About time Mario doesn’t have to save any princesses in this game!
Unlike other Mario platformers, this one was special, for several reasons: (1) You didn’t need to save a princess, (2) You can choose what worlds you want to play, making this a non-linear experience, and (3) you don’t have to go up against Bowser. Instead you go against Wario, who made his first appearance in this game.
There are six worlds, each having a Golden Coin. If you defeat all of the bosses in each of the six worlds, a Coin will appear on a door that will lead you to the final level of the game. But if you lose all of your lives, then the coins you’ve collected will return back to the worlds and you have to beat those bosses again. There are power-ups in this game, but only a handful. There’s the mushroom, fire flower, and a bunny hood? It may sound weird at first, but this new power-up is a very useful item since it lets you float and glide through the level at ease. And if you need extra lives and other power-ups, you can use the coins you’ve collected in levels and spend (or splurge) it on lives and items in what I call “The Gambling House”. And if you feel really lucky, try your hand on the 999 door and see if you can earn 99 lives in one spin. Otherwise you have to collect more coins and try again.
Super Mario Land 2 was just a memorable game, and after over 10 years it still feels, looks, and plays great. This is the best handheld Mario game (next to New Super Mario Bros.) I’ve ever played, and if you see the game at your local GameStop or EB Games (or anywhere else), I recommend you to buy it immediately. This is a must own game that you must have in your collection of Game Boy games.