This is a TAS of FDS Super Mario Bros. 2, specifically of the letter worlds. You can play the secret letter worlds after getting 8 stars on the title screen, and you can access them by pressing A+Start on the controller at the title screen. This TAS uses the warpzones in A-2 and B-4 to reach the end of D-4 as quickly as possible, starting from A-1.
During the creation of this TAS, I investigated the possibility of big Mario being faster than small, as big Mario can perform crouch clips in B-4 and D-4, and bullet bill glitch in D-3 to save a significant amount of time. However, the small Mario TAS ended up being roughly 30 frames faster, so I went with that route instead.
I also investigated timesave in the first room of D-4, and in A-2, which is only 2 frames from the next framerule. Unfortunately, both of those possibilities came up short as well. The TAS also loses a frame on the pipe entry in the first room of D-4, to avoid an impossible Bowser pattern later in the level.
To play the movie, you must first have at least 8 stars on the title screen. You can get that via game genie codes, playing a regular warps TAS 8 times, or any other method you like.
Run Objectives
- Finishes D-4 from A-1
- Aims for fastest time
- Abuses glitches
- Uses warpzones
A-1
Here, I lower the platform in front of the flagpole enough to clip into the ground, which allows me to perform a full flagpole glitch, skipping the flag-lowering and walking to the castle cutscenes.
A-2
In A-2, I use a corner clip to enter the warpzone faster than otherwise possible. Unlike 1-2, there are actually three ways of entering the warpzone, you can ride a rising platform, perform a walljump near the beginning to get up top early, and then you can use the corner clip seen in this TAS, which saves 2, almost 3, framerules over the walljump.
B-1
Nothing special really, just a fast acceleration and flagpole glitch, though I tried my best to make it entertaining.
B-2
A water level! I perform an underwater fast acceleration at the start, something that is only possible using L+R, and unlike in SMB1 there are actually sections where you need precise swimming and slowdowns.
B-3
Nothing special either. This level is actually where I performed the mushroom grab in the big Mario TAS, as the first mushroom can be grabbed very quickly.
B-4
The first castle level, though we never get to meet the fake Bowser it contains. I perform a wall clip partway through the level, to skip having to ride the platform below.
D-1
In this level, I abuse wind mechanics to clip into the floor, allowing me to perform the second full flagpole glitch of the run.
D-2
Nothing special, though I do show off a glitch at the end, where if you jump on the last frame Mario is on the spring, he performs a normal jump instead of a spring jump.
D-3
Some cool enemy kills near the end, but other than that, not much of note.
D-4
In the first room, I abuse firebar mechanics to allow Mario to pass through the long firebar in the first room. In the second room, I have to slow down slightly near the end to avoid being killed by the piranha plant. And in the fourth and final room, I have to clip through a wall to skip having to wait for the podoboo near Bowser to fall back down, and I also have to avoid getting a backwards Bowser, which in D-4 is always an impossible pattern without slowing down significantly.
