Super Mario Land

Overview

Super Mario Land is a 1989 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy, as one of four launch titles for the console. It was first released in Japan in April 1989, followed by North America in August of that year, and Europe and Australia in 1990. It is the first handheld entry in the Super Mario series, as well as the first mainline title not designed by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Modeled after the original Super Mario Bros. (1985), the game adapts side-scrolling gameplay for the Game Boy's smaller screen, with the player guiding Mario through 12 levels to rescue Princess Daisy (in her debut appearance) from the alien Tatanga in the new setting of Sarasaland.

The game is notable for its distinctive sound effects, minimalist line-art visuals, inconsistent use of familiar Mario elements, and the inclusion of shooting stages inspired by titles such as Gradius. Nintendo developed Super Mario Land under the direction of Game Boy creators Gunpei Yokoi and Satoru Okada, intending it to be the system's pack-in game. However, during development, Tetris captured their attention, and they recognized its potential for a handheld platform. Henk Rogers, who held the rights to Tetris, convinced Nintendo of America that it would appeal to a broader audience than Super Mario Land; as a result, Tetris was bundled with the Game Boy instead.

Super Mario Land played a key role in the Game Boy's commercial success, selling over 25 million copies worldwide and becoming the fourth best-selling title for the system. Despite its short length, critics praised the game for successfully adapting the Mario formula to portable hardware. Since its release, Super Mario Land has been widely recognized as one of the most influential Game Boy titles, and introduced Princess Daisy as a recurring character in the Mario franchise. The game received two sequels: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994), the latter of which spawned the Wario Land sub-series. Super Mario Land was later re-released via the Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS in 2011 and on Nintendo Switch Online in 2024.

Official trailer

Gameplay Video. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

Super Mario Land (Game Boy) Playthrough - NintendoComplete, NintendoComplete. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Platform

Developer

Nintendo R&D1

Publisher

Nintendo, Mani

Series

Super Mario Land

Platforms

Nintendo 3DS, Game Boy

Age rating

ESRB E

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

No

Age ratings

PEGI

3

CERO

A

ESRB

E

Release dates

Editions

Check out the store

Space and patches

Update patchNo patch

DLC

No DLC. Game Boy games had no downloadable content.

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single player only, with no online features. The cartridge runs on any Game Boy, Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance, and the game is on Nintendo Switch Online.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Reception

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
Computer and Video Games	93	100
Mean Machines	90	100
The Games Machine	94	100
Famitsu	26	40

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Developer	Nintendo R&D1
Publisher	Nintendo
Director	Satoru Okada
Producer	Gunpei Yokoi
Designer	Hirofumi Matsuoka
Programmers	Takahiro Harada, Masao Yamamoto
Artists	Hirofumi Matsuoka, Masahiko Mashimo
Composer	Hirokazu Tanaka

Notes for collectors

• One of the Game Boy's launch games in North America, on 31 July 1989.
• Mario travels to Sarasaland to save Princess Daisy from Tatanga; Daisy's first appearance.
• Two of the twelve levels are forced-scrolling shooter stages.
• Followed by Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3.

Credits

Publisher

Nintendo

Developer

Nintendo R&D1

Director

Satoru Okada

Released

1989-07-31

Age rating

Not rated (pre-ESRB, before 1994)

Region

US

Time to beat

about 0.9 hours