi, and he is definitely different from Mario. If you thought he could jump high and slip a bit in the Super Mario 2 we grew up with (now known to be originally titled Doki Doki Panic in Japan), you haven't seen anything yet! Playing as Luigi in Lost Levels is like playing with a stick of butter. At times, it feels like every stage is an ice level. Although he can clear much further gaps than his brother, have fun trying to stop!
Having given up on the thought of saving the Mushroom Kingdom as Mario's often-ignored brother due to slippery spring shoes, I turn back to the reliable red plumber (I can only count on one hand how many times I have seen the Mario Bros. do their day job) to save the day.
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