The first Super Mario Land suffered from some pretty major issues. It was a huge upgrade both in gameplay and graphics from the mainline series. It’s understandable considering the weaker Game Boy hardware, but it was disappointing nonetheless. That’s why when Super Mario Land 2 came around it was truly impressive. Nintendo managed to shrink down all of the mechanics they could not with the original. The game felt like a full fledged console installment, and this to me was astounding. I recall my cousins and I all gathering around to watch it being played on the small screen, next to a dim lamp. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins doesn’t get as many nods as the mainline series. It is however one of my favorite titles in the franchise. This is despite Nintendo taking some weird turns here in terms of graphics, setting, and story.
The story here is different than that of any other Mario game by a wide margin. While Mario was away in Sarasaland (the setting in the original ML) a new foe has appeared named Wario. This evil plumber has cast a magic spell over everyone in the kingdom. Following this he posted up shop in Mario’s palace. The castle is now locked, and the only way to get in is by collecting the six magical coins that serve as keys. It was refreshing back in the day for Nintendo to focus on a new antagonist. Wario actually went on to become an anti-hero mascot of sorts since starring in his own games.
With that out of the way Super Mario Land 2 is fairly traditional by series standards. You run, walk, and jump your way through numerous side view levels. You’re generally you’re tasked simply with going from the left end of a stage to the right. Enemies are defeated primarily by hopping on their heads. Scattered throughout each level are coins which is very typical for a Mario game. The role of these has changed a bit and this marked the first time. Collecting one hundred no longer grants you an extra life. Instead they are spent in a mini-game to earn 1-ups. It’s a decent twist on the established formula and has far more interesting results in my opinion.
Mario games are generally defined by their power-ups, and Super Mario Land 2 has a decent spread of them. The usual suspects return which include the super mushroom, fire flower, and star. They function exactly as they do in pretty much every other title in the series. At this point in the franchise the ability to fly was a big mechanic in Mario games. Unfortunately the hardware restrictions are probably a major factor in preventing this from returning here. Instead you’re given the ability to gently float while descending, and this is made possible by the carrot item. Collecting this causes Mario to sprout rabbit ears, and repeatedly pressing or holding down the A button allows him to flap them which slows his fall.
This is actually a really cool new power-up and it is extremely useful in areas focused around more intricate platforming mechanics. It’s disappointing that it never made its return in any of the games that followed because it’s one of my favorites even if it is similar to the raccoon leaf. This hasn’t made a return anywhere else in the series. Because of this it’s a big part of Super Mario Land 2’s identity, and while I like it I can’t help but hopes it stays here. I’m happy with the power-ups included here even if the arsenal does fall short of the likes of Super Mario World. For a handheld title of the time it’s not bad by any measure.
What’s really interesting about this game is the fact that after completing the first stage you’re allowed the freedom to tackle the worlds (except for the final one) in any order you choose. This is thanks to a map which functions as the level select, and this non-linear approach is a really cool feature that isn’t common in the series. You can even return to levels you’ve already completed. This makes Super Mario Land 2 feel significantly more wide open than your typical platformer of this era.
One of the few problems I do have with this game quickly arises as you begin tackling the six areas here. The themes chosen for each world are a little weird, and really do not match the series at all. Some of these are really cool such as Space Zone, Pumpkin Zone and even the underwater Turtle Zone, but the others are odd and kind of offputting. They based one world on a giant tree, another on the inside of a giant house, and the craziest one is based on a mechanical giant Mario. These simply don’t make sense, and I find it hard to believe that Nintendo was that hard pressed to think of new themes that they just chose such random ones.
The level designs are really good, and mark a significant improvement over that of the original title. They feature smart enemy and obstacle placement, and some require fairly concise platforming. The only problem is the fact that the game is too easy. You’ll rarely die, and the only main world I found challenging was the Space Zone due to its low gravity mechanics. The boss encounters are varied and really fun, but they’re rarely all that difficult. Unfortunately the final area, Wario’s Castle, is significantly harder than the rest of the game. This makes the package feel a little lopsided.
The lack of difficulty in the main worlds is no doubt because of the non-linear approach. The spike in difficulty feels out of nowhere however and is sure to frustrate the younger gamers. Another small issue is that Super Mario Land 2 is a very short game. Each world features only three to four different main levels, and some can even be bypassed. On the plus side some of the zones actually feature secret stages wherein you must find a secret entrance within specific levels. These are hidden quite well like in Super Mario World.
Super Mario Land 2 is simply one of the best looking games ever released on the original Game Boy. The enemy models are based on those from Super Mario World, and scale down for the hardware quite nicely. Mario himself looks better than he ever did on his NES adventures, and his large sprite features significant animation and is just fantastic. The first Game Boy release had extremely small enemies and characters, but they’re rather large and detailed here which is really nice. The backgrounds have also been upgraded in some pretty significant ways. They’re now filled with detail, and while they can’t quite match those of Super Mario World they look really nice. Plus, they’re filled with subtle details (in one stage you watch as a statue gets progressively closer) that make for some nice touches. Super Mario Land 2 looks fantastic.
Unfortunately the soundtrack has a few issues. While past games (excluding Mario 2 on the NES) have had a certain style that adheres to a signature style the handheld games have not, and this one is no different. The soundtrack is generally bouncy and a lot of fun. It just isn’t “Mario.” Still, I’m impressed with how fantastic the music sounds on the limited hardware.
Composer Totaka did a great job with several different level themes (my favorite is from the Pumpkin Zone). As I’ve already mentioned the music just doesn’t fit the Mario universe that well. Even simple sound effects such as when you die, or collecting a 1-Up have been changed, but not really for the better. Not even the springy jump sound is true to the other titles. Overall the music is good and the sound effects are decent. It would have been better in my opinion had they paid more homage to the console installments.
