predecessor. Nintendo of America disliked Super Mario Bros.

2, which they found to be frustratingly

difficult and otherwise little more than a modification of Super Mario Bros. Rather than risk the
franchise's popularity, they cancelled its stateside release and looked for an alternative. They realized
they already had one option in Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic (Dream Factory: Heart-Pounding Panic),
also designed by Miyamoto.[26] This game was reworked and released as Super Mario Bros. 2 (not to
be confused with the Japanese game of the same name) in North America and Europe. The Japanese
version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was eventually released in North America under the title Super Mario
Bros.: The Lost Levels.

The successor to The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, bears little resemblance to the
first game in the series. The Adventure of Link features side-scrolling areas within a larger world map
rather than the bird's eye view of the previous title. The game incorporates a strategic combat system
and more RPG elements, including an experience points (EXP) system, magic spells, and more
interaction with non-player characters (NPCs). Link has extra lives; no other game in the series
includes this feature.[27] The Adventure of Link plays out in a two-mode dynamic. The overworld, the
area where the majority of the action occurs in other The Legend of Zelda games, is still from a top-
down perspective, but it now serves as a hub to the other areas. Whenever Link enters a new area such
as a town, the game switches to a side-scrolling view. These separate methods of traveling and
entering combat are one of many aspects adapted from the role-playing genre.[27] The game was
highly successful at the time, and introduced elements such as Link's "magic meter" and the Dark
Link character that would become commonplace in future Zelda games, although the role-playing
elements such as experience points and the platform-style side-scrolling and multiple lives were never
used again in the official series. The game is also looked upon as one of the most difficult games in the
Zelda series and 8-bit gaming as a whole. Additionally, The Adventure of Link was one of the first
games to combine role-playing video game and platforming elements to a considerable degree.

Soon after, Super Mario Bros. 3 was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development;
the game took more than two years to complete.[28] The game offers numerous modifications on the
original Super Mario Bros., ranging from costumes with different abilities to new enemies.[28][29]
Bowser's children were designed to be unique in appearance and personality; Miyamoto based the
characters on seven of his programmers as a tribute to their work on the game.[28] The Koopalings'
names were later altered to mimic names of well-known, Western musicians in the English
localization.[28] In a first for the Mario series, the player navigates via two game screens: an
overworld map and a level playfield. The overworld map displays an overhead representation of the
current world and has several paths leading from the world's entrance to a castle. Moving the on-
screen character to a certain tile will allow access to that level's playfield, a linear stage populated with
obstacles and enemies. The majority of the game takes place in these levels.

1990–2000: SNES, Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64, and Ocarina of Time
A merger between Nintendo's various internal research and development teams led to the creation of
Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development (Nintendo EAD), which Miyamoto headed.
Nintendo EAD had approximately fifteen months to develop F-Zero, one of the launch titles for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System.[30] Miyamoto worked through various games on the Super
Nintendo Entertainment System, one of them Star Fox. For the game, programmer Jez San convinced