Developer: Nintendo R&D4
Director: Kensuke Tanabe
Producer: Shigeru Miyamoto
Composer: Koji Kondo
Original Release Date: October 9, 1988 NES NA; September 14, 1992 Famicom JP
One evening, Mario had a strange dream. He dreamed of a long, long stairway leading up to a door. As soon as the door opened, he was confronted with a world he had never seen before, spreading out as far as his eyes could see. When he strained his ears to listen, he heard a faint voice saying, “Welcome to Subcon, the land of dreams. We have been cursed by Wart and are completely under his evil spell. We have been awaiting your arrival. Please defeat Wart and return Subcon to its natural state. The curse Wart has put on you in the real world will not have any effect on you here. Remember, Wart hates Vegetables. Please help us!” At the same time this was heard, a bolt of lightning flashed before Mario’s eyes. Stunned, Mario lost his footing and tumbled upside down.
He awoke with a start to find himself sitting up in his bed. To clear his head, Mario talked to Luigi, Toad, and Princess about the strange dream he had. They decided to go to a nearby mountain for a picnic. After arriving at the picnic area and looking at the scenery, they saw a small cave nearby. When they entered this cave, to their great surprise, they discovered a stairway leading up, up, and up. It was exactly like the one Mario saw in his dream. They all walked together up the stairs and, at the top, found a door just like the one in Mario’s dream. When Mario and his friends, in fear, opened the door, the world he’d seen in his dream spread outbefore them!