Proto:Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)

This page details one or more prototype versions of Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES).

Download Super Mario Bros. 2 (Prototype) File: Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) (Prototype).nes (128 KB) (info)

A prototype of the international version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was bought in cartridge form on eBay and afterwards dumped. It features some interesting changes done during the conversion from Doki Doki Panic to the final Super Mario Bros. 2.

General Differences

• The cartridge contains an MMC1 mapper chip, 128KB of PRG ROM, and 8KB of both WRAM and CHR RAM, a configuration used for three earlier FDS-to-cartridge conversions: The Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus, and Metroid. The final game's hardware was upgraded to an MMC3, 128KB of both PRG ROM and CHR ROM, and 8KB of WRAM; this allowed for greater variety in the graphics, animations for objects that were previously static, and the cartoon-like ending sequence. Load times between levels were also shortened, as graphics no longer had to be copied to VRAM.
• You cannot run by holding the B button.

Proto	Final	Proto	Final

• The height at which each character carries items was adjusted in the final game to better match the new character sprites.
• The prototype allows you to choose a new character after dying, whereas the final game forces you to finish a level using whichever character you initially chose. This earlier behavior was actually restored in later ports of the game, starting with Super Mario All-Stars, likely as a way to reduce the game's difficulty.
• The "idle" Phanto sprite is not implemented yet. All Phantos seen in key rooms are static background objects; the enemy sprite is not actually spawned until you leave the room. (The implementation of this sprite in the final version led to a somewhat amusing oversight: re-entering a key room while still holding the key will activate the idle sprite again, causing two Phantos to chase you.)
• The sound that plays when Birdo shoots eggs or fireballs starts immediately after they open their mouth, similarly to Doki Doki Panic. The final game waits until the egg or fireball actually appears.
• Wart takes 4 vegetables to defeat instead of 6.

(Source: The Mushroom Kingdom)

Level Differences

World 4-1

Although an additional Mushroom object has been added to the level (to the left of the first Potion), collecting one will cause the other to disappear, as Nintendo mistakenly set both as the first Mushroom (object ID 2B). This was fixed in the final game by setting the newly-added Mushroom object as the second Mushroom (object ID 2D).

World 7-1

Prototype	Final

In the third part of the level, there was an additional cloud platform to the left of the tall pillar and ladder, guarded by a grey Snifit. It was possible to leap from the Snifit's head and pass over the top of the pillar, thus bypassing a significant portion of the area. This was somewhat fixed by removing the platform and moving the Snifit onto the short pillar to the left, though Luigi and the Princess can still take the shortcut.

Debugging Features

There are some debugging features enabled in the prototype to make testing easier:

• You can select which world to start in by pressing A a certain amount of times on the title screen. If you don't press A, it defaults to World 1 (obviously), but by pressing A a number of times corresponding to a certain world, you can start on any world you want.

However, there's no limit on the number of times you can press A, leading to the ability to start on invalid worlds (much like the so-called "Minus World" in Super Mario Bros.). These worlds may crash the game or load another world with corrupted graphics. In addition, it may cause the graphics in the character select screen to become messed up. If one manages to complete the level, it will load the next level from whatever world was loaded. Also, pressing A while it displays the backstory does not increase the world, which limits the number of worlds you can easily access through this method.

• If you press Select during gameplay, you get 15 HP. The life counter becomes a glitchy mess, but it will still work. Note that if you collect a life heart in this state, the life counter will actually overflow. Interestingly, this debug feature was shown in a commercial for the game!
• You can continue an infinite number of times. The final game limits you to two continues.

(Source: The Mushroom Kingdom)

Graphics

Players

Eyes

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

Mario, Luigi, and Peach got some white eyeballs for the final, which was done by placing a separate white sprite behind the head sprites in order to get around the NES's color limitations (though this actually causes some sprite priority conflicts in the final game due to somewhat careless programming). Note that the sprites used on the character selection screen didn't receive these, as they would have exceeded the eight sprite per scanline limit.

Interestingly, pink-eyed SMB2 Peach would later show up in NES Remix 2, in the Remix stages where you play as Peach in Super Mario Bros. 3 (Although her forward facing and crouching sprites match the final version rather than the prototype).

Luigi

Prototype	Final

Small Luigi's front foot is less round in the final.

Toad

Prototype	Final

Small Toad's feet were seemingly removed in the final.

Peach

Prototype	Final

Peach's hair has been altered slightly to be less in her face in the final.

Prototype	Final

Peach's face was redone for the final. Her face was almost unrecognizable in the prototype.

Miscellaneous

Prototype	Final

The lamp item from Doki Doki Panic is still present. This was changed to a Potion in the final game.

Prototype	Final

In the prototype, the Mushroom Blocks of World 5 are the same as those in World 1. The final added spots to the World 5 blocks to differentiate them.

Prototype	Final

The tall, lean World 7 vegetable from Doki Doki Panic was changed to a short, squat design for the final.

Prototype	Final

The conveyor belts in World 7 still use the same graphics and smooth animation routine as Doki Doki Panic.

Muzika

Požeminė tema yra paimta iš Super Mario Bros. ir perremiksuota su triukšmingais būgnų įrašais. Tokia tema, nors ir paredaguota, buvo vėliau perdaryta Super Mario Bros. 3. Galutinėje versijoje ji buvo pakeista su patobulinta Doki Doki Panic požemine tema.

The invincibility theme uses noise-based drums (like Super Mario Bros.), rather than the drum samples of the final.

(Source: The Mushroom Kingdom)

Intro

The title screen uses an old-timey sepia tone palette in the prototype, which was changed to a more Mario-appropriate red/blue palette in the final game. Additionally, the story was slightly reworded in order to cleanly split it into two separate pages; most notably, Mario hears a faint voice in the prototype, as opposed to just a voice in the final game.

Super Mario USA actually brings back the sepia border from the prototype, albeit over a black background instead of beige.

Proto	Final	Super Mario USA

(Source: The Mushroom Kingdom)

Character Select

Prototype	Final

The Character Select screen has an ellipsis between "EXTRA LIFE" and the amount of lives, which was removed in the final for some reason, but added back in Super Mario All-Stars. The prototype is also missing the inside edges of the curtains, though the graphics are present in the ROM. Finally, you start off with 19 lives, which is more than likely for testing purposes.

World Intro

Prototype	Final

The "WORLD X-X" text was positioned slightly differently in the prototype, and World 7 has no scenery shown at all.

Bonus Chance

Prototype	Final

The bonus screen is a completely bland green screen similar to that in Doki Doki Panic. The final uses the prototype's title screen palette with a black background, which itself got reused as the Super Mario USA title screen. The slots also use the original item graphics, instead of edited ones.

Ending

Prototype	Final

When you release the Subcons from the jar, a Thank You message appears on the screen in the prototype (as it did in Doki Doki Panic). This message was removed in the final.

The Subcon release scene is glitchy if you're Luigi or Toad. If you're Luigi, he'll jump inside the jar and pull out the plug. If you're Toad, he'll jump across the screen multiple times, pull out the plug in mid-air, and then continue to fly across the screen.

Prototype	Final

Instead of a contribution score, you get prize money based on how often you died – the less you died, the more money you got. The table goes as follows:

Deaths	Prize Money
0-3	$10,000,000
4	$1,000,000
5-9	$500,000
10-12	$100,000
13-18	$50,000
19+	$10,000

The prize money tiles remain in the final, but go unused.

Prototype	Final

The game ends on a simple "THE END" screen. The Mario scene and remixed Doki Doki Panic intro music are totally absent.