Super Mario Land

Moby ID: 4275
Game Boy Specs
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Description official descriptions

Super Mario Land, the plumber's first outing on the Game Boy, is a side-scrolling platformer much in the vein of the previous Super Mario Bros. This time, Mario must save Princess Daisy, rather than Princess Toadstool, from her kidnapper, Tatanga, a mysterious spaceman.

The game follows largely the same formula of its aforementioned predecessor, with Mario defeating enemies by jumping on them and collecting coins and power ups by hitting floating blocks, with each world leading up to a boss fight which is defeated using by collapsing the floor. A unique feature of this instalment is two scrolling shoot-'em-up levels, the first of which Mario pilots a submarine, and the second an aeroplane.

Spellings

  • スーパーマリオランド - Japanese spelling

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Credits (Game Boy version)

13 People (8 developers, 5 thanks)

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 79% (based on 36 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 139 ratings with 9 reviews)

Mario rescuing Daisy...again.

The Good
Since the general idea has been used, and probably reviewed at MobyGames, many times, I will not comment to much on that. The graphics were very good with no lack in details. The same can be said for the environments. I spent half the time looking at the background instead of looking at Mario. At times the game could get difficult, but the very good controls help you get out of the tricky situations. The levels varied much from each other, extending the durability of the game.

The Bad
As before the story was to rescue Daisy from the bad guys. It would have been great to have a different story. But enough about that... The sound effects was one of the few things that could have been better. Whenever an explosion happened it sounded like someone scraped to cookies against each other.

The Bottom Line
If you have played other games with Mario, then this game will probably not interest you much. But true Mario-lovers will love this game.

Game Boy · by Michael B (303) · 2006

Top 2D Mario game

The Good
This is the brain-child of Legendary Nintendo Innovator Gunpei Yokoi, so you can expect it to be a bit different, such as the SuperBall power, newer and stranger enemies, and the cool shmup-like vehicle stages!

The Bad
Pretty short but that is fine with high replayabilty.

The Bottom Line
Must play for those who want to play one of the very best 2D mario games along with its sequel.

Game Boy · by Christ is White (15) · 2023

Not To Be Forgotten, Not To Be Celebrated...

The Good
The levels in this game are pretty well designed. There are memorable moments like the submarine level (think Mario meets R-Type) and the boulder jumping in kingdom 3. The music is pretty memorable albeit a bit repetitive. Another nice thing about Super Mario Land is since it takes place outside the mushroom kingdom, the enemies are a bit different than your normal fare. The Koopa Trooper-esque enemies turn into time bombs after you squash them. There are also some interesting bosses here such as a seahorse and a sphinx.

The Bad
The controls are NOT like the console Mario games of the same era. It will take players a while to get used to the controls. Jumps need to be very precise and, often times, you'll wonder why you couldn't make it to a platform that seemed relatively easy to reach.

Also, the length of the game is unacceptable. Coming in at a mere 12 levels, this game will not last long once it is mastered. Granted this is a first generation title for Nintendo's first cartridge-based handheld, but it just seems like the game could've had a few more levels.

The Bottom Line
A nice start for the Mario Land franchise, but it has not aged well whereas the console titles have. Try it for the historical significance more than the game itself.

Game Boy · by Steve Thompson (87) · 2006

[ View all 9 player reviews ]

Trivia

Ambassadors of Funk

The main music to World 1 was used in a single called Supermarioland and was released by Ambassadors of Funk Featuring MC Mario in 1992, which reached #8 in the UK Singles Chart.

Locations

This is the only Mario game to include real world locations and enemies. Examples include fire breathing sphinxes, Chinese vampires, and the stone heads that appear in island nations. It is also the only Mario game that lets you pilot a submarine and airplane.

Manual

The manual for the U.S. version still lists all the enemies with their original Japanese names.

Information also contributed by STU2

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  • MobyGames ID: 4275
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Tomer Gabel.

Nintendo 3DS added by ResidentHazard.

Additional contributors: Satoshi Kunsai, Alaka, gamewarrior, FatherJack.

Game added June 13, 2001. Last modified March 4, 2024.