A Guide to Super Mario Bros. 2/Controls

Action	Nintendo Entertainment System	Super Nintendo	Game Boy Advance	Wii (Virtual Console)
				GameCube Controller	Wii Remote	Classic Controller
Move	D-Pad	D-Pad	D-Pad	D-Pad	D-Pad	D-Pad
Run	B	B or Y	B	B or Y	1 or B	b or y
Jump	A	A or X	A	A or X	2 or A	a or x
Squat	D-Pad (Down)	D-Pad (Down)	D-Pad (Down)	D-Pad (Down)	D-Pad (Down)	D-Pad (Down)
Power Squat	D-Pad (Down) + A	D-Pad (Down) + (A or X)	D-Pad (Down) + A	D-Pad (Down) + A or X	D-Pad (Down) + 2 or A	D-Pad (Down) + A or X
	After squatting for a moment, press when the character flashes to jump higher.
Pick up item	B	B or Y	B	B or Y	1 or B	b or y
Pan camera	N/A	N/A	L	N/A	N/A	N/A
Pause	Start	Start	Start	Start	plus	plus

Techniques

To make it through the seven worlds of Sub-con, you must learn a lot of special techniques. Control the movements of your character by using a combination of A and B as well as the direction pad. If you want to jump, simply use A. To increase your speed, hold B for the "B button run." It just takes a bit of practice, and you'll have these moves down. Additional techniques are explained below.

Jumping

Straight jump

File:SMB2 jump art.png

While you are standing still, press A. You'll jump up and down, but not be very high.

File:SMB2 guide jump1.png → File:SMB2 guide jump2.png

Running jump

Jump while you are moving to the left or to the right and you will jump higher than when you stand in one spot. You can leap over enemies and obstacles.

File:SMB2 running jump art.png

File:SMB2 guide runjump1.png → File:SMB2 guide runjump2.png

Power squat jump

File:SMB2 power squat jump art.png

To jump extra high, hold D-Pad (Down) until your character is flashing. Then press A to make the highest jump yet. You will jump nearly one and a half times higher than a regular jump.

File:SMB2 guide squatjump1.png → File:SMB2 guide squatjump2.png

Guided jump

While you up in the air, you can press Left|Dpad or Right|Dpad to steer or guide your character through the air. Use this to successfully land on top of moving enemies.

File:SMB2 guide jump.png

Movement

B button run

File:SMB2 run art.png

Hold down B while you press Left|Dpad or Right|Dpad to run faster than usual, just like in the original Super Mario Bros.

File:SMB2 guide run.png

Squat

Throughout the crazy dream world of Sub-con, you'll find that you'll want to duck out of danger. Hold down D-Pad (Down) to squat under enemy attacks. Run and duck on ice to slide. You can also use this method to enter jars.

File:SMB2 guide squat.png

Climb

Press Up|Dpad when standing in front of a vine, a chain, or a ladder to begin climbing up. Press D-Pad (Down) to climb down, or press A to jump off.

File:SMB2 guide climb.png

When you're climbing viNintendo Entertainment System, it is possible to jump on top of enemies and use them to get a lift up and down the vine. Hoever, if you press B while standing on them, you will initiate the act of lifting them, and begin to fall.

File:SMB2 guide vinelift1.png → File:SMB2 guide vinelift2.png

Open doors

Press Up|Dpad when standing in front of an unlocked door to open it and head inside.

File:SMB2 guide door1.png → File:SMB2 guide door2.png

If the door happens to be locked, then you will be unable to open it unless you happen to be carrying a key when you stand in front of the door and press Up|Dpad.

File:SMB2 guide key1.png → File:SMB2 guide key2.png

Digging

Press B repeatedly to dig into the soft sand and move downward. If they're present, grab Cherries along the way.

Lifting and throwing

Mario and his friends may be in a strange land, but they are quick to find lots of handy survival tactics. This is one strong group, and they are at their toughest when you use B. With the B button, they can pull up the grass, and even lift enemies off the ground!

Plucking vegetables

File:SMB2 mario pull grass art.png

Press B while standing in front of waving grass to pluck the vegetable out of the ground.

File:SMB2 plucking art.png

File:SMB2 guide pluck1.png → File:SMB2 guide pluck2.png

Lift items

File:SMB2 pick mushroom block art.png

Press B while standing on top of an item that you would like to pick up, in order to lift it. This works on items such as Mushroom Blocks or POW Blocks.

File:SMB2 guide lift1.png → File:SMB2 guide lift2.png → File:SMB2 guide lift3.png

Drop items

File:SMB2 short throw art.png

File:SMB2 drop bomb art.png

While holding an item over your head, press B to drop the item in direction that your character is currently facing. Note that you will only drop bombs and mushroom blocks at your feet. Other items will be dropped a short distance from you.

File:SMB2 guide itemdrop1.png → File:SMB2 guide itemdrop2.png

File:SMB2 guide bombdrop1.png → File:SMB2 guide bombdrop2.png

Toss items

File:SMB2 long throw art.png

File:SMB2 throw bomb art.png

While holding an item over your head, hold Left|Dpad or Right|Dpad and press B to toss the item in the desired direction. Note that you can throw bombs and mushroom blocks farther than other items.

File:SMB2 guide itemthrow1.png → File:SMB2 guide itemthrow2.png

File:SMB2 guide bombthrow1.png → File:SMB2 guide bombthrow2.png

Toss enemies

The same rules apply when you are standing on top of an enemy. Press B to lift the enemy up over your head, and then hold Left|Dpad or Right|Dpad and press B to throw the enemy in a particular direction. Try throwing one enemy into another to defeat two of them at a time.

File:SMB2 guide enemytoss1.png → File:SMB2 guide enemytoss2.png → File:SMB2 guide enemytoss3.png

Special items

Using bombs

In various parts of certain stages, you will find weakened walls which can be destroyed with a bomb. To create a hole, drop a bomb near the wall before it explodes, then run away to safety. Your character will suffer damage if he or she is caught in the blast.

File:SMB2 guide bomb1.png File:SMB2 guide bomb2.png File:SMB2 guide bomb3.png

Using potions

File:SMB2 sub-space door art.png

Potions have a very special purpose in the world of Sub-con. They provide you with access to sub-space (typset as "Sub-space" in the Nintendo Entertainment System manual), an ethereal, dark, mirrored world. In sub-space, you might find hidden mushrooms which can power up your character, and you can plucks coins from the ground, but only for the first two visits to sub-space in any particular stage. To visit sub-space, you must first pluck a potion out of the ground. Then press B to drop it at your feet. A door will appear. Step inside the door by pressing Up|Dpad. In sub-space, the screen will not scroll, so it is important to give careful consideration to where you drop the potion.

File:SMB2 guide potion1.png → File:SMB2 guide potion2.png → File:SMB2 guide potion3.png → File:SMB2 guide potion4.png → File:SMB2 guide potion5.png