Super Mario Land Game by Nintendo Reviewed by Philip Wesley Save: NONE Released: 1989 Works with: Game Boy/Pocket/Color/Advance/SP ESRB Rated: E Rating Descriptions: Mild Fantasy Violence Quick Opinion: Own **************************************************************************** Opening Snide Remarks: This is a re-review of Super Mario Land, if you were wondering. Part of the revision of the reviews section at DMG Ice means that all the old reviews and old scores are being redone. We have all the old reviews available for download in a handy zip file for those people who miss them. In order to get a good, honest review in the new format for Super Mario Land, I had to bust out the old greenish screen Game Boy. Placing the cartridge into the system, feeling it in my hands again, and turning it on to that familiar DING chime was a completely religious experience. Thirty minutes later, the beautiful ending music is playing in my Pioneer SE-L40 Stereo headphones. I am typing this review with a single, nostalgia tinged tear running lightly down my face. I think I lost the reason why I love portable games a while back. Maybe it was introduction of touch mechanics? Maybe the loss happened when the PSP hit the scene with amazing 3D console graphics? Maybe the wonder died when I first saw the Nintendo 3DS? Maybe it was when I heard Satoru Iwata refer to the 3DS as a portable CONSOLE and not a hand held game system? What ever it was, I needed to be reminded why hand helds evolved, and why I still cared about them. Hand held games have become disposable again thanks to the iPhone and the advent of downloadable content. I have fond memories of Super Mario Land. It was the first Game Boy game I ever owned. The same Game Pak still works after all these years. I did not have to blow on the Game Boy or the Game Pak to get it to work. It was just as I remembered it so many years ago. Let me go ahead and ramble a little before I get to the main parts of the review. I received Super Mario Land for Christmas one year and it changed my life. It was one of the presents I opened and it came with a picture of a Game Boy that my parents had cut out of the Sears Catalog. The actual Game Boy had been ordered, but (because my military family was stationed in Germany) the device was not there yet. I read through the instruction manual for Super Mario Land. I read the ads for Nintendo Power included in the box. I admired the box and the screenshots of the game on the back of the box. I dreamt of Mario's adventures in Sarsaland and how I would defeat the Evil Space Lord Tatanga in my Sky Pop, Marine Pop, and with the new Super Ball power up item. I pondered the odd spellings of the enemy names: Kinopi, Pakkun Flowers, and others. My parents went ahead and bought me a Game Boy at the base exchange shortly after Christmas. When the second Game Boy came, it went to my sister because we could play the included Tetris game with each other over the Game Link Cable. When I first played Super Mario Land, it was really difficult, and I loved every moment of it. To me, Super Mario Land was nearly perfect. I gave the game a 92% out of 100% when I reviewed it on this site over a decade ago. How will I feel upon revisiting the game? **************************************************************************** Gameplay Description: Super Mario Land is a bit of an odd bird in the world of Super Mario games. It is the creation of Gunpei Yokoi and not the creation of Shigeru Miyamoto. Gunpei Yokoi took the familiar concept of Super Mario Bros. and stripped out Luigi, Princess Peach Toadstool, Bowser, the whole Mushroom Kingdom, and stood the series on its head. The turtles explode after you jump on them, there are two side scrolling shooter levels. The familiar flower power up gives you a "Super Ball" instead of fire balls. The Super Ball bounces off of objects and can be used to collect coins. This new mechanic allows for the use of some strategy in defeating enemies and clearing out hidden "coin caves." The game has a total of 12 levels and each level is themed according to a world culture. The first area (Birabuto) is an Egyptian themed area with palm trees, pyramids in the background, and a final world boss based off of the mythical Sphinx. The second area (Muda) is based off of Atlantis with robots and a final area that takes place in an underwater ruin. The final area has you guiding the Marine Pop submarine through an automatically scrolling shooter level similar to R-Type. The goal at this point is to break out the walls and get to the giant seahorse at the end of the level. The third world is the Easton Kingdom and it is based off of the Moa Statues at Easter Island, and it takes you through a cave before placing you at the steps of a ruined temple. The last area is the Chia Kingdom and it is based off of a mystical version of China. You are attacked by hopping Chinese Vampires (Jiang-Shi) that are called Pionpi. In Japanese, they are called Pyonpi, which is a "hopping" noise. Then the stages go further up toward a floating fortress. Oddly, Tatanga is riding in a ship called Pagosu. Which may, or may not, be a horrible pun about the Taoist god Pan Gu. The last level is a side scrolling shooter level. The general gameplay is a simple trip from point A to point B in a side scrolling level. Mario runs, jumps, and stomps on things just as he has always done. There are pipes you can enter that take you to hidden coin caves and there are hidden lifts, blocks, and coins to find. When you collect 100 coins, or a heart, you earn an extra life. The game also keeps track of your score as you beat enemies. Level design is full of wonderful things that will kill you, vast pits, moving platforms, and multiple "leveled" areas. Since you can not go backwards in a level, you can miss power ups and coins. Some areas have multiple path choices for this reason. At the end of each normal, non-vehicle level are two doors. One is easy to get to and the other requires you to get to the top of a wall. If you go in the top door, you get to play a bonus game that involves a moving Mario, a ladder, and either a flower or lives. Stop Mario at the right moment to get an item. The game is still fairly challenging today and (despite being very straight forward) is still very entertaining. The real problem with the game is that is also very short. Liked: The vehicle levels are an excellent addition to the Mario game play and I wish they would bring them back! The game play worlds are surprisingly deep upon investigation of there influences and the level design is very excellent with multiple ways through the levels. Hated: This is a very short game and the shooting vehicle levels do not last long enough. Mario does not "pause" when he takes damage and this allows you to "muscle" your way past some of the bosses. **************************************************************************** Graphics Description: Super Mario Land is designed a bit like Super Mario Bros in terms of game resolution. While it looks fairly clean on the Game Boy Pocket and later versions of the system, it is very small on the original Game Boy. There are some areas in the Easton kingdom with water fall graphics in the background that serve to make it harder to see your jumps. The design is very simple, very small, and not very detailed. The graphics actually add to the challenge as the areas you are jumping toward are small and sometimes you have to be precise. Mario is only a few pixels tall and the world is very vast. You get used to it pretty quickly and it feels like the NES game Super Mario Bros. Liked: Kinda simple, liked the themed worlds. Hated: Kinda simple, kinda small, kinda hard to see on the old Game Boy. **************************************************************************** Sound/Music Description: Koji Kondo did not work on this game. However, he will not be missed as the music by Hirokazu Tanaka is brilliant. Each area is appropriately tuned to match the theme of it. The compositions are very catchy, stunning, and unforgetable. It says something about your game when the only music that feels drab is the "invincible music" that was originally composed by Jacques Offenbach. The invincible music is a short version of "The Galop Infernal" from Offenbach's Orpheous in the Underworld opera. The other music is more "Mario" style. The opening moments of the game are incredible and the ending credits music is breath taking. I would not suggest docking points because of the invincible music being derivative. Go listen to Ravel's "Pavane for a Dead Princess" and then go back to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess. While the music may not have a lot of layers to it, the songs never get on my nerves or make me wish to turn down the volume. The sound effects are fairly stock and fit the action on the screen. Liked: Catchy music, incredible ending music. Hated: Stock sound effects. **************************************************************************** Play Control/Game Design: You use the D-Pad to move Mario left or right. The A button jumps and the B button shoots a Power Ball if you have one. Hold the B button to run and jump farther. If you are "Big Mario" than you can hold down before you jump to jump slightly higher. You can also crouch and push forward to wedge Mario into some smaller areas in the game. The game seems designed around letting you do tricks like the aforementioned wedge and high jumping to get extra coins. There are two hidden coin caves per normal world and the action does not let up in the game. Controls in the Marine Pop or Sky Pop are simple: Move with the D-Pad and hit any button to fire a missile. The design is simple, yet elegant in its inherent honesty. This feels like a Mario game with new settings and powers. Gunpei Yokoi has delivered a game that feels polished and complete. Liked: Great level design, easy to use controls that respond appropriately. Hated: It is a bit short though. **************************************************************************** Improve: The only thing that could really be done to this title is to give it a graphical make over and orchestrated music. Maybe an extra world would be nice as well? RIYL: The original Super Mario Bros. **************************************************************************** Final Words: Super Mario Land is worth tracking down on the original Game Boy and it still holds up as an entertaining game today. Going back to this game was like revisiting an old friend and discovering that they had not really changed. This game may be a bit tough for beginning players, but the level design is solid and the music is worth whatever price of admission is presented! **************************************************************************** Score Gameplay: ***** Graphics: *** Sound/Music: ***** Play Control/Game Design: **** Value: ***** Star Total: 66 Personal Opinion Merit: 24 Final Score: 90% Letter Grade: A ****************************************************************************