Choose between the four playable heroes
Match each character’s movement and lifting strengths to the course ahead.
The international 1988 NES Super Mario Bros. 2, later released in Japan as Super Mario USA. This is the Subcon game with four playable characters, not the Japanese 1986 sequel known internationally as The Lost Levels. SNES All-Stars and Game Boy Advance remake additions are excluded.
4 characters · one picture per entry · open a picture for full size.
Character directory
Mario
Mario has an even mixture of running, jumping and lifting ability. He is a useful choice for learning an unfamiliar course because neither a special float nor an unusually high jump is needed to understand his movement.
Luigi
Luigi reaches higher platforms with his distinctive kicking jump. His extended arc helps on vertical routes, but it also asks you to judge the landing carefully when the course puts a narrow platform or enemy beneath him.
Toad
Toad picks up objects quickly and is particularly comfortable on routes that require repeated digging or throwing. His ordinary jump has less reach, so use a charged squat jump when the next ledge needs extra height.
Princess Toadstool
Princess Toadstool can float briefly during her jump. The pause in her descent gives you time to correct an approach to a gap or platform, while slower lifting makes it useful to prepare projectiles before danger arrives.
Quick notes
- Use Mario to establish a baseline. Start a new stretch with Mario if you want a balanced reference for its distances and timing.
- Compare reach with lifting speed. Luigi’s high jump and Toad’s quick lifting solve different problems.
- Make the princess’s float purposeful. Princess Toadstool’s float gives you time to adjust a jump after leaving the ground.
Try one full level with a character before judging its feel from a single jump.
Picture details
Game artwork belongs to its respective rights holders.