Super Mario Land was a launch title for the original Game Boy and was the first handheld Mario game ever released. It plays similarly to the NES versions, being a sidescroller. However, as a handheld game, it has bite-sized levels. The game has familiar gameplay but of course, the graphics are scaled for the smaller screen. Considering the limited tech of the Game Boy hardware, the graphics are pretty decent and the game plays smoothly. Note that the game is in monochrome although if you have the Virtual Console version, then you can switch between black/white monochrome or the original green tinged monochrome. Super Mario Land's gameplay doesn't shake things up too much and most of it is familiar to players of the series. Mario goes from left to right to complete the level. The screen cannot scroll back so once it is out of frame, that's it, Mario cannot return. Mario can jump and jumping onto the top of enemies will defeat them. The only other ability is if Mario gets a fire flower, he can throw ricocheting balls for a ranged attack.
As a platformer, jumping onto platforms (static or moving) above pitfalls is a common sight. As the game progresses, it also gets harder with multiple moving enemies, including invincible ones, as well as ranged attacks. It mixes things up in a few levels such as auto-scroll ones with Mario in a vehicle in a shoot 'em up. There are various secrets in levels containing coins and power-ups, as well as two exits in each level. The upper exit will contain a minigame that gives Mario lives or a power-up. Each level also has various areas with tons of coins that might take some creative thinking in order to get.
In addition to completing each level, another goal is to get a high score. There are coins scattered through the levels and getting 100 of these will give Mario an extra life. Defeating enemies adds to your high score, as does finishing a level with time still left on the clock. Losing all lives means a game over and starting from the first level again. You cannot save at all so you have to go through the whole game in one go. Of course, if you're playing the Virtual Console version, you can create and load a restore point at any time. Each world has three levels and the end of each world has a boss. There are four worlds totaling twelve levels, making Super Mario Land a short game. It takes approximately one hour to complete and the game is pretty easy. The only danger is if you try to speed a level too quickly without seeing what enemies lies ahead.
Finishing the game allows you to play on a higher difficulty. The level design stays mostly the same but there are more enemies and more falling hazards. Finishing it again will give you the option of level select. Unfortunately, everything is reset once you turn off the Game Boy and you have to go through the game normally again before you can use these bonus modes. The game takes place in Sarasaland and Mario aims to save Princess Daisy. Not that there is a lot of story cutscenes or explanation of the setting. Overall, as the first handheld outing of Mario for the Game Boy, Super Mario Land is pretty decent. It translates the gameplay perfectly and while it tries a few new things that later games did not continue, it is still fun and a blast to play. The biggest negative is the lack of saving and the short length.
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