5 reasons why Super Mario Land is my favourite Mario Game!

That's right, my favourite Mario game is not the first, not the amazingly inventive Galaxy, not the sun drenched tropical paradise that is Sunshine, not even the ground breaking 64... Super Mario Land is perhaps the most simple of all the games in the series, and that's partly why I love it so much!

These are the 5 reasons why I LOVE Super Mario Land!

5:
Speed

Not just how fast the game is, but also how quickly it can be completed! I am still practising to try and attempt the world record speedrun! according to what I could find on google and youtube, the current best time is 12:45... time to get practising again! Its perfect for handheld play, a great way to pass the time! I've been playing the game on and off since the gameboy was the only hand held worth playing (Sorry GameGear!) and I never get bored of it! Theres plenty of replay value too because when you finish it, the game begins again in "Hard Mode" with many more enemies and harder levels!

4:
Simplicity

No map, no level select, no story, nothing to get in the way. pure gameplay and fun. The way these kinds of games should be! Too often with the newer Mario games do I get annoyed at finishing a level, only to be greeted with a transition to the map screen, then making me walk slowly to the next point on the map, then look at another transitional screen, then a title of the level then finally I get to play, that is, unless I need to do a mini game to get many many unessecary extra lives...! For these kinds of games, where there are no branching paths or secrets to find on the map, please let there be an option to just go from level to level! This is what annoys me most about the new Sonic games as well!

3:
Variety

This is nothing like any other Mario games out there, instead of bowser, you're fighting an evil space alien called Tatanga. The fireballs bounce all around, the Koopa's shells explode when you jump on them.. Mario pilots an aeroplane (the Sky Pop) and submarine (Marine Pop) , Mario travels around the globe from the Pyramids to Ancient China, Easter Island and beyond... As this was only the second proper mario game, there wasn't really anything for them to go by, much like how Zelda II is a strange depatrure from the first, so too is Mario Land.

 

2:
Music...

1:
Gameplay!

Pixel perfect controls with no lag and super precise jumping mechanics! maybe the second game is smoother but the smaller sprite size in this one definitely makes it more enjoyable to play, for me at least. B to run, A to jump. No double jumps, no wall jump, no backflips just classic run and jump gameplay! Thats all you need to know!

Thanks for reading,

Go play Mario Laaaaand! :D

Its also avaliable on VC for those of you that don't own a Gameboy!