The answer depends on which “Mario 2” you mean, because there are two very different games called Super Mario Bros. 2 depending on the region:
🌎 North America / Europe – Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988)
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North America Release: October 9, 1988 (NES)
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Europe Release: December 1988 (NES)
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Japan Release: This version was not originally released in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2.
Notes:
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This game is actually a re-skinned version of a Japanese game called Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic.
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Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad were added as playable characters.
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The gameplay is very different from the original Super Mario Bros., with a focus on picking up and throwing objects instead of stomping enemies.
🇯🇵 Japan – Super Mario Bros. 2 / The Lost Levels (1986)
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In Japan, the true sequel to Super Mario Bros. was called Super Mario Bros. 2 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels internationally).
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Release Date: June 3, 1986 (Famicom Disk System)
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Gameplay was much harder than the original, closer to the first Super Mario Bros., and introduced Poison Mushrooms.
✅ In short:
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NA/EU Mario 2 (NES): October 1988
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Japan “Lost Levels” (original Mario 2): June 1986