Remember when you played Super Mario Bros back in the day, trying really hard to save and find lives to make it to the end? Knowing that if you failed, you would need to start again from the very beginning?
You were wrong. I was wrong. We were wrong.
It seems there was actually no need to start from scratch in Super Mario Bros should you run out of lives. This mind-blowing news obviously comes nearly 40 years too late for many of us, but perhaps it can prove useful for the generations that came after us.
You see, Super Mario Bros has a “hidden” (or “overlooked,” “ignored,” “forgotten,” or even “never-revealed…” we’ll stick with “hidden”) button combo that acts in the same way as a coin-op continue. So, while you would have run out of lives and will have to live with the fact that you couldn’t make it to the end of the game in one play, you can at least be in with a fighting chance of getting there.
Died on stage 4-2? With this trick, you can continue from the same stage.
How to get continue plays on Super Mario Bros
The method for this – entirely legal, no cheat mode – button combi has been shared on TikTok recently:
In short, should you die in Super Mario Bros, you can restart the game from the same stage with this trick:
- Hold A
- Press Start
It’s that simple, and it works on the original NES, the Virtual Console on the Wii U, and the Nintendo Switch Online. Incredibly, this information isn’t in the manual of the original game cartridge, which is why so few people (hiya!) were aware of it.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
