Tetris is the big game everyone remembers from the launch of the original Game Boy. It’s almost odd to think that this puzzle title managed to overshadow a brand new Mario game in the series’ prime. I didn’t actually play the first handheld installment in Nintendo’s poster franchise until almost a decade after it was released. Super Mario Land follows the original game quite closely, but it’s one of the wackiest and most strange titles in the series. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a good game, because it is, but the non-traditional themes help make this one stand out from the rest.
Super Mario Land takes the plumber in red out of the Mushroom Kingdom and into the world of Sarasaland. Princess Daisy (instead of Toadstool) has been kidnapped, and it’s up to Mario to save her. The change in setting as well as featuring a different damsel in distress is a good signal that this isn’t going to be typical Mario fare at least thematically. It’s very weird, but it’s rather nice that Nintendo tried something different for the handheld market. At it’s core this the game plays like a traditional Mario game. You run, jump, stomp enemies, and throw fireballs in an effort to make it to the end of each level. Coins are scattered in each stage and collecting one hundred of them grants you an additional life. If you’ve played any other Mario game then you know the drill.
Many of the enemies are traditional fare such as koopa troopas, goombas, and bullet bills. Several new monsters have been added to the mix and each has their own attack patterns. This game is a light as far as power-ups are concerned with only the super mushroom, fire flower, and super star returning. It’s pretty simple by series standards, but there’s enough differences to give this one an identity all its own. The items themselves are a bit ‘off’ compared to what we’re used to. Mushrooms don’t move and are instead stationary. The fireballs Mario shoots only bounce once and then move diagonally off-screen, and more. The Mario fan in me had to adjust, but that didn’t take long.
The first thing you’ll notice in this game is how different the main themes are from all other Mario titles. Instead of taking place in the Mushroom Kingdom Super Mario Land instead takes through Egyptian themed areas (complete with pyramids and sphinxes) but the latter half of the game takes on an Asian motif. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to be honest and at no point does this thematic choice feel anything more than random at best. They could have just done the Mushroom Kingdom again and called it a day. I suppose they should be commended for trying something different, but the themes are pretty wonky if you ask me.
Many of the enemies are based around these two motifs, and the graphics convey the atmosphere nicely, but these just aren’t a good fit for the franchise. What’s also quite out of place are the shooter levels. There are two stages in which Mario either takes to the water in a submarine or the sky in a small plane. In typical fashion the screen scrolls automatically as you dodge enemies and return fire. Though out of place I actually liked this feature of the game and these were actually my favorite levels here.
Unfortunately Nintendo wasn’t able to perfectly replicate the Mario experience on the limited Game Boy hardware. Some aspects had to be simplified; I mentioned the new functions of the fire balls earlier but koopa shells can no longer be kicked and instead just explode, and there are a few other changes here and there. These are obviously in place as a means to deal with the limited hardware and inexperience of the developers. These changes aren’t awful by any means, but they can be a little startling when you’ve become accustomed to certain mechanics over the years.
In addition the game cannot scroll backwards and any objects/items that go off-screen are lost forever. The biggest problem however is that the physics just don’t feel right. While not terribly realistic Mario usually reacts fluidly, and the fact that this is not the case here is a big deal. You cannot alter Mario’s momentum while airborne, and he goes from walking to running full speed at the drop of a hat. I find Super Mario Land’s mechanics slightly off-putting as a long time fan of the franchise.
The graphics suffer a great deal because of the Game Boy’s weak hardware. Characters here look even worse than they did in the original Super Mario Bros.; most enemies are composed of only a few super small pixels and feature barely any animation. Mushrooms and stars look weird because they lack detail and are a far cry from any other title in this series. Backgrounds also lack detail and most feature virtually no textures at all. On a visual level this is just about as basic as you can get and still be able to even tell which franchise this game belongs to.
On the plus side the framerate holds up very nicely by 8-bit standards. I noticed almost no slowdown even when multiple enemies are on screen at once. The soundtrack fares better, but it too is quite simple. The compositions are well done, and I especially liked the Egyptian theme that plays in the indoor stages during the first half of the game. The sound effects unfortunately had to be changed, but are still okay. Super Mario Land’s soundtrack doesn’t really fit the franchise, but it’s still catchy.
Super Mario Land is a poor Mario game. Some of the design choices for this title are a little weird and off-putting, and it feels like a different branch of the franchise rather than a natural evolution. With that said it’s a fairly solid side scrolling platform game, and I still enjoy it today. Nintendo really should have switched the graphics around so that this release wouldn’t be compared to other Mario games because on its own merits it isn’t half bad but loses in direct comparisons.
