“Super Mario Land” Review

For Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console

Pros:	Cons:
Fantastic soundtrack and sounds	Ancient black and white visuals
Outstanding Mario platforming	Some poor boss fights/gameplay mechanisms
New enemies, items, and vehicles	Extremely minimal gameplay content

            When the Game Boy launched around the world many years ago, its launch line-up wasn’t really all that. You could play a game of tennis or baseball on day one, or play the new game Alleyway, but there was only one game that people had their eyes on. Of course after the infamous success of the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES, all Nintendo fans would want to buy Super Mario Land for their shiny new portable game console. Of course they would expect this game to be just as good as the aforementioned classic, of course they would think these things… it’s Mario! Well, Super Mario Land has returned again, this time in downloadable form on the Nintendo 3DS virtual console, looks like it’s time to rescue Daisy again!

                Being a Game Boy game, it should come clearly to you that the visuals are, well, old. The ancient black and white visuals really don’t hold up that well, and it would’ve been absolutely fantastic if Nintendo had added some color to this otherwise great game. At the same time, it is nice to see the game how it was originally created and in its true un-tampered form. The black and white visuals do take a bit getting used to in this day with HD visuals and photo-realistic graphics, but if you can get over it and ignore the ancient look, then you’ll find plenty more in this game to love.

                For example, one of the best things about the game is its brilliant soundtrack. Mario games have always been known for their energetic and fun soundtracks, but Super Mario Land has one of the best, especially for a system that had lackluster speakers. Nearly every tune in Super Mario Land is great, and the main theme, Egyptian sounding theme, and credits themes are all outstanding. And even the retro bleeps and bloops sound great even to this day. So whereas the graphics are extremely outdated, the audio still holds up quite well.

                Now like in every Mario game, your goal is to jump across fields, fight enemies, and time careful leaps across varied platforms. The gameplay remains mostly the same in Mario’s first major handheld adventure, but gets an additional boost from some new gameplay elements introduced exclusively for this title. Tons of new enemies and items are introduced including the ability to throw bouncy balls that will bounce across everything they hit for quite a while. Also introduced are vehicles for Mario to drive, such as the submarine and airplane. Both of these modes are unique and a nice break from the usual jumping around that most players will become accustomed to. The game’s biggest addition however, is the princess herself, not Peach, but Daisy. Princess Daisy does a nice job of filling in Peach’s shoes for this title, even though the simple story doesn’t allow her character to grow all that much. For the most part I loved the gameplay in Super Mario Land, but I do have a few gripes towards it. First off, I found most of the boss battles a bit underwhelming, and I also found a few problems with some of the gameplay mechanisms such as the giant boulders in some levels, and the gravity effects in the game. But even with these minor problems, the gameplay still manages to be one of the best aspects of the game.

                Easily one of the worst aspects of the game however, is the amount of content. The game has an extremely minimal amount of content and will only last players an hour or so. With only four worlds, and each world only contains three tiny courses the game fails to impress, especially when compared to its successor; Super Mario Land 2, which contains much more stages and content. To be honest, I don’t even think this game should’ve been a full game unless it included double the stages, the original Super Mario Bros. had 32 stages, which is nearly three times as many courses. What is there you will undoubtedly enjoy however, all twelve courses are challenging and varied courses that go up in difficulty as you advance Mario through them.

                All in all Super Mario Land may not be as good as most other Mario games, and if you’re waiting for Mario’s premium handheld adventure, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer for Super Mario Land 2 to be released on the 3DS virtual console. But if you’re fine with a short little adventure just to pass the time, downloading Super Mario Land right now for its affordable $3.99 price tag might not be such a bad idea. The game’s outstanding music and unique and varied gameplay should keep you hooked so well that you won’t even notice the aging visuals and short quest. So go ahead and download it today on the Nintendo eShop, you could do a lot worse. Hopefully Daisy won’t be in another castle much longer!

Graphics: The black and white visuals really aren’t very good, even for Game Boy                  7.0

Audio: A Fantastic soundtrack complete with unique bleeps and bloops                                    9.5

Gameplay: Outstanding platforming with new enemies and items, poor boss fights              9.0

Gameplay Amount: With only 12 levels, this should’ve never been a full game                     6.0

Overall: For the $3.99 price tag, it’s a good bargain, but it won’t last you very long                8.0