“Super Mario Advance” was a fun game, and was a great game to herald the arrival of the GBA.
I wasn't a big fan of the first Mario game on the NES, “Super Mario Bros.,” but was hooked with the release of “Super Mario Bros. 2.” The graphics were better, and while the game still followed the same basic plot of its side-scrolling predecessor, it was more fun since Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad could do more, like pull vegetables out of the ground and hurl them at enemies.
“Super Mario Advance” was a direct port of “Super Mario Bros. 2” onto the GBA. Instead of rescuing the Princess as in the original “Super Mario Bros.,” the player could assume the role of Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, or Toad, each with their own advantages. The player could select a character based upon how the upcoming level was set up. Mario, as always, was a well-rounded character, while Luigi was a bit stronger and could leap higher, but had diminished speed. Princess Peach could glide for long distances after jumping and could run very fast, while Toad was wicked strong.
As in “Super Mario Bros.” (and every other Mario-themed videogame), the objective of “Super Mario Advance” was to make it to the end of the level in one piece, obtaining as many coins as possible.
“Super Mario Advance” was a fun game, and was a great game to herald the arrival of the GBA. What made “Super Mario Advance” such an improvement over the original NES release as “Super Mario Bros. 2” was the inclusion of a save feature. That the original Mario Bros. game was also included on the cartridge was icing on the cake.