Everyone Has Been Playing SUPER MARIO BROS. on Hard Mode for 37 Years

Super Mario Bros. Is a classic game and really put Nintendo and the NES on the map back in the 80s. The game launched for the Famicom in Japan in 1985 and apparently I’ve needlessly been playing the game on hard mode.

I was browsing the internet the other day and a video from @retrogamingonline on TikTok (via Lifehacker) that blew my mind. Up until this vide, my understanding was that if you got a “Game Over” then you had to start Super Mario Bros. over from World 1-1.

Apparently, this was a dirty, filthy lie! The video shows that after a “Game Over” you press and hold A when you press Start and it starts you at the beginning of the world you made it to. For example, if you died on World 5-3, you would only go back to World 5-1. HOW WAS THIS NOT WIDELY KNOWN?

Of course, you have to take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt, so I tried it for myself. I don’t currently have my NES on hand, but I do have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription (thank you, Nintendo) and that has Super Mario Bros. available on it. I booted it up, quickly got to World 4-2 and tried the trick. IT FREAKING WORKED! Consider my mind absolutely blown. Did you know about this way to make Super Mario Bros. not as difficult?