Super Marios Bros.: The Lost Levels Quiz

Answer: Poison Mushroom

Beside spot colour, there's not really an easy way to tell the difference between the Poison Mushroom and the regular Mushroom, and both can be found via the same means (in question mark boxes). Unlike the regular Mushroom, which allows Mario to grow in size, the Poison Mushroom could shrink him back down or, with no power-ups, cause him to lose a life. Poison Mushrooms don't reappear in the the series again until "Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3", a GBA remake of "Super Mario Bros. 3".

Answer: Blooper

In addition to tougher levels in general, "The Lost Levels" places foes normally relegated to specific level types in new and unusual locations. World 1-3 is an early level, but it contains the first instance in which Bloopers are able to navigate the air instead of the water.

This foe, normally floating around with its distinct movement, can cause a bit of havoc as Mario jumps from platform to platform when, normally, he'd need to swim to dodge. In the regular "Super Mario Bros.", this never occurred.

Answer: A nighttime setting

World 2 should be another major indication that this game takes on an entirely new approach since it sets itself at nighttime against a black sky. It's the first of many worlds to completely diverge from the original settings. World 3 actually takes Mario to a snowy area, an environment not seen until World 7 in the original "Super Mario Bros.".

These areas offer no environmental effects; icy platforms don't start showing up in the series until later games. Nighttime returns in World 7 of this game.

Answer: Parakoopa

Koopas and Parakoopas are, traditionally, land and air critters, but underwater levels bring a different dimension to traversing the worlds of "Lost Levels". While you would normally be able to find Cheep-Cheeps and Bloopers in water levels, the roles seem to flip-flop in this game, especially since Bloopers appear above water for the first time as well.

In this game, underwater levels appear at Worlds 3-2 and 6-2...and then some. Koopas and Paratroopas appear in both.

Answer: Wind

World 5-1 is where "Lost Levels" starts to implement unique mechanics that go above and beyond the original "Super Mario Bros.". In this level, there are gaps large enough that Mario must be timed to traverse the stage without falling to his death. In each instance in this stage, the wind isn't necessarily apparent until you jump far enough to hit it (in which case the additional propulsion will help).

In some cases, wind will only help if you use a trampoline to spring even further-- that's how big the gaps get.

Answer: Mushrooms

Although there are the typical girder-style platforms that Mario will hop onto in some stages of the game, there are some small platforms that loop (either vertically on lines or on straight, horizontal tracks that don't appear visibly) or, when Mario hits them, drop into pits; those are the ones that are actually built of teeny-tiny mushrooms. No fear though; the mushrooms are solid enough to support Mario when he needs them most.

Answer: Beanstalk

One of the critical goals of "The Lost Levels", at least for the developers, was to amp up the difficulty of all stages of the game. It meant that the further along you went in the game, the more likely you would be to finding unique routes to the Goal Pole.

In World 8-2 you have to spawn a beanstalk from an upper block to ascend into the clouds (the setting for World 8-3). Other levels later in the game also force Mario to get into unassuming pipes to find the true way.

Answer: 8

"Peace is paved
with kingdom saved.
Hurrah to Mario
our only hero.
This ends your trip
of a long friendship."

Just like in the original "Super Mario Bros.", Mario theoretically ends his quest by reaching the end of World 8-4 and defeating Bowser. That still happens in "The Lost Levels", but it doesn't quite end there since you can continue on to World 9-1. With seven Toads along for the ride, saved from the previous castle stages, Toadstool will emerge from a door to greet her saviour.

Answer: Thank you!

"We present 'Fantasy World'.
Let's try 9 World
With one game."

When Princess Toadstool is saved (at last!), you'll be able to dive into something not seen in the original "Super Mario Bros."-- a ninth world. Rudely set in overworld stages with underwater effects, World 9 only gives the player one life, meaning that if you fail, that's it. Game over. World 9-4 ends with a stage that spells out 'Thank You!' in Japanese and, when completed, it will loop back to World 9-1.

Answer: Super Mario All-Stars

Released on the Super Nintendo, "Super Mario All-Stars" featured the first handful of platformers in the series, all originally on the NES/Famicom. Though "The Lost Levels" was never officially released in North America, it gave players living there a chance to try their hand at the tougher stages. If players could reach the end of World 9-4, instead of looping back to the start of World 9-1, they would unlock World A-1.

The game ends (again) when Mario saves Princess Toadstool at the end of World D-4.