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Originating in 1989, Super Mario Land didn’t wing its way over to Europe until 1990. This little, grey game cartridge was included in so many bundles that it’s likely it was your first game on the Game Boy. I was lucky enough to receive an original Game Boy bundled with both Super Mario Land cartridges. It was Christmas day and unwrapping this absolute treasure had me nearly wetting myself with excitement.
Graphics
With simplistic line drawn graphics, Super Mario Land holds a lot of charm. Taking you through Sarasaland and not the Mushroom Kingdom, we get 12 levels to play through. Levels include Pyramids (World 1), Water (World 2), Easter Island (World 3) and Ancient China (World 4). Each of these worlds slowly ramp up the difficulty however, there is more of a jump between world 2 and 3.
Levels are standard run and jump platforming but you do get two levels of Gradius style gaming. One in the water world where you control Mario in a submarine and the second, on the final level in a plane. This does change up the gameplay for the better.
Each world ends with a boss (two on the final level) but these are simple to beat. Run, jump and you’re done on that boss. It doesn’t matter if you take a hit as the game is pretty generous with mushroom power ups.
Sound
Despite having a tiny speaker and 4-bit sound, Nintendo got the sound design spot on. Obviously, newer games got more in depth sounds and music however, this classic is full of charm. Dare I say that Super Mario Land has some of the most superior music for any Mario game? Obviously it would be wrong of me not to post the Ambassadors of Funk below.
Final thoughts on Super Mario Land
On the most part, gameplay is good and is simple enough to pick up and go; there isn’t a learning curve to this game. The simple graphics don’t detract from the excellent platforming and side scrolling levels. On the negative side: it is short and boss battles overly easy. Even with these negatives, the game shines through as a true Game Boy classic.
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