Game Info
Game Name: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Developer(s): Nintendo R&D1
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Platform(s): Game Boy/Switch
Genre(s): Platformer/Retro
Release Date(s): October 21, 1992 (Japan)/November 2, 1992 (US)
ESRB Rating: Not Rated
Weird Gravity + Mario Jumps = Madness
Wario has taken over, and it is up to Mario to free the land! Travelling to the various levels of the island, Mario must collect the golden coin if he hopes to even reach Wario. Wario has his own plans, and Mario is standing in his way. It is a battle royal and only one will win!
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is a Game Boy action adventure open world platformer. The game is developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo and serves as a follow-up to Super Mario Land released in 1989. The game features the premiere of the Wario character and received positive reviews. It was re-released for the Nintendo Switch Game Boy Virtual Console.
I didn’t play Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins when it was released. I never had a Game Boy and had to resort to playing any Game Boy games on my friend’s Game Boy (I later inherited his games when I got a Super Game Boy and he didn’t continue playing). He did not have Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins so I never got to play the game until 2023…but it was a fun throwback to earlier Mario games.
Take on the worlds in any order
The game has a traditional Mario style. It features a side scrolling adventure in which Mario must push forward to reach the end of the level and clear it. What the game does change up is that it is completely open world (which was something new). Players can tackle any world he wants in any order to finish the game which eventually leads to a showdown with Wario. It is a bit of change and not completely “free” in that you have to collect each golden coin and Mario isn’t upgradable. You just take the world you want when you want them.
The graphics are basic Game Boy graphics with their greenish-tint to them, but they are a large step-up from Super Mario Land which feels closer to the original Super Mario Bros. This entry has a much more developed look for Mario and feels closer to Super Mario Bros. 3 than its predecessor. It still is rather simple and pixilated, but it is what you’d expect from a Game Boy game, but it is odd to see some of these Game Boy games on modern TV through Switch ports.
Meet Wario…he’ll be sticking around
The controls are pretty responsive. Mario games have gotten rather complex and arguably frustrating over the years with repeat deaths plaguing players as you try to fight your way through each level. Super Mario Land 2 feels a bit quainter and simple (the bosses aren’t even threatening). If you play it on the Switch, you even get the advantage of reversing time and “fixing” your mistakes…but even with this feature, the game is not the most challenging of the Mario titles.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is a must for retro gamers and fans of the Mario franchise. It feels like classic Mario, and the fact it introduces Wario makes it stand out amongst some of the other entries in the series. If you haven’t played the game, the Switch download provides a perfect opportunity. Mario continues to shine. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is followed by Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 which was released in 1994.
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