Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins Reviews

While the original Super Mario Land was a launch title that arguably is still worth playing today (I'd say so at least), Super Mario Land 2 is a massive improvement over that game. The graphics are way better and the gameplay is way smoother. You can truly see how the developers have gotten familiar with the handheld after experimenting with other games. What I personally found a high point about the original is the unique themeing with stages based on history, coming with representing enemies as well. While the themeing is less historical here, most of the stages are still unique and very memorable. I don't remember other Mario games where you go through a big Mario statue or inside of a turtle. The stages themselves also got an upgrade and aren't just simple horizontal stages, but also vertical with alternate exits in them to unlock more stages. And best of all probably: they can be played in any order! Mario needs to go through a total of six worlds to get a golden coin which he can in turn use to enter his own castle and kick the newly-introduced Wario out. Yet again enforcing its own themeing as Mario doesn't go out to beat an oversized lizard and get the princess for the 5th time this week, but instead for own personal goals. All of this makes Super Mario Land 2 a memorable game that stands amongst the 2D Platformer giants from the franchise. The only thing missing for me is an additional hard mode like the original had, as the game is still very easy and once you've beaten it, you're practically done. Fortunately being able to select which stages to play in what order makes up for that, but I still would have greatly appreciated it as an addition.

When it comes to video games, it's amazing how we sometimes overlook staple video game characters. Despite the amount of respect I've held towards Mario in general the games always seem to be at the bottom of my current backlog of gaming titles. As much as I don't want to insinuate that these games can't satisfy more mature gamers (a thought that is just ludicrous) does such an idea subconsciously lurk within my mind? It's hard to say. Still, when I saw a copy of Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins at the local Game X-Change I knew I had been away for too long. I knew it had to be replayed.

One purchase and playthough later I'm pleased to announce that Mario Land 2 is still the game I remember, a game that is in good company with other GameBoy classics like Kirby's Dream Land and Metroid II. Despite the fact that each Mario game tends to be special in its own way, I can't think of another game that parallels the refreshing variety seen in Super Mario Land 2's levels (even the levels within each zone are far from being rehashes of one another) and the zones are clever and keep you guessing with their occasional, alternate exits. As important as control and graphics are to the package, I have to go out on a limb and say the game's audio is the icing on the preverbal cake.

That said the fact that the game is literally over before it even begins is a bit of a buzz kill. Super Mario Land 2 may be longer than a title like Kirby's Dream Land but it's still short enough to undertake in a single, dedicated sit down or two which is a bit a disappointing. Younger players will obviously find it more challenging than teens and adults but this should hardly deter anyone from playing it, especially when one considers it's rather easy to procure and doesn't cost an arm and a leg like some these older games do. Don't let the game's age fool you, it can easily go toe-to-toe with anything released before or after it without batting an eyelash.

If you have an original GameBoy or a GameBoy Advance SP lying around it's practically a crime not to have this game around for a quick run-through every now and then. Again, I'll admit I'm usually not the biggest fan of first party games despite the quality they're known for but Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins is a good reminder of why we - make that I - should pay more attention to the list usual suspects.