Super Mario Land
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)
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Amida | |
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 79% (based on 36 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 141 ratings with 9 reviews)
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
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
Nintendo's average superhero/plumber strikes again!
The Good
The all time favorite NES classic comes to the gameboy with even more wonderful surprises. The sound is platform game traditional. Like most Super Mario games the gameplay comes to us in the best form. You can't exactly say that the graphics are good, but for some reason I like them very much. The game provides endless hours of entertainment ( that is if you can survive that long :-) ), everything about this game is classical, I think that this kind of platform is way better than apogee style platformers (I have nothing against apogee.)
The Bad
You can't save the game.
The Bottom Line
Mario, our favorite superhero/plumber has again delivered the best of action, and platform gaming with an adventurous storyline. 5 out of 5 and 3 cheers for Nintendo.
Game Boy · by Jim Fun (207) · 2001
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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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.