Super Mario Land Review

Super Mario Land

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Game Boy Players: 1 Release: 1989 Genre: 2D Platformer Rating: 8.0 \ 10.0: Great

Above is a scene from World 3-1

Super Mario Land was a launch title for the Game Boy handheld. Even at the time of its release, tons of people swarmed stores on release day to get there hands on the newest Mario game, so fans of the series were in for a treat. In 1989, the series was probably thought to be incredibly varied, as there had only been a few barely similar games in the series released in North America, one of which wasn't a even real Mario game. However, these day's, the game is critized by fans for being a rather untraditional Mario platformer, but that doesn't stop it from being an absolute blast. This time around, Mario must rescue Princess Daisy, ruler of Sarasaland (seen for the first time), Luigi's love interest (gosh, he's so lazy!) from the evil clutches of Tatanga an alien overlord. The game is rather short-- there are four worlds, each with four stages-- that's only 16 stages! The game plays out similarly to other Mario games, so what made it so unusual? One reason is the odd cast of enemies. Among the adversaries are winged, jumping totem poles and cylindrical robots with floating heads. Nearly every enemy in the game hasn't appeared in any game since. Although, a couple longtime foes got a reboot-- maybe. Goombas (or whatever those lumps on black pixels are) remain mainly unchanged, although Koopas (or some sort of turtle) transform into armed bombs when you stomp on them. Had that feature been carried over to future games, the Mario series would be a lot odder. Each stage has a hard-to-reach special exit, that, if entered, allows you to play a brief bonus game in which you have a chance to earn power-ups or additional lives. After you defeat the boss in a world, you will confront a fake Daisy... who then transforms into a floating octopus-like creature. There are stages in which you navigate a submarine through a forward-scrolling underwater maze and pilot a biplane. But the arguably most awesome feature that isn't in any other Mario title is the Super Flower. Similar to the iconic Fire Flower, the Super Flower allows you to hurl deadly balls that ricochet off walls and collect coins. Also, this game sports one of the series' best soundtracks that can only be beat by the tunes in Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel. Like almost every video game, SML has its share of shortcomings. Although brief, the game can be frustratingly difficult and suffers from occasional slowdown. Also, the black-and-white 8-bit graphics are primitive even for the game's time. I am well aware that this game is nearly a quarter-decade old, but better-looking 8-bit games, games that looked great in comparison, such as Mega Man 2, were released that year, and Sega also began the 16-bit era. But these shortcomings don't prevent Super Mario Land from being a great platforming adventure, and I will always love and admire as a classic.  Now that this oft-overlooked gem is available on the 3DS eShop for a mere $3.99, all Mario fans should do themselves a favor and download Super Mario Land.

Ups
Fun new power-up
Great soundtrack
Odd in a good way

Downs
Primitive visuals
Sometimes frustrating
Occasional slowdown

ESRB: E Content: ??? Price: $3.99 (Retail)