I'll be the first to say it: This is the worst mainline Mario game.
This is the only Mario game where the physics just feel... wrong. I have problems with the physics of some other games in the series, but this is the one game where nothing about the physics clicks. Add onto that wonky hitboxes, ugly visuals, and relatively monotonous level design, and you've just got a nothing game.
There's a certain arcade-y charm with games that are so short they can be beaten in one sitting, but I'd much sooner recommend SMB1 for its gameplay and Kirby's Dream Land for its variety. Mario Land 1 is by far the most obsolete and unpolished Mario game of the bunch, and it just makes me all the more impressed that Mario Land 2 is such a gargantuan improvement in pretty much every aspect. I do have to say, though, that this game's biggest strength is its music. Undoubtedly one of the best classic 8-bit soundtracks in general.
Despite how much I disliked my experience with this game, I'm still happy I've finally played it, as that means I've beaten every mainline Mario game pre-Wonder! Can't wait to start Wonder today.
This is the only Mario game where the physics just feel... wrong. I have problems with the physics of some other games in the series, but this is the one game where nothing about the physics clicks. Add onto that wonky hitboxes, ugly visuals, and relatively monotonous level design, and you've just got a nothing game.
There's a certain arcade-y charm with games that are so short they can be beaten in one sitting, but I'd much sooner recommend SMB1 for its gameplay and Kirby's Dream Land for its variety. Mario Land 1 is by far the most obsolete and unpolished Mario game of the bunch, and it just makes me all the more impressed that Mario Land 2 is such a gargantuan improvement in pretty much every aspect. I do have to say, though, that this game's biggest strength is its music. Undoubtedly one of the best classic 8-bit soundtracks in general.
Despite how much I disliked my experience with this game, I'm still happy I've finally played it, as that means I've beaten every mainline Mario game pre-Wonder! Can't wait to start Wonder today.