Here we go, Super Mario Land 2!
Before we begin, I must confess, I don't actually own this game. I am looking into purchasing a 3DS XL specifically so that I can pay Nintendo its well-deserved money for all of the hours I loved playing this game with VisualBoy Advance on my computer, thanks to the Nintendo eShop.
It's my favorite Mario platformer of all time, with the exception of Yoshi's Island for the GBA, but I exploit a loophole, saying that that game is a Yoshi game and Super Mario Land 2 is my favorite MARIO game.
Anyways, on to the review!
***
STORY
The game takes place right after Super Mario Land 1. Basically, while you were out defeating Tatanga the freaky space dude, Wario, your evil brother, has taken over your castle and sealed the door with six golden coins that are scattered across six zones across the land.
It's simple, but a lot more than just "save the princess".
5/5
GAMEPLAY
It's basic Mario. You run, you jump, you squish baddies. There's not too much to it.
I must point out that the controls in this game feel the best of any mario game I have ever played. Super Mario Bros. 3 is close behind on that front, but this game takes the cake.
Another thing to note is the powerups. There's the Super Mushroom, which makes you bigger and gives you a free hit. Then there's the "second-tier" powerups, the Fire Flower and the Carrot, that grant you more unique abilities, namely, the ability to throw projectiles and the ability to hover. I generally refer to the Carrot as the game-breaker because it is easy to fly long distances, but generally the game is designed so that you can't fly over a full level with it.
There are also a few one-level gimmicks. Sometimes you'll find yourself in a bubble with the ability to fly, practically, and other times you get grabbed by a crane (the latter of which takes a bit of getting used to).
Overall, the controls and gameplay are better than every other Mario sidescroller, and possibly any Mario game out there.
5/5
GRAPHICS
I feel like I'm in an awkward position, given the extremely high quality of handhelds today. I can say, however, that the graphics are a tremendous improvement from Super Mario Land 1. It's kind of like Super Mario Bros. 3 was for the NES. It looked so much better than Super Mario Bros. 1. Therefore I give it a perfect score.
5/5
MUSIC & SOUND
Some people may complain about the music, since it all is essentially the same theme.
To me, however, that's what makes it so great. Think about it. Super Mario Bros. only had four themes based on the appearence of the level. This game has at least seven. Even though all of them are based off the same theme, it all adds together to create a cohesive gaming experience. It all adds to this game's charm, which is extremely high to me.
5/5
PLAYABILITY
This is the only category I have to not give the game a perfect score, because of one simple fact.
The final level is the hardest level in all of Mario gaming (yes, it's harder than the final galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2), and there are no levels that remotely reach that level of challenge.
See, the problem is that you can start on any world you want except the final level, so all of the worlds have around the same level of difficulty. With that setup, it's hard to develop a steady difficulty curve, which is why the final level surprises most players with its challenge. I personally love the level, but it just is on a completely different scale of difficulty than the rest of the game.
This affects playability because of the fact that a lot of gamers may simply give up when they reach that point in the game.
That isn't to say that the game isn't playable. The fact that the controls are so smooth make the game so much more playable. Even on the hardest level, it's never the game's fault, which is key to playability.
The difficulty of the final level doesn't destroy the playability, it just dents it minorly.
4.5/5
IMPACT
The difficulty of the final level does create a huge emotional impact when you beat Wario, so in some ways, while it did affect the playability, it does make the player extremely satisfied when they do beat the game.
As for its impact on gaming as a whole, it didn't do much. It was overshadowed by Super Mario World (which I think is inferior to this game). Facts are, it SHOULD be a key part of sidescroller gaming.
5/5
TOTALS
5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 4.5 + 5 = 29.5 / 30 98%
Before we begin, I must confess, I don't actually own this game. I am looking into purchasing a 3DS XL specifically so that I can pay Nintendo its well-deserved money for all of the hours I loved playing this game with VisualBoy Advance on my computer, thanks to the Nintendo eShop.
It's my favorite Mario platformer of all time, with the exception of Yoshi's Island for the GBA, but I exploit a loophole, saying that that game is a Yoshi game and Super Mario Land 2 is my favorite MARIO game.
Anyways, on to the review!
***
STORY
The game takes place right after Super Mario Land 1. Basically, while you were out defeating Tatanga the freaky space dude, Wario, your evil brother, has taken over your castle and sealed the door with six golden coins that are scattered across six zones across the land.
It's simple, but a lot more than just "save the princess".
5/5
GAMEPLAY
It's basic Mario. You run, you jump, you squish baddies. There's not too much to it.
I must point out that the controls in this game feel the best of any mario game I have ever played. Super Mario Bros. 3 is close behind on that front, but this game takes the cake.
Another thing to note is the powerups. There's the Super Mushroom, which makes you bigger and gives you a free hit. Then there's the "second-tier" powerups, the Fire Flower and the Carrot, that grant you more unique abilities, namely, the ability to throw projectiles and the ability to hover. I generally refer to the Carrot as the game-breaker because it is easy to fly long distances, but generally the game is designed so that you can't fly over a full level with it.
There are also a few one-level gimmicks. Sometimes you'll find yourself in a bubble with the ability to fly, practically, and other times you get grabbed by a crane (the latter of which takes a bit of getting used to).
Overall, the controls and gameplay are better than every other Mario sidescroller, and possibly any Mario game out there.
5/5
GRAPHICS
I feel like I'm in an awkward position, given the extremely high quality of handhelds today. I can say, however, that the graphics are a tremendous improvement from Super Mario Land 1. It's kind of like Super Mario Bros. 3 was for the NES. It looked so much better than Super Mario Bros. 1. Therefore I give it a perfect score.
5/5
MUSIC & SOUND
Some people may complain about the music, since it all is essentially the same theme.
To me, however, that's what makes it so great. Think about it. Super Mario Bros. only had four themes based on the appearence of the level. This game has at least seven. Even though all of them are based off the same theme, it all adds together to create a cohesive gaming experience. It all adds to this game's charm, which is extremely high to me.
5/5
PLAYABILITY
This is the only category I have to not give the game a perfect score, because of one simple fact.
The final level is the hardest level in all of Mario gaming (yes, it's harder than the final galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2), and there are no levels that remotely reach that level of challenge.
See, the problem is that you can start on any world you want except the final level, so all of the worlds have around the same level of difficulty. With that setup, it's hard to develop a steady difficulty curve, which is why the final level surprises most players with its challenge. I personally love the level, but it just is on a completely different scale of difficulty than the rest of the game.
This affects playability because of the fact that a lot of gamers may simply give up when they reach that point in the game.
That isn't to say that the game isn't playable. The fact that the controls are so smooth make the game so much more playable. Even on the hardest level, it's never the game's fault, which is key to playability.
The difficulty of the final level doesn't destroy the playability, it just dents it minorly.
4.5/5
IMPACT
The difficulty of the final level does create a huge emotional impact when you beat Wario, so in some ways, while it did affect the playability, it does make the player extremely satisfied when they do beat the game.
As for its impact on gaming as a whole, it didn't do much. It was overshadowed by Super Mario World (which I think is inferior to this game). Facts are, it SHOULD be a key part of sidescroller gaming.
5/5
TOTALS
5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 4.5 + 5 = 29.5 / 30 98%
Pros:A fun game that is always enjoyable to run through.
Cons:The final level is significantly harder than the preceding levels.
The Bottom Line:Super Mario Land 2 has a charm and game feel that cannot be ignored and its only weakness doesn't affect it in the slightest.
The Bottom Line:Super Mario Land 2 has a charm and game feel that cannot be ignored and its only weakness doesn't affect it in the slightest.
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