Super Mario Land

"Super Mario Land Still Impresses"

Travel back with me to a past time and place… 1989. A place where the NES reined supreme, having already vanquished what would be its only competition, the Sega Master System, and a place where Super Mario3 had yet to make its appearance. More modestly though; Nintendo, not resting on its laurels, delivered the wonder of wonder; the miracle of miracles… this was the original Nintendo GameBoy!
Making good on the promise to deliver a NES-like experience on the road was no easy task at the time. Most first-batch software was unspectacular at best. As the pack of launch titles were shaken in the sifter of time, the novelty of playing a poorly designed game on a portable system soon faded to the reality of simply playing a poorly designed game. It is for that reason, not in spite of it, that the true greats from that period of DMG development shine as brightly as any poly-laden modern gem. One such diamond in the rough is the original Super Mario Land.
As the story is kind enough to remain brief, so truncated will be my treatment of it. Mario’s mission this time out is to, surprisingly enough, to rescue a princess. Not THE princess though; for, as apparently Peach could not be crammed into the tiny GameBoy cartridge, this time our drain-snaking hero is committed to rescuing Princess Daisy. To complete his objective, Mario must run, jump, and stomp his way through 12, progressively more difficult, levels.
To accomplish all this, Mario is given only a modicum of technique. This time around, he can jump, and has an all-purpose fireball/run button. Suffice it to say that the game controls like the original Super Mario Brothers… and that is not a bad thing. It should be noted that, though the physics are spot-on accurate, this game does not handle in exactly the same way the SMB for the NES does. Though this does take a period of adjustment, its implementation is as consistent as the original, and therefore a joy to play once mastered. One of Nintendo’s main strengths is its ability to deliver perfect play control and responsiveness… and that is certainly the case here.
Nintendo’s other primary strength lies in their level design, and in that regard as well the game shines on par with any modern platformer. Filled with pipes and seemingly unreachable areas begging to be explored, the essence of Mario is allowed to flow seamlessly from level to level. Breaking up the running and jumping action, Mario even pilots a submarine and spacecraft in a pair of levels most reminiscent of his first portable outing on the Game&Watch; a rare treat for those familiar with this pre-Cambrian toy/alarm clock.
Nintendo is even able to turn Super Mario Land’s two largest faults to its own advantage: its lack of any type of save feature, and the game’s mildly short length. When added together though, one arrives with a game made more challenging because it must be beaten in one sitting, and just short enough to make that sitting bearable. Far from an easy game by any means, it is challenging enough to captive straight through till the end… and on into the next game. Mario is good.
Nintendo’s greatest mascot, and our greatest video-hero, comes across astoundingly well in his first outing for GameBoy. Even as a modern release, Super Mario Land would be lauded for its play-control and intuitive level design. When taken within the context of its place in history, as the trailblazer of hand-held platforming milieu, it is deserving of praise all the more.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/18/01, Updated 07/18/01