Retro Review: Super Mario Land

Mario's games are usually well worth playing. Many of his earlier games have become classics, his most recent games still tend to be praised by many people, and if the early reviews are any indication, Super Mario Galaxy 2 could very well become one of if not the best Mario games of all time. Alas, not every Mario game is a masterpiece...case in point, Super Mario Land, the plumber's first Game Boy adventure. The game is a mixed bag, as it is fun and creative at times, but it feels dated, and the challenge can sometimes be quite unforgiving. Allow me to tell you more about this game that is far from being Mario's best titles.

For once, Mario goes up against a new enemy, a space alien named Tatanga. His minions have taken over Sarasaland, and its princess, Daisy, has become his prisoner. Of course, only Mario can save the day, and so he sets off to stop Tatanga, rescue Daisy, and restore peace to Sarasaland. In other words, the same basic Mario story, only told a bit differently. This game would mark Tatanga's only appearance to date, but Daisy would reappear in Mario Tennis, released eleven years later, and has materialized in many Mario sports titles ever since, but so far, she has yet to appear in another platform game.

The game features the typical formula of Mario's platform games: our hero must complete every stage, defeating enemies, collecting coins and power up items, and finding secret areas along the way. He can grab mushrooms to grow big, flowers to shoot fireballs (though with the Game Boy being in black and white, his outfit does not change color), and 100 coins to get an extra life. The enemies are mostly new to the Mario universe, and some Koopas actually explode soon after you stomp on them. Most levels have two doors at the end, and by reaching the top door, you can play a bonus game in which, if you hit the A button at the right time, you can win extra lives or power up items.

While the levels are mostly your standard run-and-jump variety, a couple of them are side-scrolling levels with Mario piloting a vehicle. Here, he can shoot at enemies and obstacles, and the fast-paced action presented here is one of the game's better features. Every third level ends with a boss level, each with their own nasty attacks. Defeat these foes, and you can rescue Daisy...or so it would seem. A cut scene will show Mario reunited with the princess, but then he discovers that she is actually an enemy in disguise, and that the real Daisy is still being held captive. It is reminiscent of when you got to the end of a castle in the original Super Mario Bros., only to be told that the princess was in another castle.

All of this sounds fun, and it can be, but the game also has plenty of flaws. First, it is quite brief, with only twelve stages in the entire game. The original Super Mario Bros. game had nearly three times as many levels, and it was four years old at the time that Super Mario Land was released. Second, the challenge level can be quite rough, as there are times where it is easy to die, and with limited chances to get continues, you better get used to restarting the entire game once all of your lives have been lost. Third, the graphics frankly look terrible, with characters and enemies looking quite ugly even for a 1989 game. Granted, this was an early Game Boy title, and subsequent Mario games would look more like the NES games of yore, but the result here is still disappointing.

There are some bright spots, though, that saves this game from being the absolute worst Mario game in existence. The levels have some variety to them, from ancient ruins to an underwater area where you pilot a submarine. As mentioned, the vehicle stages are exciting...a shame that there are only two of them. Having to save a different girl from a different villain is a nice change from saving Peach from Bowser all the time. Tatanga does seem to be a decent villain, and I hope Nintendo brings him back at some point. The soundtrack, while lacking classic tracks, is very catchy, and the ruins tune received an excellent remix in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Still, Nintendo could have done more for Mario's inaugural Game Boy adventure instead of giving him a mediocre debut.

Super Mario Land is proof that even Mario games can be unspectacular sometimes. Thankfully, many of the games considered to be Mario's lesser titles are spin offs and not games that are part of the main series. Still, Mario's Game Boy debut could have used more levels, a more balance difficulty system, and somewhat better graphics to be considered a true masterpiece. The quality of his hand held games improved greatly over the last couple of decades, and one wonders why his first hand held adventure could not be nearly as good as his subsequent outings. Play the game if you are a Mario fan, but do not go expecting a classic like the original NES games or the current masterpieces.