Super Mario Land (スーパーマリオランド, Sūpā Mario Rando?) is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld game console. It and the Game Boy debuted in Japan on February 21, 1989, in the United States in July 31, 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990.[4] Super Mario Land marked Mario's first appearance on the Game Boy and is the first Mario game for the system. The game was a launch title for the Game Boy in Japan and North America.
The game drove initial sales of the Game Boy and has sold over 14 million copies in total[5]. Super Mario Land was also the first game of the Mario series produced by Gunpei Yokoi.
Gameplay
A level in the Easton kingdom of
Super Mario Land.
The gameplay of Super Mario Land is similar to that of Super Mario Bros. and its successor for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Like in the previous games, the player takes over the role of Mario. The ultimate objective is to defeat Tatanga the "Mysterious Spaceman" and save Princess Daisy. However, there are some differences from earlier Mario games as well. Many of the previous characters do not make an appearance, such as Bowser, Luigi, or Princess Peach.
Mario's primary attack is to jump on top of his enemies, which normally kills them. However, there are a few antagonists who cannot be undone in this manner or may even cause damage to Mario if he jumps on them. A form of Koopa alternative (called "Nokobon"; "Noko" being the Japanese name for "Koopa" and "Bon" possibly meaning "bomb") makes its debut. Its difference is that when Mario jumps on one, instead of having a kickable shell, its shell explodes a few seconds after. Power-ups like the Super Mushroom work like normal, but the Fire Flower enables Mario to throw "superballs" which fly at a 45-degree angle and ricochet off floors, walls, and ceilings, rather than throwing traditional fireballs. They can also be used to collect coins. Unlike other Mario games, Mario does not stop in midair upon collecting power-ups, nor does he when he takes damage.
In level six and level twelve, Mario does not walk but rides in either a submarine or an airplane, respectively. In these levels, there is no Super Flower because Mario can shoot the entire time. He still can grow by getting a Super Mushroom or become invincible by getting a Starman. During these levels, the screen constantly scrolls forward until it reaches the boss at the end, and it is not possible to speed it down or stop it. Mario can either be killed by an enemy or when he gets stuck and the display overtakes him.
The game consists of twelve levels split across four worlds. At the end of every level, there is a tower with an access at the top and at the bottom. If Mario can reach the upper access, there is a bonus level in which the player can win a power-up by guiding Mario with a ladder to the right level. Mario then either wins one, two, or three 1-ups, or a Super Flower. If he only reaches the lower access, the game continues normally. At the end of every third level, Mario has to fight a boss by either battling them or passing them and reaching a point behind them that will end the battle. After the game is completed, the game returns to the title screen. However, the mushroom cursor next to "Start" switches to an image of Mario's head, meaning that the player can play in Hard Mode. If the game is finished in Hard Mode, the game goes back to the title screen and this time, allows the player to choose which stage who wishes to start in, allowing for replay of any particular stage.
Plot
The story of Super Mario Land is set in the peaceful realm of Sarasaland, which is split into the four kingdoms of Birabuto, Muda, Easton, and Chai. One day, a mysterious alien named Tatanga appears and hypnotizes the inhabitants of Sarasaland. He kidnaps Princess Daisy in order to marry her. Mario then sets out to rescue her from Tatanga, traveling through the four geographical areas of Sarasaland defeating his minions along the way, as well as finding monsters that pretend to be Daisy in order to fool Mario. He finally corners Tatanga in the skies of the Chai kingdom, bringing down his alien warship and rescuing Daisy.[6]
Development
Super Mario Land was initially the planned title to be packaged with the Game Boy, but was changed to Tetris at the insistence of Henk Rogers, who convinced Nintendo of America head Minoru Arakawa that a Mario title would only sell the Game Boy to young boys instead of everyone.[7]
The soundtrack was composed by Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka, who had composed music for other Nintendo games in the past. The soundtrack was released in Japan on September of that same year.
Track List
- "Mario Adventures I"
- "Mario Adventures II"
- "Underground"
- "Shooting"
- "Chinese"
- "Muteki"
- "Fight"
- "Oh! Daisy"
- "Ending"
- "Super Mario Land Original BGM Medley"
Reception and legacy
Super Mario Land sold 18.06 million copies,[5] making it the seventh highest selling game of the Mario Series and the fourth highest selling game for the Game Boy.[12] As a result of its success, it was re-released in 1996 as part of the Game Boy Player's Choice series of games that have sold over one million units. Official Nintendo Magazine later named the game one of the best Nintendo games of all time, ranking it 73rd on their list of the top 100.[13]
Receptions of the game were generally positive. It holds an average rating of 8.1/10 and 9.2/10 respectively at IGN,[14] as well as an average rating of 8.3/10 and 7.3/10 respectively at GameSpot.[15] Justin Searls of Nintendojo wrote that Super Mario Land continues the brilliance of its predecessor and gave it a 9 out of 10.[16] However, he remarked that the game was "very similar to the original Mario Brothers. It seems that the Mario sprites are almost identical to its predecessor." Also, some reviewers criticized the control, finding it too imprecise compared to the other Mario games.[17][18][19]
ScrewAttack declared Super Mario Land the ninth best Mario Game.[20]
Valiant Comics released a series of comics featuring Mario, Tatanga, and Daisy. In them Tatanga is released from the Game Boy by a human, and attempt to cause havoc on earth with his minions only to be defeated by Mario each time.
Sequels
The game launched one main sequel that shares the Mario Land title as well as the first Wario Land game, which later launched a franchise of its own.
References
External links
