Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992)

Pros

• The two power-ups in this game felt really unique from one another. The fire flower is great for fighting enemies and breaking blocks, while the carrot is geared more platforming.
• I like the level design. There are typically multiple pathways you can take to complete a level. I typically don't like it in games like Sonic, but I enjoyed it in this game for whatever reason.
• This game introduces Wario, a staple Nintendo character for decades in Smash, Wario Land, Warioware, and the various Mario spinoffs.
• Personally, I thought it was a big step-up from Super Mario Land 1. The gameplay feels closer to what you'd expect from the consoles and the Mario sprite is larger, so you can see more detail.
• The zones, aesthetics, and enemies in this game are distinct from any other Mario game. I kinda wish Nintendo would take some of these areas as inspiration in future entries.
• Really enjoyed the freedom of being able to tackle the zones in any order I chose.

• I love the carrot, but it seems a bit too powerful. You can maintain your vertical height by mashing A, making it easy to skip chunks of the levels.
• There isn't any indication for which levels have secret exits like Super Mario World has.
• It took me a little while to get used to the mechanics. Jumping (particularly when reaching the max height) and gaining momentum felt a bit off
• The last level is a bit brutal. It's fairly long and it has no checkpoints, so if you happen to lose at the end, you have to go back to the beginning.
• It's pretty short, only about 32 levels and some of those are optional.
• I'm not sure if this is an issue with the game itself or with Nintendo's Gameboy emulator on Switch, but I experienced some pretty bad slowdown a few times.

This was the first game I ever played. My mom won a magazine contest, and got a Gameboy and this game for free.* I just have so many memories of diving into this world. This music lived in my prepubescent mind. I would draw my own levels in chalk on the sidewalk. I wondered about the lore of the bull fish enemy. This game developed my young brain.

Coming back to it is wonderful. It's everything I remember it being. Truly a beloved experience. Is the game design actually great? I can feel that I am overcome with nostalgia that I can't fairly judge.

Sometimes people dunk on the opinion I hold that DKC and its sequels have spectacular game design. "Clouded by nostalgia." I always take it cheerily because like maybe I am.

But with Super Mario Land 2, I know I am clouded by nostalgia. There is no attempt at objectivity. This was the only playable video game I had for like 8 months of my life. Super Mario Land 2 was my father mother sister brother and I love them.

I always thought it was cheesy in media when you'd see a dad just having the time of their life playing Frogger or some Atari game, but I get it now. I'm having the time of my life playing Super Mario Land 2. Life I beautiful. God loves us.

This art style is gorgeous. Tattoo it on my chest!

*My mom in her early 30s is a very different woman from who she is today

Reached Credits

Thoughts: Not exactly a stand-out Mario game to me, but not as bland as New Super Mario Bros. 2 either. At least the level themes are creative, especially with Tiny-Huge house world and the giant Mario Robot world. I did find the Rabbit ears powerup to be overpowered as you could just glide through entire levels.