Mario Land? Strange and Pointless Quest World featuring Mario more like.
Not so much. This game is actually quite difficult and dull for me, even today, 17 years later.
Gameplay: Each level has you out at a different part of the world. The first level is somewhere in the desert, and a later level is in the far east, to give you a sense of scale. However, the game seems so strange. It's more like "Strange and Pointless Quest World featuring Mario".
There really seems to be no point to this game, after you defeat the boss of each stage you go into a room where you see Daisy. Yes Daisy, Don't ask me where Princess Peach went. Only, the thing is, when you go to rescue her she happens to actually be a bad guy in disguise and runs away! Oh no! Leaving Mario to say "Oh! Daisy!"
When I was little, I barley made it to stage three or four, now as an adult, I can make it a few stages more. But it's still very difficult. Extra lives are so few and far in between. And when you do lose all your lives, (which is only about Three) you get a game over, and have to return to the very beginning of the game! This is extremely annoying since the game is actually quite long. Suffice to say, the game is definitely not a walkover, which also means it's kinda kid-unfriendly. But if you like a challenge, then this game is definitely for you.
Another thing I don't like about this game, (and you probably won't like either) are the enemies. They aren't even really Mario characters. In this game rather than stomping mushrooms you will instead fight things like exploding turtles, huge dragonflies with spears, Kung Fu experts and Rocks.
It just doesn't feel like a Mario adventure at all. I've never actually completed this game so I can't tell you what you get for completing it, but I imagine it would be simply rescuing Daisy and have her not turn into a bad guy. Who knows, and who cares? Not me. Not to be harsh, but really.. the game is very frustrating. I'm annoyed I can't finish this game even at my age.
That being said, it's a pretty decent game, and plays like most Mario games, just not very well. You'll have some fun playing the game, and there are plenty of levels to romp through if you have the patience. Also if you play a back up of the game, it's less than 20KB, something worth noting.
Graphics: The graphics are pretty acceptable for the Game Boy, you won't be disappointed. Actually I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they're actually quite good. For the Game Boy though. That's the key point here. Sound: Horrible, ha ha sorry but the music in this game isn't very good at all. It's the same repetitive low quality predictably dull sounds throughout the entire game. You won't notice them at all, they're just that dull my friends. Play the game and you'll see what I mean.
Value: A difficult thing to summarise now. Most people sell this game on ebay, probably for less than £5. Is that worth it? If you play it on your Game Boy Colour or Game Boy Player then yes, otherwise no.
Closing thoughts: If you're an avid Mario fan, and want to play every single game in the series, then this is for you. If you're a challenge seeking platform enthusiast then this is also for you. Everyone else should stay clear.
Pros: Mario on the Game Boy, Challenging, you travel the world.
Cons: Frustratingly difficult, no ability to save or use a password to continue, repetitive.