Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Encyclopedia
is a platforming
video game developed and published by Nintendo
for the Game Boy
. It was released in Japan
on October 21, 1992, in North America
on November 2, 1992, and in Europe on January 28, 1993. Like its predecessor, Super Mario Land
, Super Mario Land 2 was created by director Hiroji Kiyotake
rather than Mario series creator Shigeru Miyamoto
.
In Super Mario Land 2, the player assumes the role of the protagonist Mario
, whose main objective is reclaim his castle, stolen by the antagonist Wario
. However, the magical seal that Wario placed on the castle entrance can only be undone by collecting the six Golden Coins, which are guarded by Wario's henchmen in various locales of the game's setting, Mario Land. Mario's quest thus revolves around retrieving each of the golden coins in order to regain access to his castle and defeat Wario. Super Mario Land 2 is notable for its debut of Wario, who became the protagonist of the spin-off
Wario series
starting with the game's sequel, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
.
At 4 megabit
s, it was one of the largest games on the Game Boy at the time of its release and eight times larger than its predecessor's capacity.
The objective of Super Mario Land 2 is to reach the end of each level, defeating or avoiding enemies while doing so. The game retains several enemies from the Mario series
, such as the Goomba
and the Koopa, and also introduces several new enemies. Enemies can usually be defeated by jumping on their head, but also may need to be defeated in different ways, such as a fireball. Other famous mechanics include Warp Pipes, which allow the player to enter hidden areas or find shortcuts, coins, and ? Blocks, which hide coins and items. Unlike in previous Mario games, coins are not used to get lives; instead, they are used to play games in a special area that awards lives and other power-ups. To gain lives, instead, the player must find hearts like they did in the original. After killing 100 enemies, a star comes flying down which provides a short period of invincibility. The star can also be found at other places in the game. While being invincible, the 5th and each subsequent enemy killed will provide one life.
While its predecessor was similar to the original Super Mario Bros.
, Super Mario Land 2 has more in common with Super Mario Bros. 3
and Super Mario World
: The player is no longer restricted to moving right in a level, and any level (except for the introductory stage) can be replayed. At the end of a level, there is a door that must be touched to clear a level. In addition, there is also a bell above the door which, if touched, activates a mini-game where the player can try to get either a power-up or extra lives
.
There are 32 levels in total, based in several different themed zones. Some of the levels can only be accessed by entering in secret exits found in regular levels. Once the player clears or loses a life in these secret levels, he or she is returned to the level where the secret exit was found. Each zone has its own boss, which must be defeated to get one of the 6 Coins. If the player loses all of Mario's lives, all of the 6 Coins are returned to the bosses, which must be defeated again to retrieve the coins.
Super Mario Land 2 features three returning power-ups—the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Starman. The Super Mushroom increases Mario's size, the Fire Flower gives him the ability to shoot fireballs, and the Starman makes Mario invincible to anything besides pits. Both the Super Mushroom and the Fire Flower also allow Mario to do a spin jump like in Super Mario World. Due to the grayscale palette, Fire Mario is differentiated from Super Mario by having a feather in his cap, a feature not seen in any other Mario series game. Also unique to Super Mario Land 2 is the Magic Carrot power-up, which turns Mario into Bunny Mario. Bunny Mario can jump higher, jump repeatedly by holding down the jump button, and descend slowly using his ear (Interestingly, this shows a similarity to the "Super Leaf" power-up in Super Mario Bros. 3
).
Like Super Mario World
, instead of going through a series of stages through each world, the player navigates a large overworld map that contains an additional map for each world with its own series of stages followed by a boss. However, the six worlds can be played in any order unlike in most Mario games that feature overworld maps. The game also saves the player's progress after beating a stage, though this is the first Mario game released to a portable console to have a save feature.
, and it is one of his earliest works. Totaka's Song is also hidden in the game and can be heard in the Game Over screen after waiting for exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
listed it as the seventh best Game Boy
/Game Boy Color
video game, praising it for its improvements over Super Mario Land
and for having impressive visuals for a handheld game. GamesRadar
listed Super Mario Land 2 as one of the titles they want in the 3DS Virtual Console
which is currently available.
's Virtual Console
service eShop
on September 29, 2011 in North America and Europe, and was released on October 12, 2011 in Japan.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game developed and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
. It was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on October 21, 1992, in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on November 2, 1992, and in Europe on January 28, 1993. Like its predecessor, Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land
is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld game console. It and the Game Boy debuted in Japan on April 21, 1989, in the United States on July 31, 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990...
, Super Mario Land 2 was created by director Hiroji Kiyotake
Hiroji Kiyotake
Hiroji Kiyotake is a game designer for Nintendo. He is the original designer of Wario. Kiyotake is one of the directors and graphic designers of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, making him one of the key people in the introduction of the character Wario and...
rather than Mario series creator Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
.
In Super Mario Land 2, the player assumes the role of the protagonist Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
, whose main objective is reclaim his castle, stolen by the antagonist Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
. However, the magical seal that Wario placed on the castle entrance can only be undone by collecting the six Golden Coins, which are guarded by Wario's henchmen in various locales of the game's setting, Mario Land. Mario's quest thus revolves around retrieving each of the golden coins in order to regain access to his castle and defeat Wario. Super Mario Land 2 is notable for its debut of Wario, who became the protagonist of the spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
Wario series
Wario (series)
The series is a series of video games created by Nintendo starring the character Wario. It started with Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, the first game with Wario as a playable character, and gained many sequels. The Wario series includes mostly platforming video games and minigame compilations,...
starting with the game's sequel, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, known in Japan as , is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo on the Game Boy in 1994. It is the first video game to feature Wario as both a playable character and the main character, as well as the first appearance of Captain Syrup and her Brown Sugar...
.
At 4 megabit
Megabit
The megabit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix mega is defined in the International System of Units as a multiplier of 106 , and therefore...
s, it was one of the largest games on the Game Boy at the time of its release and eight times larger than its predecessor's capacity.
Gameplay
Mario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...
, such as the Goomba
Goomba
Goombas, known in Japan as , are fictional species from Nintendo's series of Mario video games. They first appeared in the NES video game Super Mario Bros. as the first enemy players encounter. They have appeared outside of video games, including in film, television, and other media...
and the Koopa, and also introduces several new enemies. Enemies can usually be defeated by jumping on their head, but also may need to be defeated in different ways, such as a fireball. Other famous mechanics include Warp Pipes, which allow the player to enter hidden areas or find shortcuts, coins, and ? Blocks, which hide coins and items. Unlike in previous Mario games, coins are not used to get lives; instead, they are used to play games in a special area that awards lives and other power-ups. To gain lives, instead, the player must find hearts like they did in the original. After killing 100 enemies, a star comes flying down which provides a short period of invincibility. The star can also be found at other places in the game. While being invincible, the 5th and each subsequent enemy killed will provide one life.
While its predecessor was similar to the original Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
, Super Mario Land 2 has more in common with Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3
, also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the third game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991...
and Super Mario World
Super Mario World
, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...
: The player is no longer restricted to moving right in a level, and any level (except for the introductory stage) can be replayed. At the end of a level, there is a door that must be touched to clear a level. In addition, there is also a bell above the door which, if touched, activates a mini-game where the player can try to get either a power-up or extra lives
1-up
1-up , pronounced "one up", is a term in console video gaming that commonly refers to an item that gives the player an extra life, to complete the game. In certain games, it is possible to receive multiple extra lives at once...
.
There are 32 levels in total, based in several different themed zones. Some of the levels can only be accessed by entering in secret exits found in regular levels. Once the player clears or loses a life in these secret levels, he or she is returned to the level where the secret exit was found. Each zone has its own boss, which must be defeated to get one of the 6 Coins. If the player loses all of Mario's lives, all of the 6 Coins are returned to the bosses, which must be defeated again to retrieve the coins.
Super Mario Land 2 features three returning power-ups—the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Starman. The Super Mushroom increases Mario's size, the Fire Flower gives him the ability to shoot fireballs, and the Starman makes Mario invincible to anything besides pits. Both the Super Mushroom and the Fire Flower also allow Mario to do a spin jump like in Super Mario World. Due to the grayscale palette, Fire Mario is differentiated from Super Mario by having a feather in his cap, a feature not seen in any other Mario series game. Also unique to Super Mario Land 2 is the Magic Carrot power-up, which turns Mario into Bunny Mario. Bunny Mario can jump higher, jump repeatedly by holding down the jump button, and descend slowly using his ear (Interestingly, this shows a similarity to the "Super Leaf" power-up in Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3
, also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the third game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991...
).
Like Super Mario World
Super Mario World
, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...
, instead of going through a series of stages through each world, the player navigates a large overworld map that contains an additional map for each world with its own series of stages followed by a boss. However, the six worlds can be played in any order unlike in most Mario games that feature overworld maps. The game also saves the player's progress after beating a stage, though this is the first Mario game released to a portable console to have a save feature.
Plot
Super Mario Land 2 takes place immediately after the original Super Mario Land. While Mario was away in Sarasaland, Wario put an evil spell over Mario's world, Mario Land. The inhabitants are now brainwashed into thinking that Wario is their master and Mario is their enemy. Wario's motive behind this sudden attack was to take control over Mario's castle to have a palace of his own. As the instruction manual states, he is an overgrown manchild who has been jealous of Mario since they were children. To stop Wario, Mario must find the 6 Golden Coins throughout Mario Land to reclaim his castle.Development
The music was composed by Kazumi TotakaKazumi Totaka
is a Japanese video game composer and voice actor who composed many major Nintendo games, including Mario Paint and Animal Crossing. He occasionally also does voice acting for Nintendo games, including Yoshi from the Mario and Yoshi series. He is also one of the various composers who worked on the...
, and it is one of his earliest works. Totaka's Song is also hidden in the game and can be heard in the Game Over screen after waiting for exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Reception
Official Nintendo Magazine ranked Super Mario Land 2 44th on their list of the "100 Greatest Nintendo Games". Nintendo PowerNintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
listed it as the seventh best Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
/Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
video game, praising it for its improvements over Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land
is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld game console. It and the Game Boy debuted in Japan on April 21, 1989, in the United States on July 31, 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990...
and for having impressive visuals for a handheld game. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
listed Super Mario Land 2 as one of the titles they want in the 3DS Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
which is currently available.
Re-release
The game was released for the Nintendo 3DSNintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
service eShop
Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo eShop is an online service for the Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming system. Launched on June 6, 2011 in North America and June 7, 2011 in Europe and Japan, the eShop was enabled by the release of a system update that added the functionality to the 3DS' Home Menu...
on September 29, 2011 in North America and Europe, and was released on October 12, 2011 in Japan.