Super Mario Land (series)

The Super Mario Land series is a sub-series in the Super Mario franchise for the original Game Boy. This series, unlike the previous Mario titles, wasn't worked on by Shigeru Miyamoto, but his mentor, Gunpei Yokoi instead. It lasted from 1989 to 1993. Starting with the third installment, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, the series turned its focus over to Wario, and the series ended up spinning off to the Wario Land series. The title of Super Mario 3D Land is an homage to this series.

Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land is the first game in the series, released in 1989 for the Game Boy. This game also marks the debut appearances of Princess Daisy and Tatanga. This game possesses many similarities to Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System. As far as gameplay is concerned, it has the same basic gameplay style as the others. The player makes Mario run, jump, collect coins and power-ups (including the new Superball item), kill enemies, go down Warp Pipes (which usually contained underground areas with coins, just like Super Mario Bros), etc. The boss battles are also very similar, where the player either has to avoid a boss' attacks, run underneath it, and hit the switch behind it or just simply shoot it until it's destroyed. Super Mario Land also features a new gameplay gimmick in which Mario has to steer a submarine in an underwater stage and pilot an airplane during the final stage, where Mario has his "final" showdown with Tatanga to rescue Princess Daisy, whom he kidnaps, supposedly in an attempt to get her to become his queen so that he can rule over Sarasaland.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is the second installment in the Super Mario Land series, released in 1992, three years after its predecessor. This game marks the debut appearance of Wario, Mario's arch-rival. In this game, it is revealed that the events of Super Mario Land are merely created by Wario so that he could take over Mario's castle. He also uses the power of six magical coins to seal the castle, leaving them to the care of nine of his followers (including Tatanga) so that Mario cannot get inside. Now, Mario must travel through six different worlds to obtain those coins and get his castle back from the greedy anti-hero. Notable aspects of Super Mario Land 2 are its improved graphics, as well as a save feature, which isn't present in its predecessor. Just like the last game, however, it keeps the same traditional Mario-style gameplay and even brings back the Fire Flower power-up. There's also a new power-up, which is a carrot that allows Mario to glide across certain areas. Like Super Mario World, Mario now has the spin jump ability, which can be used to kill certain enemies instantly.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Taking place after his defeat in Super Mario Land 2, Wario decides to go on a quest to earn himself enough money and riches to get himself a castle of his own. During his quest, he finds many treasures as he battles Captain Syrup and her army, the Black Sugar Pirates. The gameplay in Wario Land differs slightly from the previous Super Mario Land installments. For example, if the player holds down the B button, then Wario does not run. His speed does increase, however, if Wario is using the Jet Wario power-up, which allows him to temporarily fly through the air at super speed. His other power-ups include Bull Wario, which gives him super strength and the ability to stick to ceilings and conveyor belts, and the Dragon Wario power-up, which allows him to breathe fire. Wario is also able to hold and throw enemies (as well as coins, which are usually required to exit a stage).

VB Mario Land
VB Mario Land was a Super Mario Land game scheduled for the Virtual Boy but that ended up being cancelled due to the short lifespan of the system. The game was going to use all of the system's capabilities and would include dungeons similar to Legend of Zelda games. Not much is known about the cancelled game, but it is known Wario was set to appear, as would a three-dimensional Mario Bros.