The Gameboy take on Super Mario, overseen by Gunpei Yokoi instead of Shigeru Miyamoto. It's a perfectly serviceable Mario game, although the shift in director and the much smaller screen makes it feel a bit off compared to the mainline games. Mario's block-breaking is slightly different - more straight over his head than his fist - and the jumping physics are a tad more exaggerated. And the fireball throwing works differently because it ricochets off surfaces like a Breakout game, so more care needs to be taken in aiming.
Compared to the pure delirious fantasy of the NES games, this one goes for more of a world tour vibe. For instance, there's an Egyptian level with sphinxes attacking you and a level in which you're beset by Chinese jiangshi/hopping vampires. Horizontal shooting stages replace the underwater levels from the original game. It's quite short and ends just when it feels like the game is really getting going. It's nothing amazing but at the time games of this quality helped resolve a lot of real anxiety about the viability of the Gameboy.
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