Practice lifting, throwing and controlled jumps
Learn the actions that make the first course and its exit fight manageable.
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.
Make a safe lifting sequence
A jumps and B lifts or throws an object; holding B while moving also runs. Start by landing squarely on a Shy Guy or standing on a patch of grass. Lift the target, move into position and throw toward an approaching enemy. Practice with enough clear ground that a missed throw does not force you directly into another hazard.
Prepare a higher jump before the ledge
Hold Down to crouch until the character flashes, then jump to use the Power Squat Jump. Charge on firm ground where an enemy cannot interrupt your setup. Use this deliberately for a high ledge instead of repeatedly attempting an ordinary jump from the very edge. Princess Toadstool is forgiving over horizontal gaps, while Luigi is useful when the route rises sharply.
Learn the first Birdo encounter
Pink Birdo spits eggs that you can stand on and pick up. Catch an egg from above, carry it into a clear position and throw it back at Birdo. Three hits produce the Crystal needed for the Mask Gate. Keep enough distance to read the next egg, and leave yourself a place to land after jumping onto it.
A carried object is a prepared attack: pick it up before entering the enemy’s path.
Picture details
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