10 Super Mario Levels That Were Just Plain Unfair
2. World C-3 - Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels
The original Super Mario Bros. 2 wasn't initially released to American audiences following the game's development in 1986, on account of it being deemed too difficult for anyone outside of Japan. The game was finally brought to wider audiences in 1993 with the release of Mario: All Stars, and whilst it does share the same visual style of the original Super Mario Bros., it has indeed ramped up in difficulty.
The most infamous of these lost levels has to be World C-3, a true example of how to design a plainly unfair 2D platforming level.
As well as featuring a variety of flying enemies, small islands and no checkpoints in sight, the level has gone down in infamy for its crazy winds and springs that launch Mario up and off the edge of the screen. The entire level is pretty much a leap of faith, with Mario off the screen for the majority of it and players relying on either knowing the map off by heart after all their failed attempts, or some seriously quick reflexes to recover from their jumps that miss the level's tiny platforms.