Super Mario Land

This article is about the Game Boy game. For the microgame in WarioWare Gold, see Super Mario Land (WarioWare Gold). For the microgame in WarioWare: Get It Together!, see Super Mario Land (WarioWare: Get It Together!).

Super Mario Land
Information
Developer(s)	Nintendo R&D1
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Satoru Okada
Series	Super Mario
Engine	A variation of the Super Mario Bros. engine
Release date	Game Boy: April 21, 1989 July 31, 1989 September 28, 1990 November 15, 1990 Virtual Console (3DS): June 7, 2011 June 6, 2011 February 3, 2016 June 7, 2011 June 7, 2011
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player
Ratings	ESRB: K-A
Platform(s)	Game Boy, Virtual Console (Nintendo 3DS)
Media	512-kilobit cartridge
Navigation
Predecessor	Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Successor	Super Mario World (1990) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992)

Super Mario Land is a platforming game developed by Nintendo and released in 1989 for the Game Boy. It is Mario's first appearance in a handheld game. This game wasn't created by Shigeru Miyamoto - the creator of the Mario series - himself; it was developed by his mentor. The game is also available for the Virtual Console of the Nintendo 3DS, for US $4.99.

Plot

In the distant land of Sarasaland, an alien named Tatanga kidnapped Princess Daisy. Mario travels to the four different kingdoms, Birabuto, Muda, Easton, and Chai, to rescue her. Mario finally rescues Daisy after defeating Tatanga. Daisy thanked Mario for saving her. They walk together and ride on the Sky Pop.

Gameplay

As a side-scrolling platform game and the first in the Super Mario Land series, Super Mario Land is similar in gameplay to its forebears: 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. In Super Mario Land, Mario travels to Sarasaland to save Princess Daisy from Tatanga, an evil spaceman. Two of the game's twelve levels are "forced-scrolling" Gradius-style shooters where Mario helms a submarine or airplane and fires projectiles towards oncoming enemies and bosses. Levels end with a platforming challenge to reach an alternative exit located above the regular exit. The former leads to a bonus minigame that awards extra lives or a fire flower power-up.

Unlike other Mario games, which take place in the Mushroom Kingdom, Super Mario Land is set in Sarasaland and drawn in line art. Mario pursues Princess Daisy, in her debut, rather than the series standard damsel in distress, Princess Peach. When jumped on Koopa shells explode rather than slide, Mario throws bouncing balls rather than fireballs, 1-Up Mushroom power-ups are depicted as hearts, and the level-end flagpoles are replaced with a platforming challenge. Compared to Super Mario Bros., which contains 32 levels subdivided into 8 "worlds" with 4 levels each, Super Mario Land is smaller, with 12 levels subdivided into 4 "worlds" with 3 levels each, and the boss at the end of each "world" is different every time. Some elements recur from previous Mario games, such as blocks suspended in midair, pipes that lead to other areas, and Goomba enemies. After the player has completed the game, they may play 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.

Characters

Main and Supporting

• Mario
• Daisy

Enemies

• Batadon
• Bombshell Koopa
• Bullet Biff
• Bunbun
• Chicken
• Chikako
• Fighter Fly
• Ganchan
• Gao
• Gunion
• Goombo
• Honen
• Kumo
• Mekabon
• Nyololin
• Pionpi
• Piranha Plant
• Pompon Flower
• Roketon
• Roto-Disc
• Suu
• Tokotoko
• Torion
• Yurarin
• Yurarin Boo

Bosses

• King Totomesu
• Dragonzamasu
• Hiyoihoi
• Biokinton (Final Boss) (Phase 1) & Tatanga (Phase 2) (True Final Boss)

Trivia

• Super Mario Land was proposed to be bundled with the Game Boy, but Tetris was chosen instead because of its addictive nature.
• Super Mario Land does not feature the Toad rescue from Super Mario Bros. but instead has a fake Princess Daisy and text saying, "Thank You Mario. Oh! Daisy!" with the fake Daisy revealing to be an enemy.
  • The text for completing the world parallels the game complete text "Oh! Daisy! Daisy! Thank You Mario." in reverse order.
• This is the second game in the series to not feature Bowser as the Main Antagonist.
  • First being Super Mario Bros. 2 (where the main antagonist was Wart).
• In Super Mario Land, Starman has part of the tune of Gaite Parisienne, Vivo, Offenbach, often known as the Can-Can
• At over 18 million copies, Super Mario Land is the best-selling Mario game for the Game Boy.
• This was the final Mario game to be released in the 1980's.
  • Despite Mario appearing in other Sport related Nintendo games released in 1989 for the Game Boy as well.

Gallery

To view Super Mario Land's image gallery, click here.

External links

• Title at MobyGames
• Title at GameFAQs