New Video Explains the Origins of Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario Bros. 2 famously began life as Doki Doki Panic, but what were the origins of that game? A new video explains...

Like E.T. cartridges buried in the New Mexico desert, the origins of Super Mario Bros. 2 have long since passed into geek folklore.

Originally beginning life as a game called Yume Koujou: Doki Doki Panicin Japan, Super Mario Bros. 2's graphics were changed to make it look more Mario-shaped when Nintendo's original sequel was deemed too difficult for the western market.

The Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2eventually emerged in the west as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, while the U.S. game was later published in Japan as Super Mario Bros. USA. And while Super Mario Bros. 2 is very different from its predecessor, the game introduced all kinds of characters and abilities that still inform the franchise today—those cute little masked Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, and the heroes' ability to throw enemies are all still regular fixtures in modern Mario games and their spin-offs.

Whether in its modified form or its initial Japanese version, Doki Doki Panic is quite an odd game when you really start to pick it apart. What was with the strange Arabian theme? Why were there so many masks everywhere? It's often said that Doki Doki Panicwas designed as part of a Japanese event of some sort, but what was it?

Thanks to a new video from YouTuber Gaijillionaire, the answers to those questions have now been answered. Running for 20 minutes, the video explains what Yume Koujou (or Dream Factory) was and why, to this day, Shy-Guy wears a mask and Toad wears that little Arabian waistcoat. Fascinating stuff.