Super Mario Land is a flagship platform game on the Nintendo Game Boy. It was released in April 1989, as one of four launch titles for the console. It is the first handheld entry in the Super Mario series, as well as the first main Mario game not designed by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto.

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 recognised its potential to general audiences. So Super Mario Land was sold separately.

Super Mario Land is a minimalist platform game, but it has so much character and playability that it doesn’t fail to charm. It’s a handheld platforming masterpiece.

The game has twelve levels, two of which are forced-scrolling shooters where Mario pilots either a submarine or an airplane and fires bullets at oncoming enemies.

A bonus ‘lottery’ minigame can be activated by finding an alternative exit at the end of each level, and here you can win extra lives or a “Superball Flower Power-up“.

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.

It also led on to two excellent sequels: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3.

More: Super Mario Land on Wikipedia