This is very likely the weakest sidescrolling Mario game that Nintendo has made. To enjoy it, you really have to forgive it for being a Game Boy launch title - they didn't seem to really know yet how to create great games for the machine. By the time the sequel came out (Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins), you could tell they had really figured the Game Boy out. Mario Land 2 is an amazing game.

This game is weird in a way that sort of salvages the otherwise mediocre experience. All Mario games back in the day felt weird, but in modern times this one stands out since it was a dead end for a lot of new ideas for Mario. Seeing Mario frolic past moai heads, blast sea creatures in his little submarine, and fend off kung fu zombies does give some justification to get through the brief hour long playtime. Also, the theme over the ending credits is a bop.

There's been a lot of great search action games over the past ten years. I don't know that Animal Well is among the greatest of these types of games, but it is one of the most unique. For the most part, it's entirely puzzle driven. There are some defensive maneuvers that the player can take, but there is no straightforward combat mechanic. By the end of it, I had convinced myself that its secretly a horror game - it's not outright scary, but there are many times when the atmosphere can be very creepy and weird. Also, I dig the look of it. It's pixel art but its not the type of pixel art that tries to evoke an older system (e.g., NES or SNES) - rather, it's kind of like a high res Lite Brite.