What they managed to pull off here on a tiny Game Boy screen was nothing short of outstanding for 1989.
The game isn't as good as Mario's outings on the home console at the time and it never was going to be. With that in mind, Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi decided that the best course of action to take Mario portable was to make the game interesting, rather than try to compete. This has been pulled off in this short, sweet and memorable little gem.
The soundtrack is excellent, creating these fantastic little chip-tunes that will be stuck in your head for years to come, having you whistle these little melodies non-stop (much to the annoyance of present company, ha!).
With Mario feeling heavier, a little slippier and vague to control at times, it will take you a few minutes to adjust to the feel of the game, but when you do, it's a fun little excursion for 30 - 60 minutes. Personally I like how short the game is, but I can understand some players gripes with the length, with it only being 12 levels in all. In that short run time, we do have a tiny variety of levels, the main side scroller levels, and a couple of auto-scrolling shoot 'em up styled levels. Who knew we would see Mario in a submarine or an aeroplane? Gunpei Yokoi did!
It's maybe too easy for most and absolutely on the short side with controls that haven't aged well in the slightest. Don't let that put you off, if you have an hour to kill, give this a shot.
The game isn't as good as Mario's outings on the home console at the time and it never was going to be. With that in mind, Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi decided that the best course of action to take Mario portable was to make the game interesting, rather than try to compete. This has been pulled off in this short, sweet and memorable little gem.
The soundtrack is excellent, creating these fantastic little chip-tunes that will be stuck in your head for years to come, having you whistle these little melodies non-stop (much to the annoyance of present company, ha!).
With Mario feeling heavier, a little slippier and vague to control at times, it will take you a few minutes to adjust to the feel of the game, but when you do, it's a fun little excursion for 30 - 60 minutes. Personally I like how short the game is, but I can understand some players gripes with the length, with it only being 12 levels in all. In that short run time, we do have a tiny variety of levels, the main side scroller levels, and a couple of auto-scrolling shoot 'em up styled levels. Who knew we would see Mario in a submarine or an aeroplane? Gunpei Yokoi did!
It's maybe too easy for most and absolutely on the short side with controls that haven't aged well in the slightest. Don't let that put you off, if you have an hour to kill, give this a shot.