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?
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?