After the release of the Game Boy, there was a pressing demand for a formidable game. And who else could have been more fitting to introduce this charming little portable than Mario?
In the beginning, Nintendo intended for Super Mario Land to be THE flagship title of their new portable system, so they designed it accordingly. The plumbing firm at the time was unaware that the title that would be used to label the machine would not be a home-made one, but rather simply Tetris.
In contrast to what one may believe, Shigeru Miyamoto was not Mario’s biological father; rather, Gunpei Yokoi, the creator’s spiritual father and the one who taught him the craft, might be considered Mario’s biological father. Therefore, Myamoto does not work in the R&D Department that is in control; rather, he works in R&D Department 1. For the benefit of those who are unaware, Yokoi is a brilliant inventor who directed the primary development department at Nintendo. He is the person to whom we owe the development of the Game & Watch as well as the Game Boy. It is not a case of random assignment that he is in charge of this undertaking.
It also clarifies why the concluding game is so drastically different from the rest of the series. Both the original Super Mario Bros. and its sequel, Super Mario Bros. 3, as well as Super Mario Realm, play the card of a unique fairy world. Yokoi and his team took a lot of creative license with the Mario franchise in order to adapt it to the new medium, which had a lot of technological restrictions. This resulted in Super Mario Land. The end result is worlds that, unlike the other episodes, are based on reality: Egypt, Easter Island, and China. This is in contrast to what we were anticipating to see, but it ultimately provides the change of scenery that was sought.
The same can be said about the bestiary, which has also seen considerable transformations, as well as the objects, which have been drastically altered. However, when you play it, you don’t think about it since the magic still works, even if Miyamoto is not in control of it. This is because when you play it, you don’t think about it. Everything in the game is designed to adhere to the limits of the system; as a result, the graphics are relatively basic yet can be identified without any difficulty. The game’s handling, which serves as the series’ centerpiece, has been kept for the most part, and the game is still completely playable.
If you’re like video games, you should play Super Mario Land since it’s a truly legendary game. What else is there for me to say?
