Super Mario Bros. 2 is the second release in the Super Mario series in North America and is the successor to Super Mario Bros. Initially Nintendo developed Super Mario Bros. 2 in the same style as Super Mario Bros. but with more advanced and harder stages and released it in Japan. However, because of the game’s extreme difficulty and its close similarity to the original game, Nintendo did not believe it would be perceived well to the North American audience. Nintendo decided not to release the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 in North America but instead remake another one of their titles known as “Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic” in Japan.

The characters in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic where replaced with Super Mario Bros. characters Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess. The Japanese sequel that was released in 1986 and was later rebranded as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels when brought over to North America as part of the Super Mario All-Stars compilation released on the Super Nintendo. Japan ended up getting the North American version of Super Mario Bros. 2 in 1992 entitled Super Mario USA.

Because it was not originally a Mario title, this game differs greatly from the original Super Mario Bros. However, despite its status as the black sheep of the series, many elements from Super Mario Bros. 2 have become part of the Mario series canon and the repertoire of recurring elements. The game also sold well in its own right and was critically acclaimed at the time.