Super Mario Advance

Super Mario Advance
Also known as: Chaoji Mario 2 (CH) Developer: Nintendo R&D2 Publishers: Nintendo (JP/US/EU/AU), iQue (CN) Platform: Game Boy Advance Released in JP: March 21, 2001 Released in US: June 11, 2001 Released in EU: June 22, 2001 Released in AU: June 22, 2001 Released in CN: June 30, 2004 This game has unused enemies. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused music. This game has unused sounds. This game has regional differences. This game has a development article This game has a prerelease article This game has a Data Crystal page

Super Mario Advance is the first game in the Advance series and a complete remake of Super Mario Bros. 2. It is not, contrary to popular belief, merely a port of the All-Stars version: though certainly similar, using most of the same assets, as a GBA launch title, Advance has several new features added to show off the 32-bit system, like voice acting and a lot of sprite scaling and rotation. It also incorporates a few elements from BS Super Mario USA, such as the scoring system. In addition to the updated Super Mario Bros. 2, this package includes a special version of the original Mario Bros. arcade game.

The game serves as a follow-up to Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, a Game Boy Color game that remixed the first Super Mario game in very similar ways.

Sub-Pages

Development Info

Prerelease Info

iQue Debug Build A debug build of the iQue version, built from partial source code included in the 2020 Gigaleak.

Super Mario All-Stars Leftovers

These graphics were unused in All-Stars, and they're not used here either.

Placeholder Text

Before	After

The three orange tiles are パワ床 (instead of パワー床; POW Block), スイショウ (Crystal), and フラスコ (Flask), and mark where those graphics are loaded in VRAM. All other placeholder text from All-Stars has been removed.

Tiny Slots Icons

These tiny slot icons were discarded in favor of the larger slot icons.

Vegetables

Two versions of vegetables present in the NES game go unused in Advance: the updated tomato that was present but unused in the All-Stars ROM, and the onion which was used in All-Stars but is no longer used in Wart's room.

Tiles

Several tiles from the NES version were revamped for All-Stars and ported over to Advance, but remain unused.

The mountain and cave tiles from the NES version.

The ice block that composed the terrain in some sections of ice levels in the NES version.

An unique type of rock, unlike any other in the game.

A non-animated and differently-drawn whale tail.

A strange and somewhat crudely-drawn block.

Part of an alternate brick pattern?

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Enemies

These object graphics are loaded during world boss fights, and match up with Mouser and Tryclyde (including the palette of the new snake). They're just edits of pre-existing sprites (Mouser's being a Porcupo, and Tryclyde's being a Cobrat). Given that Fryguy and Clawgrip have new boss intros, these were likely meant to be for the same purpose.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Sounds

Robirdo

Robirdo, whose voice clips are the same as regular Birdo's but slightly slowed down and with a phaser effect applied, is never heard saying "I'm gonna finish you off!" in-game.

Wart

Wart was supposed to have had a longer death cry when you defeat him. He says "(ribbit) Ooh, you're (ribbit) tough! (ribbit)".

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Regional Differences

Anti-Addiction Screen

The Chinese version has an anti-addiction screen added to the start of the game per Mainland China regulations.

Original	Translation
健康游戏忠告 抵制不良游戏 拒绝盗版游戏 注意自我保护 谨防受骗上当 适度游戏益脑 沉迷游戏伤身 合理安排时间 享受健康生活	Healthy Gaming Advice Resist unscrupulous games; decline pirated games. Pay attention to self-protection; beware of being cheated. Moderate gaming benefits your brain; indulging in gaming hurts your body. Reasonably arrange your time; enjoy a healthy life.

Copyrights

Japan	International	China

Since the Chinese version was released in 2004, the copyright info was updated accordingly. A credit was also added for iQue, Nintendo's mainland Chinese marketing brand.

Title Screen

Japan	US/Europe	China

Game Select Screen

Japan	US/Europe	China

In Japan, Super Mario Bros. 2 is known as Super Mario USA for multiple reasons. Trademark symbols were added at the end of Super Mario 2 and Mario Bros. in the international releases.

In the Japanese version, the cast roll is more or less the same as previous versions, except Toad's name has been changed to Kinopio, his Japanese name (in fact, he's the only character with a different name in Japan to get this treatment). The Japanese version corrects the Birdo and Ostro swap, while international releases additionally take the time to change Hoopstar to Hoopster, Triclyde to Tryclyde, and Clawglip to Clawgrip, reflecting the spelling they had in manuals.

Game Select Sound

Unsurprisingly, the selection sound for the main game ("Super Mario USA" / "Super Mario 2") was also changed between the Japanese and international versions.

Interestingly, it seems as if the final International dialogue is cut short to say "Super Mario 2" instead of "Super Mario Bros. 2" or "Super Mario Bros. Deluxe 2". This is evidenced by the audio found in the July 2020 leak.

Japan	International

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Character Select Screen

To do: Check if the text in the Chinese version has any differences.

Japan	US/Europe

In Japan, the text in the character select screen says "PLEASE SELECT PLAYER" like the original versions, while the international releases change that to "CHOOSE A PLAYER".