"Thank you Mario."
Princess Daisy, Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land is a 1989 platform game in the Super Mario series. It was initially released as a launch title for the Game Boy. Super Mario Land was the first game in the Mario series to be released on a handheld console. The game was not developed by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, but by Nintendo Research & Development, the team of Gunpei Yokoi, the Game Boy's creator and the producer of this game.
Unlike most of the games in the Mario series at that time, Super Mario Land does not take place in the Mushroom Kingdom and uses line art. Mario travels to a whole new location in this game; Sarasaland. This game marks the debut of Princess Daisy, benevolent ruler of Sarasaland and the lead damsel-in-distress.
Story[]
Once upon a time, there was a peaceful world called Sarasaland. In this world there were 4 kingdoms named Birabuto, Muda, Easton and Chai. One day, the skies of Sarasaland were suddenly covered by a huge black cloud. From a crack in this cloud, the unknown space monster Tatanga emerged to try to conquer Sarasaland. Tatanga hypnotized the people of all the kingdoms so that he could control them in any way he liked. In this way he took over Sarasaland. Now, he wants to marry Princess Daisy of Sarasaland and make her his queen. Mario came to know of these events, and he has started on a journey to the Chai Kingdom where Princess Daisy is held captive, in order to restore peace to Sarasaland. Can Mario defeat Tatanga, release people from his interstellar hypnosis, and rescue Princess Daisy? It's all up to you and Mario's skill. Go for it Mario!
- Instruction booklet
The plot of Super Mario Land is that the enigmatic alien Tatanga invades the kingdom of Sarasaland, hypnotized the kingdom's denizens and kidnapped Princess Daisy, one of the kingdom's rulers. Mario receives the news and travels to Sarasaland to rescue the princess from captivity in the Chai Kingdom. Mario must go through the other three kingdoms - Birabuto, Muda, and Easton - defend himself against the hypnotized enemies of each kingdom, and rescue Princess Daisy. Each kingdom is led by a boss, King Totomesu, Dragonzamasu, Hiyoihoi and Biokinton respectively. At the end of the first three levels, Mario will meet who he believes to be Princess Daisy, but in reality is an imposter. The enemy will reveal itself as such and then and leave. In the climax, Mario must face off against Tatanga - who uses his battle robot Pagosu - in the Sky Pop. Once Tatanga is defeated, Mario rescues Daisy, who gives him a kiss. The two fly away together and the credits roll.
Gameplay[]
Controls[]
Similarly to other Mario platform games, there are three main controls, jumping, moving, and running. Jumps can be performed with the A button and can be used to defeat many enemies. Moving is performed with the Control Pad. Running can be performed with the B button. If Mario is equipped with the Superball Flower, pressing B will allow him to shoot a Superball. When equipped with the Marine Pop or Sky Pop, pressing B will launch out projectiles. Pressing the Start button will pause the game.
Items & Power-Ups[]
| Sprite | Name | Description | Official Profile[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 UP Heart | Grants Mario one extra life. | "Grab one for an extra life. Most of them are well-hidden." |
|
Marine Pop | Allows Mario to travel underwater and shoot torpedoes. | "A submarine that carries Mario through the water. Fire torpedoes at enemies and break blocks." |
|
Sky Pop | Allows Mario to fly in the air and shoot missiles. | "A plane that allows Mario to fly through the sky with ease. Break blocks or attack enemies with its enemies." |
|
Star | Allows a glowing Mario to defeat enemies with a touch. | "This power-up makes Mario invincible for a short time." |
|
Superball Flower | Gives you the ability to launch superballs. Only one can be thrown at a time and can bounce diagonally at 90° angles. | "When you pick up a Flower, Super Mario will become Superball Mario. He will be able to defeat enemies by throwing Superballs." |
|
Super Mushroom | Turns Mario to Super Mario, allowing him to get one hit without dying and break Brick Blocks. | "Use this to power up to Super Mario!" |
Enemies[]
There is a total of 34 enemies featured in this game. Many of them are based on pre-existing Mario enemies such as Goombas and Lakitu, often functioning in similar ways as well. Jumping on an enemy will defeat them. In each kingdom, there is a designated boss. For Birabuto, it is King Totomesu. For Muda, it is Dragonzamasu. For Easton, it is Hiyoihoi. For Chai, Biokinton must be defeated in order for Mario to fight Tatanga.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- TBA
References[]
- ↑ All descriptions taken from the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia