Category: Game Boy

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy)

StephenLeave a comment

Super Mario is one of gaming’s most popular and beloved characters, and this was especially true in 1992. At this point, Mario fever was in full swing – Super Mario Bros. 1, 2 and 3 were massive successes on the NES, and Mario had recently made the jump to 16 bit with 1991’s Super Mario World. Nintendo also tested the waters in the realm of portable gaming with 1989’s Super Mario Land. Finally, Mario had made the jump to handhelds and at last gamers could get their Mario fix no matter where they were.

As neat as the first Super Mario Land game was, it was by no means graphically stunning. The developers were new to the Game Boy hardware and had not realized what it was fully capable of. It was also quite short, clocking in at a little over an hour. The game was fun and well designed, but it was apparent that more could be done with the Game Boy hardware to bring a bigger and grander Mario adventure to the platform. Enter Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.

Super Mario Land 2 is a massive step up from its predecessor. Everything about it is an upgrade. The graphics are much more detailed in many different ways. Super Mushrooms have the iconic eyes as seen in Super Mario World. Levels actually have backdrops which set the scene for each environment. There are more levels, new enemies with detailed sprites, and a variety of new power ups. The game even has a world map which allows you to select what level you want to play. You can definitely tell Nintendo put a lot of effort into this game to make it feel more like the console Mario games. The music is catchy and orchestrated beautifully. The controls are polished, fine tuned, and feel smooth, just as a Mario game should. The first game felt a bit “floaty” so this is a nice improvement.

The levels (as well as the theme of each zone) are well designed and unique. Space Zone and Turtle Zone are by far my favorite zones though. In Space Zone, Mario makes his way into space and that means running and jumping around in zero gravity. There’s also Turtle Zone, where in order to get there, Mario is eaten by a giant turtle and is brought underwater. Both of these zones have themes that make them stand out. I won’t go in depth on all of the zones but I can tell you that these zones are a fun depature from the traditional Mario worlds you may be used to. If you haven’t played the game yet, this may be one of the biggest draws for anyone yet to experience it.

The plot of this game is pretty simplistic, as most Mario game plots are. In this game, Mario’s castle is taken over by Wario (in his first video game appearance!) and Mario must gather 6 Golden Coins to enter the castle and reclaim his castle. This is all pretty simple, as the plot simply serves as a backdrop to give players a reason to move forward. Mario games are all about the gameplay so it doesn’t matter that the story is not some thought-provoking masterpiece of storytelling.

The game itself is pretty easy, and there is one particular place where you can exploit the game to get tons of lives. (I definitely didn’t do this at all! I would never!) Regardless of how you play, the game is accessible to players of all skill levels. There is also an easy mode if the main game proves too challenging. The only exception to the difficulty in this game is the final zone, Wario’s Castle. The difficulty ramps up significantly, however, it’s still not that hard as long as you play smart and are dedicated. Once I beat the game, that was that. The game is a straightforward Mario adventure, and a massive improvement over its predecessor. This game is definitely worth a play for all Mario fans (and Wario fans for the historical significance), and I definitely see myself coming back to play this game every so often if I’m in the mood for a simple and fun platforming game.

Kirby’s Dreamland (Game Boy)

StephenLeave a comment

Kirby’s Dreamland is special to me in a few ways. First, it’s the very first Kirby game I ever played. Second, it’s the first original Game Boy game I bought with my own money. When I was a young lad, back in 2009 at the age of 12, I started taking an interest in retro games. One of the first consoles besides the NES that I got into was the original Game Boy. Growing up, my family would often vacation on the Oregon coast. One of my favorite stores to visit while we were on the coast was a little retro game store called Recycle Video Games, and I would make an effort to stop there at least once every trip to the coast. One visit, I brought in my saved up cash to find something interesting and new to play. In the glass case, a few things spotted my eye, the first of those things being a teal-colored Game Boy Color. The second being the massive selection of games they had for the Game Boy. After I decided I wanted to buy the Game Boy Color (which, in those days cost a whopping $12), I picked out a few games, one of them being Kirby’s Dreamland. From the minute I popped those double A batteries into the Game Boy and heard that intro music, I knew I was in for a good time.

Kirby’s Dreamland has always been a cakewalk of a video game, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s the perfect game to play on the go to kill some time, and it’s short enough that it can be beaten in a single half hour sitting. This game has excellent level design, fun boss fights, and an absolutely beautifully composed soundtrack. If you have played many of the newer entries in the series, coming back to this game may feel a bit odd as some of the series staples hadn’t been set in stone at this time. For example, abilities are one time limited duration power ups that are few in far between. If you can get passed that (which shouldn’t be too hard considering this is a retro game blog you’re reading) there is definately a lot of fun to be had.

If I had to sum this game up in one word, it would be simple. And fun. Simple Fun. Okay, that’s two words. But that’s beside the point. This game is a blast, and anyone who own’s a Game Boy should at least pop this in once in awhile and play it from beginning to end. Not only is this game absolutely charming, but it’s simple, relaxing and fun. It’s a great game to play in between bigger games, or just a way to kill a half hour on a weeknight before bed. If you want a challenge, there is also always the Extra Game mode (by pressing up, A, and select at the same time on the start screen), which is a challenging remix of the base game, but if you just want a easy and fun time, the normal mode will do the job just fine.