This will not work in single-player games (you will lose a life). Another player can pop the bubble once you are in a safe area and you can resume playing without losing a life. When you are about to lose a life (falling into a pit, about to run into an inevitable enemy), press A to save yourself. This is a great tactic to know in multi-player games.
When in possession of either a fire flower or an ice flower, 1 is used both to dash and to shoot. When combined with pressing 2, your jumps are much longer than they normally would be. Holding it down longer results in a better jump. When climbing on a wire fence (found in castles), all four arrows are used to move around. When in the air, the down arrow does a ground-pound.
The controller is held sideways so that your right thumb should be near the 1 and 2 buttons and your left thumb is near the arrow pad and A button. Being a classic side-scroller, the controls are simplistic and easy to learn.
