10 Video Game Power-Ups That Got You Killed
2. Poison Mushroom - Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels
If you were a gamer during the 80s and 90s, you were probably introduced to lethal power-ups while playing Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels. While bashing open Blocks in the first level, you'll notice one of them released a Mushroom. The player instinctively grabs this spotty fungus, hoping to turn Small Mario into his Super form.
Instead, our heroic plumber drops dead, causing the player to go back to the start.
This moment confounds first-time players, since they're unaware they picked up a Poison Mushroom, not a Super Mushroom. But now you're aware of these murderous toadstools, you'll avoid them, right?
Sadly, it's not that easy. Both Mushrooms look very similar on the NES version, making it tricky to tell them apart. Because The Lost Levels is so brutally difficult, you'll try to pick up every Mushroom you can find, knowing there's a 50/50 chance it'll make you take a dirt nap.
Although it's easy to tell both Mushrooms apart on the SNES port, you're not out of the woods yet. Because the Poison Mushroom often pops up in places where it's difficult to avoid it, you'll end up picking it up, even when you're trying not to.