But while the designers and Japanese videogame fans thought it was fun for being even harder than Nintendo Hard, Howard Phillips of Nintendo of America playtested the game and just found it punishing to play, not fun at all.
It was decided that the original Super Mario Bros.
2 just wouldn't work for American gamers, since it was both basically a retread of the first game and just too Nintendo Hard, traits that would negatively impact a video game market still recovering from the crash. Meanwhile, Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (Dream Factory: Heart-Pounding Panic) started life as a prototype based on Mario, having a primary focus on vertical levels and co-op multiplayer but when Nintendo netted a licensing agreement with Fuji TV, it was revived and rebranded with the mascot characters of Fuji's Yume Kōjō ('Dream Factory' or 'Dream Machine') promotional event.
When Nintendo of America rejected the Japanese sequel and needed a new one for western markets in a hurry (especially since Super Mario Bros. 3 was already on the way), they re-rebranded Doki Doki Panic to match the Super Mario Bros.
