'Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels' Ranked 'Hardest Nintendo Game of All Time'

Nintendo is typically known for their lighthearted, family-friendly games, but that certainly doesn't mean they're all easy. Some Nintendo titles have gone down in history for their punishingly difficult levels-particularly on the NES and SNES.

With its bright colors and simple platforming mechanics, Super Mario may not be the first game franchise that comes to mind when considering difficulty. But there's one game in the series that literally had to be delayed in the rest of the world because it was considered too hard.

'Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels' Ranked Nintendo's Hardest Game

In a ranking pulled together by Comic Book Resources, Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels was ranked the most difficult game ever released by Nintendo. It was ranked even higher than titles such as Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Metroid, which are generally considered some of the most challenging games of the '80s.

However, the reason for The Lost Levels securing the pole position is simple: the game was a colossal step up from the original entry, with certain parts of the world not even getting access at first because it was deemed too difficult.

Where Super Mario Bros. was praised for its simple platforming and friendly level progression, Super Mario Bros. 2 (at it was originally released in Japan) decided to dial everything up to eleven with new mechanics that made it practically impossible to get through certain levels.

Super Mario Bros. 2 was no longer an exercise in entertainment-it was an endurance test that rewarded only the most patient and precise gamers. The sequel was a massive hit in Japan, but other regions of the world received a game called Doki Doki Panic instead, with all characters and locations redesigned to look like Super Mario.

There were several complicated reasons behind this decision, but it's certainly fair to say that Super Mario Bros. 2's difficulty contributed to it. The sequel was essentially unmarketable outsite of Japan-and when the game finally made it to America in the form of The Lost Levels, Western audiences finally got a taste of just how difficult Super Mario could be.

The game included brand new mechanics whose sole purpose was to make the levels harder for players; random gusts of wind could throw Mario into the abyss, disguised mushrooms could poison him at any time, and enemies would spawn in particularly difficult locations to block passages.

It was a completely different playing experience to the original Super Mario Bros, but one that posed a fun challenge to players who were ready to step into a whole new world of Nintendo platformers.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 6:29 AM.