Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario Bros. 2 is the surreal 1988 follow-up that took the Mario franchise in an unexpected direction. Set in the dream world of Subcon, the game plays nothing like the original — instead of jumping on enemies to defeat them, you pluck vegetables and other objects from the ground and hurl them at your foes. For the first time, you could choose between Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Peach, each with a distinct play style: Peach's floating jump, Toad's speed and strength, and Luigi's high leaping ability.

The levels themselves are imaginative and varied, moving from desert pyramids to ice caves to a whale's belly. Boss encounters like Mouser, Birdo, Fryguy, and the final battle against Wart added memorable characters that fans still celebrate today. The game was originally a Japanese title called Doki Doki Panic reskinned with Mario characters, which explains its unique design — but it was polished and fun enough to stand entirely on its own merits.

Super Mario Bros. 2 sold 7.46 million copies in North America and is credited with introducing several characters and mechanics that became permanent fixtures of the Mario universe, including Princess Peach's ability to fly and Shy Guys, who appear across countless later titles. It's a joyful, playful experiment that shows Nintendo's willingness to take risks with its biggest franchise.