Super Mario Land was Nintendo's first attempt at bringing Mario to the handheld world, and for a Game Boy launch title, it's surprisingly ambitious. While it's far from perfect, it manages to carve out a unique identity, even with its limitations.
Chapter 1: Shrunk Down but Still Mario
The basics are familiar-run, jump, collect coins-but everything here feels just a little... off. Mario moves faster, jumps a bit differently, and the physics don't quite match the console versions. The art style is simplified due to the Game Boy's hardware, but it works well enough, and the soundtrack-especially the main theme-is catchy and memorable despite the bleeps and bloops.
Chapter 2: Offbeat Worlds and Weird Enemies
What really sets Super Mario Land apart is how different it feels. Instead of Bowser, you're fighting aliens and sphinxes. The settings go from Egypt to underwater to shooting sections in a submarine-and yes, that was unexpected in a Mario game. It's weird, but in a fun way. The inclusion of shoot-'em-up style levels was bold and helped the game feel fresh, even if short.
Chapter 3: Too Short, But Still Sweet
The biggest drawback is the length. You can beat Super Mario Land in under an hour, and there's not much reason to replay beyond nostalgia or score-chasing. It also lacks power-ups we now associate with Mario, like the Fire Flower or cape. But for what it is-a Game Boy launch game-it punches above its weight.
Final Thoughts
It's not the most refined Mario, but it's certainly one of the most unique. Super Mario Land is a charming, quirky little game that showed Mario could survive outside the living room-and that's a big deal.
7/10 - Short, strange, and kind of wonderful. An oddball handheld debut that still holds up in its own way.
