Finished retro game # 3 of 2026 - Super Mario Bros 2 (released 1988). I did have this on the NES back in the day, don’t think I’ve played it since the 80s.

All I could dimly remember of this game was throwing vegetables around, but it’s funny how much loading it up immediately brought back waves of nostalgia. It’s no wonder I never got very far in it as a primary school age kid though - it’s hard as  fuck even with the ability to save. I think I probably died about 50 times fighting some of the bosses, these old games were hardcore, especially in a time when there were no saves! It’s a wonder anyone finished it.

On the whole though it’s a great game, feels like a big advance from the original Mario Bros in loads of different ways, although I’m sure as a kid I wondered why it was nothing like the original Mario game, or those that came after it - no koopas, no blocks to punch, no pipes, no Bowser - you can’t even jump on enemies to take them out. Also those goddamned weird and frightening flying faces.

I didn’t know at the time it was just a reskinned version of an entirely different  ‘Doki Doki Panic’, but it makes a lot of sense in retrospect and explains why the game feels so trippy, but it also gives it a lot of charm despite being frustratingly hard.

I can’t believe this game is almost 40 years old (it came out in 1988). I kept thinking ‘Jesus I haven’t played this since Reagan was president’.

I’d give it 4.5 out of 5 for an 8 bit experience.

Mario Bros 2 - completed after about 36 years..