7

4 /5

With the launch of the Game Boy, a strong title was needed. And what better than Mario to launch this nice little handheld?

At the beginning, Super Mario Land was developed by Nintendo to be THE flagship title of the new handheld. At the time, the plumber's company didn't know yet that the title that would mark the machine would not be a home-made one, but simply Tetris.

Contrary to what one might think, it was not Shigeru Miyamoto, the historical father of Mario, but Gunpei Yokoi, the creator's spiritual father, the one who taught him the trade. So it's R&D Department 1 that's in charge, not R&D Department 4 where Myamoto works. For those who don't know, Yokoi is a genius creator, in charge of the main development department at Nintendo, to whom we owe the creation of Game & Watch, and... the Game Boy. It's not a coincidence that this project was entrusted to him.

It also explains why the final game is in stark contrast to the series. Super Mario Bros. and even Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World play the card of a fairy world of their own. With Super Mario Land, Yokoi and his team took great liberties with the series in order to adapt it to the new, technically very limited medium. The result is worlds that, unlike the other episodes, are based on reality: Egypt, Easter Island, China, which is in contrast to what we were expecting to see, but which in the end brings the desired change of scenery.

The same goes for the items, which have changed significantly, as well as the bestiary, which is quite different. However, when you play it, you don't think about it, simply because the magic still works, even if Miyamoto is not in charge. Everything in the game is made to stick to the console's capabilities: thus, the graphics are quite bare but still easily recognizable. The handling, spearhead of the series, has been largely preserved, the game remaining perfectly playable.

Super Mario Land is a totally mythical game, to try if you like video games. What more can I say?