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Super Mario Land

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Super Mario Land
File:Supermariolandboxart.jpg
North American box art
Developer(s)Nintendo R&D1[3]
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Designer(s)Satoru Okada
Composer(s)Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka
SeriesMario
EngineA variation of the Super Mario Bros. engine
Platform(s)Game Boy
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Super Mario Land (スーパーマリオランド, Sūpā Mario Rando) is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld game console. It and the Game Boy debuted in Japan on February 21, 1989, in the United States in July 31, 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990.[4] Super Mario Land marked Mario's first appearance on the Game Boy and is the first Mario game for the system. The game was a launch title for the Game Boy in Japan and North America.

The plot revolves around Mario traveling to Sarasaland, which is split into the four kingdoms of Birabuto, Muda, Easton, and Chai. One day, a mysterious alien named Tatanga appears and hypnotizes the inhabitants of Sarasaland, including Princess Daisy. He kidnaps Princess Daisy. Mario then sets out to rescue her from Tatanga, defeating his minions along the way. He finally corners Tatanga, bringing down his alien warship and rescuing Daisy.

Reviews of the game were generally favorable. The game drove initial sales of the Game Boy and has sold over 18 million copies in total[5]. Super Mario Land was also the first game of the Mario series produced by Gunpei Yokoi. The game's sequel, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, was released in 1992.

Gameplay

A level in the Easton kingdom of Super Mario Land.
See also: Gameplay of Mario series

The gameplay of Super Mario Land is similar to that of Super Mario Bros. and its Japanese successor for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Like in the previous games, the player takes over the role of Mario. The ultimate objective is to defeat Tatanga, the "Mysterious Spaceman," and save Princess Daisy.[6] However, there are some differences from earlier Mario games as well.

Mario's primary attack is to jump on top of his enemies, which normally kills them. However, there are a few antagonists who cannot be undone in this manner or may even cause damage to Mario if he jumps on them. Power-ups like the Super Mushroom work normally, but the Fire Flower enables Mario to throw "superballs" that fly at a 45-degree angle and ricochet off floors, walls, and ceilings. Unlike traditional fireballs, Superballs can also be used to collect coins, which is useful for coins that are difficult or impossible to reach.[7]

In some levels, Mario does not walk, but instead rides in the "Sky Pop" .[8] In these levels, there is no Super Flower because Mario can shoot the entire time. He still can grow by getting a Super Mushroom or become invincible by getting a Starman. During these levels, the screen constantly scrolls forward until it reaches the boss at the end, and it is not possible to slow down or stop it. Mario can be killed either by an enemy or by being crushed by the edge of the screen.[7]

The game consists of twelve levels split across four worlds.[8] At the end of every level, there is a tower with an access at the top and at the bottom. If Mario can reach the upper access, there is a bonus level in which the player can win a power-up by guiding Mario with a ladder to the correct level. If he only reaches the lower access, the game continues normally. At the end of every third level, Mario has to fight a boss by either battling him or passing him to reach a point behind them that will end the battle. After the game is completed, the game returns to the title screen, and the player is given the option to play in "Hard Mode." If the game is finished in Hard Mode, the game goes back to the title screen and allows the player to choose which stage to start in, allowing for replay of any particular stage.[7]

Plot

The story of Super Mario Land is set in the peaceful realm of Sarasaland, which is split into the four kingdoms of Birabuto, Muda, Easton, and Chai. One day, a mysterious alien named Tatanga appears and hypnotizes the inhabitants of Sarasaland, including Daisy. He kidnaps Princess Daisy in order to marry her. Mario then sets out to rescue her from Tatanga, traveling through the four geographical areas of Sarasaland and defeating Tatanga's minions along the way, as well as finding monsters that pretend to be Daisy in order to fool Mario. Mario finally corners Tatanga in the skies of the Chai kingdom, bringing down his alien warship and rescuing Daisy.[6][7]

Development

The game was produced by the same man who produced Metroid, Gunpei Yokoi, who previously produced Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior (1982), and the original Mario Bros. (1983). It featured music written by Hirokazu Tanaka, who also composed for Duck Hunt (1984).[9] Hiroshi Yamauchi, then president of Nintendo, wanted a Mario game to be on the Game Boy, and ordered Yokoi to create the game with his development team, Nintendo Research & Development 1.[10] This would be the first original portable Mario game since the others made for the Game and Watch. This would also be the first Mario game developed without Shigeru Miyamoto, Yokoi's mentor and creator of Mario and The Legend of Zelda.[10] Early in conceptual development, they decided to recreate the classic gameplay of the 1985 original in new worlds that took Mario far from the Mushroom Kingdom. It seemed like the perfect title to help sell their new system.[11] Yokoi's take on Mario helped the Game Boy surpass the NES as Nintendo's best selling platform, and the game itself just surpassed Super Mario Bros. 3's sales figures.[10]

Initially, Nintendo planned to package Super Mario Land with the Game Boy, but decided to package Tetris instead at the insistence of Henk Rogers, who convinced Nintendo of America head Minoru Arakawa that a Mario title would only sell the Game Boy to young boys instead of everyone.[12]

Reception and legacy

Super Mario Land sold 18.06 million copies,[5] making it the seventh-highest selling game of the Mario series and the fourth-highest selling game for the Game Boy.[18] As a result of its success, it was re-released in 1996 as part of the Game Boy Player's Choice series of games that have sold over one million units. Official Nintendo Magazine later named the game one of the best Nintendo games of all time, ranking it 73rd on their list of the top 100.[19]

Receptions of the game were generally positive. It holds an average rating of 8.1/10 and 9.2/10 respectively at IGN,[8] as well as an average rating of 8.3/10 and 7.3/10 respectively at GameSpot.[20] Justin Searls of Nintendojo wrote that Super Mario Land continued the brilliance of its predecessor and gave it a 9 out of 10.[21] However, he remarked that the game was "very similar to the original Mario Brothers. It seems that the Mario sprites are almost identical to its predecessor." Also, some reviewers criticized the control, finding it imprecise compared to the other Mario games.[22][23][24]

Legacy

The game launched one main sequel that shares the Mario Land title as well as the first Wario Land game, which later launched a franchise of its own. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins the sequel to the game including better graphics and including a new character called Wario.[25] Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, takes Wario into his own adventures, without Mario. Wario Land was an attempt to expand the appearance of Wario in Super Mario Land 2 to a starring role and also to expand the Mario universe and which was successful. Wario Land spawned seven popular sequels: VB Wario Land, Wario Land II, Wario Land 3, Wario Land 4, Wario World, Wario: Master of Disguise, and Wario Land: The Shake Dimension. Wario also introduced a new series of WarioWare games, starting with WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! for the Game Boy Advance, which was later remade as WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games! for the GameCube.[26][27] Though the sequel introduced Wario, the first game introduced Princess Daisy to the Mario series. Both Wario and Daisy are featured in most Mario Spin-off titles including the Mario Party series and the Mario Kart series.[28] Template:Wikipedia-Books

References

  1. ^ Nintendo published Game Boy listing Nintendo. Retrieved on 2008-03-15
  2. ^ White, Dave (1989). "Gameboy Club". Electronic Gaming Monthly (3): 68. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Calderon, Anthony. The Nintendo Development Structure N-Sider Retrieved on 2008-03-13
  4. ^ "Super Mario Land Release Info". Moby Games. 1 March 1999. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  5. ^ a b "Mario Sales Data". Gamecubicle. Retrieved 10 February 2006. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b Nintendo (1989). Super Mario Land Instruction Booklet. Nintendo of America, Inc.
  7. ^ a b c d Super Mario Land Instruction Booklet. Nintendo.
  8. ^ a b c "Super Mario Land". IGN. 9 July 2002.
  9. ^ "The Metroid Retrospective – Part 1". GameTrailers. 2007-07-25. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  10. ^ a b c McLaughlin, Rus. "IGN Presents The History of Super Mario Bros". Retrieved 2009-04-13.
  11. ^ Fahs, Travis. "IGN Presents The History of Gameboy". Retrieved 2009-04-13.
  12. ^ Staff (13 June 2009). "Alexey Pajitnov Stars Interview - Video Interview: Alexey Pajitnov Pt. 1". IGN. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  13. ^ allgame ((( Super Mario Land > Overview ))) Retrieved on 2008-04-28
  14. ^ a b Game Rankings page on Super Mario Land. Retrieved on 2008-03-13
  15. ^ Gamespot Other Reviews page for Super Mario Land Retrieved on 2008-03-12
  16. ^ MobyGames page on Alleyway Retrieved on 2008-03-13
  17. ^ Mean Machines review of Super Mario Land (archive) Retrieved on 2008-03-13
  18. ^ "All Time Top 20 Best Selling Games". 23 May 2005. Retrieved 1 December 2006.
  19. ^ East, Tom (19 February 2009). "Feature: 100 Best Nintendo Games". ONM. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  20. ^ "Super Mario Land". GameSpot. 1 May 1996.
  21. ^ Searls, Justin. "Super Mario Land Review". Nintendojo. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ "Super Mario Land Review". Game Rankings. 10 December 2003.
  23. ^ "Super Mario Land Review". Game Rankings. 25 October 2006.
  24. ^ Vavra, Chris (10 October 2002). "Super Mario Land Review". Game Rankings.
  25. ^ "Nintendo Power - The 20th Anniversary Issue!". Nintendo Power. 231 (231). San Francisco, California: Future US. August 2008: 72. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  26. ^ "Warioware: Twisted! for Game Boy Advance". GameSpot. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  27. ^ "The Chronicles of Wario: A Retrospect". Kombo. 2005-02-15. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  28. ^ "Guides: Mario Kart Wii Guide p.6". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
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