| Super Mario Land | |
|---|---|
 North American box art | |
| Developer | Nintendo R&D1 |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Director | Satoru Okada |
| Producer | Gunpei Yokoi |
| Designer | Hirofumi Matsuoka |
| Programmers | Takahiro Harada Masao Yamamoto |
| Artists | Hirofumi Matsuoka Masahiko Mashimo |
| Composer | Hirokazu Tanaka |
| Series | Super Mario |
| Platform | Game Boy |
| Release |
|
| Genre | Platform |
| Mode | Single-player |
Super Mario Land[a] is a 1989platform game developed and published byNintendo for theGame Boy, asone of four launch titles for the console. It was first released in Japan in April 1989, followed by North America in August of that year, and Europe and Australia in 1990.[citation needed] It is the first handheld entry in theSuper Mario series, as well as the first mainline title not designed by series creatorShigeru Miyamoto. Modeled after the originalSuper Mario Bros. (1985), the game adaptsside-scrolling gameplay for the Game Boy's smaller screen, with the player guidingMario through 12 levels to rescuePrincess Daisy (in her debut appearance) from the alien Tatanga in the new setting of Sarasaland.
The game is notable for its distinctive sound effects, minimalist line-art visuals, inconsistent use of familiar Mario elements, and the inclusion ofshooting stages inspired by titles such asGradius. Nintendo developedSuper Mario Land under the direction of Game Boy creatorsGunpei Yokoi andSatoru Okada, intending it to be the system'spack-in game. However, during development,Tetris captured their attention, and they recognized its potential for a handheld platform.Henk Rogers, who held the rights toTetris, convinced Nintendo of America that it would appeal to a broader audience thanSuper Mario Land; as a result,Tetris was bundled with the Game Boy instead.
Super Mario Land played a key role in the Game Boy's commercial success, selling over 25 million copies worldwide and becoming thefourth best-selling title for the system. Despite its short length, critics praised the game for successfully adapting theMario formula to portable hardware. Since its release,Super Mario Land has been widely recognized as one of the most influential Game Boy titles, and introduced Princess Daisy as a recurringcharacter in theMario franchise. The game received two sequels:Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) andWario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994), the latter of which spawned theWario Land sub-series.Super Mario Land was later re-released via theVirtual Console for theNintendo 3DS in 2011 and onNintendo Switch Online in 2024.
As a side-scrolling platform game,[1]Super Mario Land is similar in gameplay to the originalSuper Mario Bros. (1985).[2] As Mario, the player advances to the end of the level by moving to the right and jumping across platforms to avoid enemies and pitfalls,[3] the screen only scrolls to the right, as the player advances, but will not scroll back to the left, and sections of a level that have passed off screen cannot be revisited. Mario travels to Sarasaland to savePrincess Daisy from Tatanga, an evil spaceman.[4] Two of the game's twelve levels are "forced-scrolling"Gradius-styleshooters where Mario helms a submarine or airplane and fires projectiles towards oncoming enemies, destructible blocks and bosses.[5] Levels end with a platforming challenge to reach an alternative exit located above the regular exit, the former leading to abonusminigame styled after aGhost Leg lottery that awards 1 to 3extra lives or a Superball Flower power-up.[6]
Unlikeother games in the series,Super Mario Land features several differences that sets it apart from the traditionalSuper Mario premises. Rather than being set in theMushroom Kingdom, it is set in Sarasaland[7] and drawn inline art.[1] Mario rescuesPrincess Daisy in her debut, rather than the series' standarddamsel in distressPrincess Peach.[5] When jumped on,Koopa Troopa shells explode after a short delay, Mario throws black bouncing balls rather than fireballs (referred to as "Superballs" in the manual),[6]1-Up power-ups are depicted as hearts, and the level-end flagpoles are replaced with a platforming challenge.[7] Compared toSuper Mario Bros., which contains 32 levels subdivided into 8 "worlds" with 4 levels each,Super Mario Land is substantially smaller, with 12 levels subdivided into 4 "worlds" with 3 levels each. There are five unique bosses, one at the end of each of the four worlds, and a fifth and final boss being Tatanga, who appears when the fourth boss is defeated. The first three bosses may be destroyed with projectiles, or the player may move past them to the exit without destroying them first; the last level has no regular exit, and the two bosses at the end of that level must be destroyed with projectiles to complete the level and the game.
Few elements recur from the previousMario games, such as blocks suspended in midair, moving platforms that must be used to traverse pitfalls, pipes that lead to other areas, collectible coins that grant an extra life when 100 are collected, andGoomba enemies.[5] After the player has completed the game they mayplay through again on a harder mode, in which the levels are the same apart from enemies being more numerous; if the player completes the harder mode, the game allows the player to start another play on any level in the game.
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Super Mario Land was developed byNintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo in 1989 as a launch game for its Game Boy handheld console.[5] Nintendo CEOHiroshi Yamauchi believed that fun games promote console sales,[8] so when the company created the Game Boy, he wanted a fun game featuring Nintendo's mascot, Mario.[9] The task came to Nintendo R&D1, a development team led by Game Boy inventorGunpei Yokoi.[9] Yokoi had previously created theGame & Watch series and worked with his protégé,Shigeru Miyamoto, on the game that introduced Mario,Donkey Kong.[8]Super Mario Land is the fourthSuper Mario game,[1] the first portable Mario game, and the first in the series to be made without Miyamoto.[9]
Absent Miyamoto's direction, the development team used elements new and inconsistent with the series asSuper Mario Land shrunk elements of the series to fit the portable device's small screen.[5] Yokoi, the head of R&D1, served as producer,[7] andSatoru Okada served as director. They had previously developedMetroid (1986) andKid Icarus (1986) together, and the two subsequently designed the Game Boy—Yokoi on its industrial design, and Okada on its engineering.[10] TheirSuper Mario Land was planned as the portable console's showcase title untilHenk Rogers broughtTetris toNintendo of America and convincedMinoru Arakawa that the addictive computer game would help Nintendo reach the largest audience. The company subsequently chose to bundleTetris with every Game Boy purchase.[10]
The Game Boy was released in Japan in April 1989, North America in July, and Europe in September 1990,[11] andSuper Mario Land became a launch game.[10] Its official first release was on April 21, 1989, in Japan,[12] and its North American release followed on August 1.[13] On June 6, 2011,Super Mario Land was released for theNintendo 3DSVirtual Console as one of the first titles for the service.[14] Its new features include an increased size (about 60 percent zoom) and an optional "shades of green" color palette to match the effect of the original Game Boy's monochrome.[5] The game was re-released on theNintendo Classics service forNintendo Switch on May 15, 2024.[15]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer and Video Games | 93%[16] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8/10, 8/10, 7/10, 8/10[13] |
| Famitsu | 6/10, 7/10, 7/10, 6/10[17] |
| Player One | 98%[18] |
| The Games Machine (UK) | 94%[19] |
| Mean Machines | 90%[20] |
Many critics sawSuper Mario Land as a "smaller" and shorter version ofSuper Mario Bros.[5][16][13][21][20] At the time of its release in 1989, reviewers were excited to have a portableMario game.[21] Paul Rand ofComputer and Video Games called the game "anarcade machine in your pocket" and the graphics "remarkable" for their size.[16] French games magazinePlayer One [fr] said thatSuper Mario Land adequately compromised where necessary to bring Mario to a portable device.[18]Electronic Gaming Monthly's Steve Harris considered the game "fantastic" and "very fun to play", though short.[13] Ed Semrad and Donn Nauert of the same outlet both declaredSuper Mario Land "easily the best Game Boy cart" of the time.[13] One reviewer inFamitsu wrote that it as the best of the first games released for the Game Boy.[17]
Tony Mott ofSuperplay said the game proved that Nintendo's Game Boy "had playability to match" its competitors.[22] Matt Regan ofMean Machines agreed: "Playability to the nth degree!".[20] British magazinesMean Machines andThe Games Machine both commented on the many secrets to find.[20][19]Player One too complimented the music.[18]Player One further pronouncedSuper Mario Land a "masterpiece", "the pinnacle of portable video gaming".[18] Three reviewers inFamitsu were not enthusiastic about the graphics, describing them as blurry, less appealing than the FamicomMario games as it was monochrome.[17] One reviewer felt that although the game was short, it was probably better that way due to the nature of the Game Boy.[17]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 78% (8 reviews)[23] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | 3DS: 7/10[21] |
| IGN | 3DS: 7.5/10[5] |
IGN's Lucas Thomas wrote that the protagonist, enemies, and overall game were shorter, and noted that Mario himself was just 12 pixels in height on the Game Boy's small screen. With this in mind, Thomas was concerned about player "eyestrain" in rereleases of the game.[5] Still,IGN's Levi Buchanan thought the game made no compromises in its size reduction.[2]Complex's Gus Turner wrote that the graphics were "simple",[24] andOfficial Nintendo Magazine said the game was "ridiculously short".[25]Eurogamer reported that the game could be finished in under an hour.[21]
Complex's Gus Turner wrote that the game had the fun, intuitiveness, and difficulty associated with the series.[24]Eurogamer's Chris Schilling calledHirokazu Tanaka's soundtrack "surely one of the all-time greats",[6] andOfficial Nintendo Magazine said it was among the "greatest videogame music ever composed".[25]Eurogamer andComplex too complimented the music.[21][24]
Following the Game Boy's "overnight success",[10]Super Mario Land became the second best-selling1989 release in North America (behind the bundledTetris).[26] In the United States, the game toppedBabbage's Game Boy sales charts for two monthsin 1992, from August to September.[27][28]
Super Mario Land went on to sell more than 25 million copies, making it thefourth best-selling game on the console.[29] The game also outsoldSuper Mario Bros. 3 (1988), the best-selling stand-alone (non-bundled) game on the NES home console.[9]
The game began aSuper Mario Land series of portable Mario games.Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins added a non-linear overworld and introduced villainWario, an evil version of Mario. The subsequentWario Land: Super Mario Land 3 began theWario franchise. After 19 years, the 2011 gameSuper Mario 3D Land for theNintendo 3DS became Mario's first game instereoscopic 3D. Audrey Drake ofIGN argued that bothWario Land andSuper Mario 3D Land are not "legitimate sequels", and wrote that the latter seems more like "Super Mario Bros. 3 withMario Galaxy influences" than a successor toSuper Mario Land 2.[7] TheSuperball Flower appears inSuper Mario Maker 2 as an unlockable power-up item, usable only in theSuper Mario Bros. style.
Super Mario Land is remembered for its miniaturizedSuper Mario elements[1] and "twist on just about every Mario mainstay imaginable".[7] Many of its new elements do not recur later in the series, makingSuper Mario Land strange compared to the rest of the series, or whatIGN's Thomas described as a "singular oddball".[5]IGN's Marc Nix said retrospectively thatSuper Mario Land was the only uninspiredMario game, with "funky voids of white" and UFOs instead of the "strikingly original" Mushroom Kingdom.[2]Mean Machines was also put off by the alien theme, easy difficulty, and dot matrix screen blur.[20]IGN's Travis Fahs wrote that the game was comparatively not as "ambitious" asSuper Mario Bros. 3.[10]Mean Machines said it was not "a trueMario game", not worth its originally high review score, and "in retrospect, not really a classic".[20] Glen Fox ofNintendo Life agreed, writing that it was an impressive achievement at the time but did not age as well as otherMario games.[30]
Eurogamer's Schilling wrote that Mario felt different—lighter, with more friction—and that the game felt "radical and distinctive" for the risks it took.[6]IGN's Thomas cited "out of place" gameplay elements like the shooter levels, exploding Koopa shells, non-extinguishing fireballs, and non-Princess Peach plot as departures from the series.[5] Thomas attributed this toMario creator Miyamoto's lack of involvement in the game's development, which he described as "famously hands-off".[5] Schilling ofEurogamer instead blamed theGame Boy's technical limitations. But he too was perplexed by the new sphinx, seahorse, andMoai head enemies, and considered the exploding Koopa shells a "cruel trick" disdainful of the series' core gameplay.[6]Super Mario Land's shooter levels, new to the series, were not revisited in subsequentSuper Mario games except theMaker games. Subsequent series games such asSuper Mario Land 2 both dropped the original's tiny scale and chose the classicfire flower fireballs over the first installment's bouncing balls.[5]
The game was included in multiple rankings of top Game Boy games,[4][24][31] andOfficial Nintendo Magazine listed it at 73 in its top 100 Nintendo games.[25] After her debut inSuper Mario Land, Princess Daisy appears in laterMario series sports andracing games.[5]
The song "Supermarioland" (1992) by British group Ambassadors of Funk was inspired by the game and became a novelty hit, appearing in the UK top ten charts.Simon Harris, the mastermind behind Ambassadors of Funk, said that he initially had no intention to createSuper Mario-themed compositions, but after his friend introduced him to Nintendo's Game Boy console, he became fond of the theme music fromSuper Mario Land, composed byHirokazu Tanaka. He realised that the songs on the game'sscore had a similar tempo tohouse music, so he was able to incorporate the samples into "Supermarioland" easily, recruiting Einstein to provide the rap vocals. After Harris created the track, he contacted Nintendo to clear the music samples, and the company, liking what Harris had done, also requested that he and Einstein record an album ofSuper Mario material. Nintendo UK quickly began to promote and market "Supermarioland", even providing an actor for the music video, butNintendo of America was difficult to contact, and the track was never released in the United States. Mario's designer,Shigeru Miyamoto, approved the project, and the album, titledSuper Mario Compact Disco, was released in Japan in August 1993, featuring tracks from other Mario games such asSuper Mario Bros. 3 andSuper Mario Kart.[32][33]
A homebrew forSuper Nintendo Entertainment System calledNew Super Mario Land came to light in 2019 after a series of posts onTwitter by a user named ChronoMoogle. The remake features enhanced visuals, music and a multiplayer mode for up to 4 players.[34] According to its creator, who gave an interview toNintendo Life while asking to remain anonymous, the remake was built totally from scratch (hence, noROM hacking was performed) usingAssembly language, a few tools for graphics and sound and a Super Nintendoemulator for testing. After developing the game, the creator flashed the game in thirtyNintendo Power cartridges and distributed them to his "Nintendo-loving friends" as a Christmas gift to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original game. The creator no longer has involvement with the game, stating that "the project is terminated already" after sending the gift cartridges.[35]
