At the end of nearly level in SMB2 you are faced with the impossible large face of a hawk. Once you’ve completed the level he opens his large gape and invites you inside to play at the casino.

But the niceties end once you get to Wart’s Castle. You’re humming along, exhausted from the impossibly long maze Wart has created, when you run into the friendly hawk again. This must be the final entrance to Wart’s lair! Like the anteroom before the bosses in Mega Man, I’ll just stroll on up here, catch my breath, relax, and…