Super Mario Land

"Good game, but so short you'd think you're playing a demo"

In 1989, Nintendo released the first Mario game for their Game Boy, Super Mario Land. It was wonderful to be able to play a Mario game wherever you go, whether it be in the car, in a hotel, or on the beach. The Game Boy has evolved since then, but this game has still not lost it's value, becoming an instant classic and a must have for Game Boy fans young and old alike. Now on to the review.

Story

Mario games are living proof that you do not need a good story to have a good game, and Super Mario Land is no exception. It's basic Mario, the princess has been captured. This time it's Princess Daisy. (Whatever happened to Peach, Mario, you player.) This time it is not Bowser that grabs the princess, but rather some creature named Tatanga. (Apparently Bowser only has a thing for Peach.) But anyway, it's your job to save her.

Gameplay: 8

Well, it's a Mario game. You get everything the original Super Mario Bros. had and a little more. You get the usual Mushrooms, Fire Flower with a fireball that ''bounces???'' and the ever so wonderful Star. The problem, the game is very short. Four worlds with three levels in them, making a grand total of 12. The original Mario Bros. had 32. You could pass this game in about half an hour if you wanted to. Mario apparently learned how to fly a plane and operate a mini-submarine, cause in a few places in this game, you use them to get through the levels.

Graphics: 6

They're not bad for what they had back in 1989, but I still feel as if they could've done better. They tried to make Mario look exactly the way he did in the NES, but it didn't seem to work out well. Mario is a big dot, and the goombas are a bunch of little dots. While it's tolerable I can't help but think what if they would've tried something different.

Sound: 10

This is the most enjoyable point of Super Mario Land. I'm glad they didn't touch the original songs from the NES. They went with something new and they did a spectacular job. All the songs fit with the levels perfectly and the music, while repetitive, is very enjoyable, especially when you get the Star. Sometimes I find myself just listening to the music.

Control: 5

Sometimes Mario can be unresponsive with the controls, but that's okay because it offers more of a challenge to the game. Some would probably find this to be annoying, but I like it because otherwise the game might be too easy. I did however find it annoying that Mario was too small, and sometimes you would be going so fast you couldn't even see him anymore.

Replay Value: 7

While the game is short, it does have some difficulty to it, making it enjoyable for a few times. There is also a hard mode after you beat for the first time and go through the credits, you get the difficult mode, which is more enemies and such, kind of like the original Super Mario Bros.

Quick rundown of the good and bad.

Good points
-it's a classic Mario game, so you gotta love it.
-VERY GOOD music
-Challenging

Bad points
-Way too short
-Graphics could've been better
-Control problems

Overall: 7

Most people who got the Game Boy back when it first came out have this classic, but if you don't, I suggest you do. You will feel like a kid again playing this. You won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/24/03, Updated 04/24/03