Get this instant classic now, both New and old Mario fans will surely enjoy this timeless classic!
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Nintendo
System: GameBoy (GB)
Total Score: 80/100
Value Score: 8.0/10
• Story: 7/10
o Super Mario Land 2's storyline is very different from its predecessor, taking place in a close by area near Sarasaland and not part of the mainline mushroom kingdom. Mario has decided to go back to his original home dubbed as "Mario Land". However when he got back to Mario Land, he noticed his castle(which has been warped) has been taken over by Wario along with the denizen areas surrounding the castle. Mario has to collect the six golden coins which are actually Keys to his castle (which have been re-distributed by Wario) in order to get his castle back from Wario's hands.
• Characters: 7/10
o The game introduces several new characters never seen before to the series along with some returns from previous mario games especially the main villain from the first Mario Land game. The game features Mario as the main protagonist but in a twist of fate, there is no female character that needs to be rescued but a new villain (the 3rd ever in the Universe) named Wario who looks vaguely familiar to Mario but totally opposite of him.
• GamePlay: 9/10
o Super Mario Land 2's gameplay has vastly improved from its prior game, no longer looking like lag or poor structuring of the environment, the game now looks fully like a traditional mario game but with a few twists here and there. Gameplay is more similar to Super Mario Bros. 3 than Super mario Bros. 1 or Super Mario Land. You are introduced to two power ups in the game rather than the initial one from the previous game. Fire flower is back to its original form and no longer has a cool down delay, nor does it bounce from walls and nor does it collect coins anymore. Mario however has a feather branded on his hat when he has this power up due to the lack of color in the game. There is a new power up in the form of a carrot which gives the mario the form of a rabbit through ears appearance which allows him to hover across areas without worry similar to the Super Leaf/Racoon Mario ability from SMB3. Coins are no longer a necessity to increase 1ups but are used as a currency for mini games that offer power ups and extra lives along with other goods.
• Graphics: 8/10
o Super Mario Land 2's graphics are also vastly improved from its prior game. No longer does it look like a cheaply made knock off of the original Mario game but looks like a legit Super Mario game. All the enemies have their sprites normal like they were in Super Mario Bros 3 and the new enemies actually match well with the new game. The game's backgrounds and overworld map/Zone maps are heavily detailed and offer unique animations making this game quite appealing in terms of looks. The character designs are goofy but they are appealing when it comes to the Mario universe.
• Sound: 7/10
o Sound has improved as well but due to the GB's sound card, its far more limited than what you would expect from a NES or SNES mario game.
• Music: 8/10
o Music has improved and although it may be considered random like the first game's, however the OST is far more refined. The music is a lot more appealing and its remixes actually are well made and fit well with the levels. Although it may seem like there's multiple songs, there's probably around 3-5 actual songs while the rest are remixes. Despite that fact it is pretty impressive.
• Length: 7/10
o There are a total of 6 Zones each with about 3-4 levels each, along with that some of the Zones have 1-2 additional secret stages and there is at least 1 additional level in the world map, and of course Mario's Castle which is the last level. The game's somewhat minor difficulty and the amount of levels will keep you entertained for hours. However if you are a old school Mario fan and are pretty good with the difficulty in games, this game should not take you no more than 2 hours which is pretty good for a portable platformer from the GB era.
• Replay Value: 7/10
o Although there really isnt much replay value or benefit in playing the game all over again, the variety of levels and its design will keep you hooked back into the game and to ensure you have somewhat of a replay value, 2 additional save file locations are added for re-playability.
• Player Value: 10/10
o Super Mario Land 2 improves in a significant amount compared to its predecessor in Gameplay, Graphics, Design, Story and Characters. You will surely enjoy this timeless classic as it plays like the traditional Mario game with unique twists and it introduces one of the major characters in the Nintendo Universe other than Mario. Get this incredible classic game now, both old school and new school Nintendo Fans will surely enjoy this classic.