A Guide to Super Mario Bros. 2/World 1-2

Give Luigi a shot at this world. Luigi's vertical leap will be especially useful on two occasions. First, it will help you land on top of the troublesome carpet riding Pidget with ease. Second, it will let you take advantage of a time saving shortcut that no other character can use.
 * Balanced character selection

Now Mario's adventure really takes off. Just climb aboard the magic carpet and it's up, up, and away with Mario. Right after you start your adventure in this area, you will find yourself in the sky. Consider your option. There is only one smart way to go; you must take the flying carpet away from Pidget. Later, when the going gets tough, try using bombs, They will make a big difference. New passages, new enemies and a lot more fun and adventure await you.

Part 1


(1) Board a flying carpet. After you pass through the Hawk Gate, you'll see Pidget flying over the mountains. Be patient and wait for him floating above in the air. If you move carelessly, you'll fall off the cliff. When he gets close, jump on top of Pidget's head. You don't have to land precisely in the middle. You will be able to control the carpet by using the D-Pad after you toss Pidget overboard. You won't be able to go anywhere without this carpet. But you'll have to move quickly; you'll only get to ride it for 10 seconds! In Super Mario Advance, don't forget to use the carpet to get those hard out-of-reach coins that sit in the sky before you reach land.

(2) 1-Up and a Key are inside the jars. They may appear to be two ordinary jars, but they're far from it! Look inside. If you press Down on the D-Pad while you stand on top of the jar, you can enter inside of it. In the left one, you find a 1-Up. In the right jar you'll find a key that opens door A on the right. You can also get a mushroom here; use the nearby potion to create a door to Sub-space between the two jars. Just don't grab any coins while you're here.

A Super (Luigi) Shortcut. If you'd like to avoid collecting the key and exploring map B entirely, it is possible, but only with Luigi. If you prefer, pick up one of the Ninji and drop it back down close to door A. Then jump on top of him. Squat down to store energy for a power jump, and then wait for Ninji to leap high in the air. When you are flashing and Ninji is at the height of his jump, press the A button and Luigi will soar to the top of the platform above, allowing you to proceed directly to the end of the level. It is also possible to get this with other characters by riding Pidgey far enough or by a power jump on top of a Ninji, but it is by far easiest with Luigi.

Map B
The majority of items you will find in the cave of this area are bombs. Use them wisely. First, pull up the grass around you, and set a bomb on top of the block of the first wall. Stay away and wait for it to explode. The explosion should open a hole just big enough for you to get through. Don't relax too much because a bullet from the right might hit you. After you climb the ladder, you'll find another dead-end to your right. Use a second bomb to make an opening.
 * Using bombs effectively



(3) Grab Starman and make tracks. There are a couple of cherries near the entrance to map B. If you already collected two cherries from outside, and grab the cherries in here, you'll summon Starman. Wait until he rises above the ground, and collect him to make yourself invincible. Knock Ninji and Snifit out.

(4) Sub-space. There's a mushroom to be found here, but the rocks are in your way. Use two bombs to destroy the walls and step down with the potion in your hands. Enter Sub-space, and the Mushroom will be yours. Make sure you don't grab any coins.

Part 2


(5) Use the potion wisely. Once you exit map B, jump up and run to the left, and you'll find a potion by a Snifit (see part 1 of map A.)  Take the potion, move right, and use it at the place where you see all the grass. If you were patient and did not grab any plants before, you'll have a great opportunity to collect a lot of coins. Return to map B and immediately exit to repeat the process a second time!

(6) Do the mini-boss toss. Birdo is the mini-boss of World 1-2. Remember how you beat her in World 1-1 by hitting her with eggs? You can defeat her the same way, with three hits. On this world, you also have the option of using the key found earlier within the level instead of waiting for Birdo to launch eggs.

After defeating her, grab the Crystal Ball and head through the hawkmouth.