Despite how awkward it feels to control at times, as well as the length and weirdness of the game, the original Super Mario Land was still a decent enough game, and it proved that a Mario game could work just as well on a smaller system as it does on a console. So, as one would expect, a sequel was going to be made, and for this sequel, the development team wanted to create something much more unique compared to the other Mario games that have been made so far………… only to then go back on this decision to create a game very similar to that of Super Mario World. However, some of this uniqueness would carry over, not just with the game itself, but also with the plot being changed from what players were used to seeing from these games. So, after almost a year of development, they then released the sequel to the original Mario Land known as Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.

In terms of mainline handheld Mario games, this entry in particular is usually held in pretty high regards, not just with delivering the same timeless and fun gameplay that we have all grown to love, but also with implementing worlds and elements never seen in any other Mario game before or since then. And I am gonna have to agree with that general consensus, because taking inspiration from Super Mario World was definitely the right choice, rather then whatever it was that they originally had intended. As a followup to Super Mario Land, this is a MASSIVE improvement over what we were given in that game, and as a game on its own, it is fantastic. Is it anything too special compared to other titles in the series, and it is absolutely flawless? No, but for being a simple handheld Mario game, it is pretty damn impressive, especially for 1992, and it holds up very well to this day.

The story is NOT about saving any damsel in distress, but instead taking back your castle from a mysterious new foe, which is probably more important to Mario then saving a princess for the millionth time, the graphics are Game Boy graphics, with the artstyle and sprites being much better and more detailed then what we got in Super Mario Land, the music is very catchy, bouncy, and enjoyable, with some very replayable tracks out of the bunch, the control is what you would expect for a Mario game, and it is as tight and seamless as ever, and the gameplay is, again, what you would expect from a Mario game, but in comparison to the last game, it is a significant step in the right direction.

The game is yet another 2D platformer, where you go through many different side-scrolling levels, defeat many of the enemies that stand in your way, avoid dangerous platforming hazards, gather many different powerups, coins, and extra lives along the way, and take on easy, yet creative and enjoyable bosses. It is what you would expect from a 2D Mario title, but it still remains pretty fun and imaginative to this day. In terms of new features to this game, there aren’t really that many new powerups, except for one known as the Magic Carrot, which turns you into Bunny Mario, who can… flutter down very slowly when you push the button. So basically, it’s just like the Tanooki Leaf from Mario 3, except you can’t fly upwards or attack enemies. That’s kind of lame, but hey, it is still fun to use. Not to mention, this game takes plenty of inspiration from, like I said, Super Mario World, where there is an overworld map, you can tackle levels in any order you want (for the most part), and there are several secret levels that you can find by reaching alternate exits in specific levels. These levels aren’t really all that spectacular, and they don’t last long at all, but they are a nice bonus for those who are wanting more out of the game.

One of the best aspects that this game has going for it, like I mentioned earlier, is the amount of creativity that was put into this game. Sure, the main gameplay mechanics aren’t changed up significantly whatsoever, but everything around the gameplay does stand out as being unique to this day, such as with the worlds and the enemies in levels. I’m sure we are all familiar with the types of worlds Mario games have you go through: Grass World, Desert World, Beach World, Forest World, Snow World, Cliff World, Sky World, and Hell World. These world themes aren’t bad by any means, but we have seen them so many times in Mario games, you tend to get sick of the lack of variety.

However, in Mario Land 2, there are plenty of interesting world themes, with some pretty unique levels to go along with them. We have the usual shit, like your regular grass levels and a world inside of a tree, but then we have a world in space, a world inside a spooky Jack-O-Lantern, a world where you get shrunken down and have to traverse through a regular house, and even one where you climb through a giant mechanical Mario robot! Sure, most of these themes aren’t too creative, but they are ones that we have never seen in any other Mario game before and since this one, and they are very memorable and fun to traverse through. And in terms of the enemies, there is a great variety of old and new ones, like ants, moles, angry stars, Cow-Fish things, Goombas wearing hockey masks like Jason Vorhees, and even a tiny little Dracula that is adorable. Again, like with the worlds, you don’t see these types of enemies in most other Mario games, making this one stand out much more, and in turn, being even more fun and memorable.

Of course, how could I forget about one of the defining features of this game, that being the brand new villain of the game. This villain was created specifically out of spite for working on a game that the developers didn’t primarily create, which is ironic, considering this character would come to be one of the best characters in the entire franchise, as well as one of the greatest and most iconic characters in video game history. I am, of course, talking about Wario. He may just be a bad version of Mario (quite literally), but he has become so much more than that over the years. He is fat, he is rude, he is insanely greedy, and he cares about nobody other than himself, stomping anyone down in his path to get whatever the hell he wants…….. and I absolutely love him for all of those reasons. There is a reason why he has gotten multiple series of his own games, even all the way to this day.

I know I have been raving on and on about this game for this entire review, but honestly, there aren’t really that many complaints that I have with the game overall. It is an immensely solid title that I had an absolute blast replaying for this review, and it does still hold up very well. I guess if I did have some complaints I could give, I would say that the game is kind of short, as well as kind of easy, but considering all of the levels you can play through, with some being pretty challenging, I don’t really see this as much of an issue. This could also be said for the fact that, if you get a Game Over, any of the 6 golden coins you have gathered at that point are taken away from you, and you have to get it back. That does kind of suck, but again, the game is somewhat easy, as it gives you lives a plenty, so even then, you probably won’t get a Game Over in the first place.

Overall, despite there being some very minor issues that I can see with it, Super Mario Land 2 is an almost perfect follow-up to the original Super Mario Land, one with a great amount of creativity for a Mario game, and one that is still very fun to blast through even to this day. I would definitely recommend it for anybody, as well as Mario fans in general, even if you didn’t like the original Mario Land at all. Trust me, it is definitely worth it. Now I just can’t wait to see what Super Mario Land 3 has in store next! someone whispers into my ear....... Whassat? Oh… well… that didn’t take long at all.

Game #302

My only prior experience with Mario Land 2 was seeing my cousin play it briefly in like 2002. I remembered that the overworld seemed cool, but that was it.

And I remembered that aspect for good reason! The charm is off the scale here. This is arguably the greatest overworld of any Mario game, the theming of the levels is delightful and incredibly varied. Can you believe that all we get in most 2D Mario games is stuff like "Desert Area" or "Forest again"??? In '92 on the GAME BOY OF ALL PLACES, Mario had a Halloween land, a giant Mario robot, and a level made of Lego bricks. WHERE DID THIS AMAZING CREATIVITY GO?!? There are even enemies that I've never seen in another Mario game; "Owl with Guile's haircut who gives you a ride" is my new favorite Mario character.

Of course, it's still a platformer on the Game Boy, so the gameplay itself is still nothing mind-blowing, but it is better than most other Game Boy titles. Just wish we could get this level of imagination in a new Mario game!

always had a soft spot for this one. played it a lot back on my gameboy color and when it hit the 3ds eshop, i picked it up there too. i think it's still a very solid experience if hindered by its platform! some performance issues lead otherwise complex and interesting areas running at a snails pace, but the game still feels relatively robust and complete for an earlier title on the gameboy.

i like the unconventional levels designs here and as far as presentation goes, this is one of the more interesting mario titles. the sprites go a long way to reflect the mario world-era artstyle of the series while maintaining some of the weirdness of influences like mario 2 and the first land game. might be a hot take here, but this does this whole "soundtrack revolving around 1 motif thing" better than world for me. i think some of the tracks here are more playful with the arrangement and melody regardless of the limited soundchip capabilities.

i think there are a few missteps here though. the carrot is fucking busted, even more so than the leaf/taunki or the cape had been prior. the horizontal range of this thing makes clearing levels within seconds a breeze. the bosses are lackluster in execution despite a more interesting turnout of foes - and for the game that would introduce wario, his fight sure is a snoozer. lastly, i'm glad this game spams you with one-ups because screen crunch does this joint no favors and having to recollect the golden coins upon game over, should you struggle enough to somehow get one, is bullshit.

but yeah, overall, very good game, especially for the standards of the gameboy. if you want some quality bing bing wahoo from the era where this series was still doing weird shit on the regular, this is a good time and it won't take you long to beat.

Despite not wanting to ever play a GB 2D Mario, I enjoyed Super Mario Land enough to warrant playing Super Mario Land 2, and to be honest, I see the hype. I wouldn't say I like this game as much as most other people still, but I definitely see the hype.

Super Mario Land felt like it was at conflict with itself, wanting to be its own unique Mario game but also having to contend with translating 2D Mario to the GameBoy's capabilities. This game is noticeably better in pretty much every regard. It looks better, it feels better, its more fleshed out. It even takes a wholly different approach to the Mario story formula. There is no princess to rescue, instead you have to take back Mario's castle from the evil Wario (when the hell did Mario get his own castle anyhow?).

What I really enjoy about this game is its approach to theming. Super Mario Land 1 had this globetrotting aesthetic where you were like, going around to different places, and that's kinda cool, but I prefer the theming in this game a lot more. Especially for 1992, some of these themes were actually really dope. In fact even the least creative zone, being Macro Zone (mostly because tiny/huge levels have been a staple of the series since the first game), is still pretty creative in its own right. Hell, if you really think about it Turtle Zone and Pumpkin Zone are also your water and ghost levels, but their theming is very different from what I expect out of either of those in a Mario game. I do have small nitpicks about some of the zones, like why the hell is it called Turtle Zone? Yeah a turtle eats you to get you to it, but like, after that there are no turtles besides the Koopas! It should be called Whale Zone! And Mario Zone is odd, but I kinda dig how odd it is.

Now, despite how much it seems I like this game, and I do like it, I still don't know if it reaches the levels of Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario Bros. Wonder for me, and unfortunately, its entirely because its still a GB game. I'll say this: if they ever remake this game, it will probably be able to join the ranks. I mean, despite not being up there with those two, I'd still actually say this is my third favorite 2D Mario.

Also I can't believe this is where Wario comes from, and I can't believe they immediately made him the protagonist of the followup game. Like I love Wario, but what the hell?

they put him on a Land, they put him in a World, now….they’re gonna put him on a Land.…again!

Super Mario Land 2 is this odd middle ground in ways. this game is trying to be more of a traditional Mario game like Super Mario World with the overworld and minigames, but at the same time it’s still going for its own unique identity like Super Mario Land was. I appreciate that they didn’t go with the usual “princess gets kidnapped” for the story this time as instead you’re going to Mario Land to retrieve Mario’s castle back from Wario who took over while he was rescuing Daisy back at Sarasaland.

why does Mario live around here anyway, what a weird place to put your castle in. there’s a random house that shrinks Mario to micro size, a giant pumpkin with a forest full of yokai and witches, a turtle that eats Mario and sends him underwater where he ventures inside of a whale, a giant mechanical Mario statue which implies that Mario has servants or followers that built him a big old Mario, a hippo that snorts bubbles that sends Mario to space filled with angry stars that hurt you instead of turning you invincible, and at the end of the place you even fight Tatanga who was the final boss of the first Mario Land. the only relatively normal zone out here is the tree one but even then you end up going inside a giant beehive and facing a boss at the end that’s literally called “Big Bird”. oh right there’s also a cave that houses a random casino, Mario enjoys gambling??? well Luigi does own and run a casino later on in the franchise so it probably runs in the family. all this raises a question though: was Mario Land always like this before Wario arrived, or did Wario really stink up the place that much? I need more lore on this supposed Mario Land. what’s Mario’s daily routine here? where did he get the space suit for the Space Zone? how much money does he spend on gambling per night? why are the Three Little Piggies inside the Mario?

eventually Mario collects the 6 Golden Coins from the bosses (hence the subtitle) and gains access to the castle and goes in to take it back. the castle’s pretty tough, it’s the longest level in the game and there’s no checkpoints so you have to do it all in one go. at the end you face off against Wario who has three different phases, and no, losing to him doesn’t mean you start again in the room before the battle. I’d like to assume Wario throws you out of the window if you fail to defeat him which explains why you have to climb up the whole castle again each time.

speaking of Wario, what an odd first appearance here. he’s not the usual greedy and egotistical anti-hero that he’s known for nowadays, instead he’s a straight up psychopath. he’s twice Mario’s height, his head takes up more than half of his body, his googly eyes are dead and empty, and that smile is filled with nothing but malice. that’s not Wario, that’s the embodiment of chaos. he doesn’t want to become rich, all he wants is to see Mario slowly suffer until there’s nothing left to his name. oh yeah he also uses the power ups in this game during his own fight, so not only is he a schizo, but he’s quite literally a bootleg Mario.

I think this game is neat. I’ll admit the controls are a bit off compared to something like SMB3 or SMW, but they’re an improvement over the previous Super Mario Land and I approve of improvement. not to mention the game’s oozing with a unique personality just like Mario Land 1. though if I had to choose between Sarasaland or Mario Land, I’d probably go with Sarasaland since there’s still a sense of Mario over there. Mario Land feels like it takes place in its own wacky dimension, but there’s nothing wrong with that. if anything, the whole thing feels like a prototype of what Wario Land’s overall mood would end up like, and we all know anything associated with Wario is automatically cool.

unfortunately nothing in this game reminds me of Donkey Kong so that brings it down a bit

I think this game is lucky that it lives in a world where 2D Mario games specifically the New series had that constant complaint of "Always being the same boring themes for each title" because when people looked back at previous Mario games before that, they could remember the Land games. A set of games that were so different from the rest and by the end got sabotaged by Wario and made his own series of games starring him. Super Mario Land 2 was made almost 3 years after the first one and the improvements show.

This game has Mario going through 6 zones having to get each golden coin to go inside Mario's castle and kick Wario's butt out of it. Right off the bat you're given total freedom for which zone you want to do first. They even got some cool themes like a spooky halloween like setting, space before Galaxy did it, and even going through a whole zone that looks like Mario. (what a narcissist)

If you've played Mario games before you know what to expect. You jump on enemies and use powerups to get through linear levels. Sometimes they got secrets and there's bosses at the end of each zone. Some things have changed though like now you have an enemy counter that will give you a star after your 100th defeated enemy. Coins also don't give out 1-ups and can go up to 999 coins. You use them now on slot machines for powerups or lives.

Powerups this time have the returning Fire Flower which gives you Fire Mario and you can throw 2 fireballs on screen at a time. A new powerup called the Carrot can let you become Bunny Mario. It lets you jump higher, jump as long as you hold the button and can even float by holding the button in the air. It's really good, arguably too good. The 1-ups are also hearts in this game.

Super Mario Land 2 has some good level design for the Game Boy and can even shake things up at times. I think the new themes help with the variety on offer here. Like going through a level with lots of Tree sap, walking on blocks that were actually Nintendo products long ago, and even floating in space avoiding angry stars. That said the game is too easy for me personally, I know Mario games are usually easy but I'd point to it being too easy even for Mario. You pretty much have to set limits on yourself to make it even worth any type of challenge. The game does at least have secret exits leading to secret levels just like in Super Mario World. There's even bonus stages if you ring the bell at the end of a level. There's two of them but both are just getting powerups or 1-ups.

Bosses are also laughably bad. Don't get me wrong I like that they are unique and even brings back the final boss from the 1st game for the Space Zone. It's just, I wish it wasn't so easy to just hit them over and over again so quickly. Even the final boss Wario himself is easy which sucks because the concept of it is so awesome.

The controls are good for the most part but I'm really not a fan of Mario's starting speed. I'm assuming this was meant to compensate for the GB's small screen especially with the bigger sprites but you practically need to run most of the time to have fun with the movement controls for me. Some of the collision on enemies also seems off and I noticed it a few times but thankfully it's nothing that would hurt the game's score. I also don't really like how you can get 99 lives on the slots because it basically meant I didn't really care about exploring levels anymore. The secret levels are also so lame, they're basically more just bonus levels for more coins and lives.

This game looks really good for a GB game. It has some good looking sprites and some of the emotions displayed on them are magnificent and show a lot of personality. There's a lot of cool touches like going to Macro Zone makes Mario small on the overworld or the fact Mario wears an actual spacesuit in space. The music on the other hand is hit and miss. I'd argue it's more hits but some songs are just pretty boring but when they are good, they are very good. Also some of the sound effects in this game are wack but like the good kind.

This game is really well made for the handheld. There's a good pocket sized adventure here. Sure it's not too long and I had my gripes (when do I never have those tbf) but I still enjoy my time. After this game Mario stopped having 2D platformers until New Super Mario Bros. for the DS. Wario would take the spotlight for the next couple of generations for 2D platformers. It's a short adventure too even for 100% so go play it now if you haven't, you'll likely enjoy yourself.

Pretty short and easy, but really nice little game for the Game Boy. Except for the Wario castle, it was fairly long and challenging, just like the final level should be.
More refined experience from the first Mario Land and closer to the mainline console games, although the overall readability and range of view was sacrificed in favour of better visuals. Not a big deal tho, as I said, the game is easy anyways. Played with the Super Game Boy color palette for the sake of purism, but with the fanmade color hack it looks even more charming and comfy.

Mario Land 2 is a neat little game! It's a peculiar stepping stone for both Mario and the eventual Wario Land series. It breaks from the mold of most Mario games with it's level theming, it's bosses, and it's non-linear approach, making it a refreshing, bite-sized Mario experience!

The downside is, the game often feels limited. Given that it's a Game Boy game, it's bound to feel like that. With only a few Power-Ups, with only one that's wholely original, Mario's range of actions are scarce. They make up for this scarcity by incorporating interesting level gimmicks to try and stand out, which are enjoyable in their own right. There's never enough to really sink your teeth into though, which is a shame, because I feel like a lot of these ideas could be expanded upon. It's important to keep in mind, however, that it IS a Game Boy game, and for what it's accomplished in context of the time and the hardware, it's really a stand out title.

Even I, an ardent defender of the original Super Mario Land, recognize 6 Golden Coins' supremacy. It's the better game, hands down, goes without saying. It has Wario in it. Wario, man. Wario.

It's also such a major leap in terms of gameplay, overall feel, and graphical fidelity. It's such a drastic overhaul of what the original Mario Land was that it almost feels unfair to use the same branding, but then the same could be said of Wario Land: Mario Land 3 which also veers off in a radically different direction.

What's most impressive to me though, is how Nintendo managed to make this feel just as good as Mario's console counterparts despite all the limitations of the Game Boy. The way Mario jumps, the weightiness of his movement, and level design are all capable of going toe-to-toe with its console counterparts. It's definitely one of the better games on the Game Boy. It has Wario.

one of the side effects of the brand-ification of mario as nintendo’s flagbearer is that we’re probably not gonna get any games as comparatively offbeat and goofy (quirky dare i say :3) as this any time soon. just some really silly stuff happening here. mario goes into a haunted house and you have to avoid goombas in jason masks with lil knives sticking out of them. mario goes into a bigger mario and the final bosses of that world are the three little pigs. if you get a game over the game says fuck you and makes you go through each boss stage over again but it doesnt matter too much because you can grind enough coins to buy enough extra lives to max out the counter pretty easily. wacky stuff. i played this in my hotel room over a weekend of traveling so it was a decent way to kill some time in the hours before i fell asleep

Whenever I beat one of these Mario games, I always come back to the same thought: “how is anybody else even in business?”

I’m a Super Mario Land enjoyer, but this is the Super Mario World to that game’s Super Mario Bros. It doubles down on the idiosyncrasies that Nintendo embraced during their GameBoy period: Bizarre level themes like Inside of Giant Turtle and Lego. You’ve got all the classic Mario enemies such as Goombas, Koopas, Sharks with boxing gloves, and Jason Voorhees.

It’s a proper 2D Mario platformer that incorporates and functionally iterates on the best ideas from its mobile and console predecessors while setting itself apart with character and charm. It’s satisfying to control and straightforward to beat; short but replayable fun for all ages.

Nintendo once again puts all other platformers to shame.

Mario Land 2 is much more conscious than its predecessor that it's a Game Boy game, and because of that its entire design is very different from the usual Mario platforms. It's not at all designed around Mario's speed and fluidity of movement: rather, Mario Land 2 chooses a more compact level design over the more free and expansive one you often see in 2D Marios. Because of that, this game ends up with a much more static, less dynamic level design, making it also really easy (besides the last level, we don't talk about that). There's even more verticality here than I expected to see in a Game Boy game, all thanks to the level design trying to find ways to shine despite being unable to rely on Mario's speed. Not to say it ends up really actually shining, but hey, it tries to.

As such, the gameplay flow is wildly different from the plumber's other games, and while I prefer the pacing of those, I understand how such adaptations were necessary considering the system it was released in. Besides finding the level design here worse, though, I think it allowed for some truly unique level ideas, quirkier even that those present in SMB3 or SMW, which I already consider quite distinctive. Each world has its own theme, each one vastly different from the rest, and this is where Mario Land 2 really shines. Its more methodic level approach complements the feeling of the surreal places Mario visits across the island, which intrigues the player even more exactly because of the slower pace of it all.

So yeah, while I do think its level design is quite boring and easy, it serves a purpose that sets the game apart from the rest of the series. Also, the soundtrack of both this and Mario Land 1 are actually kinda insane, and I have no idea how they managed to fit such banger themes into a Game Boy.