The Sonic the Hedgehog series is one that I am quite fond of and this is the game that started it all. I have a certain respect for this game for being the originator of a franchise that I get a lot of enjoyment out of, but having said that, I don’t actually think this game is all that good. To be honest, I’m baffled that this very flawed game was ever considered a rival to the greatly superior Super Mario World.

As I’m sure you can guess, you play as Sonic the Hedgehog and the story is rather simple as is quite common with 2D platforming games from that era. Dr. Robotnik (or Eggman, as he will always be called to me) has been building an army of robots and using innocent little animals as the fuel to power them, so Sonic sets out across the land, destroying the robots, freeing the little creatures and fighting Robotnik several times along the way. While he’s not yet the charming and hilarious villain he would later be, I still like him a lot in this game.

The game hasn’t got a save feature, so, it’s one of those games you have to complete in one go (although it does have a secret code you can enter which allows you to use any stage, which I used instead of saving) and, as is common with games of this kind, it isn’t all that long. The first level is Green Hill Zone, which has become quite iconic over the years and is quite nice. I was also rather fond of the underwater level, Labyrinth Zone which had you going through some mysterious, submerged ruins. Every third level also has a boss fight at the end of it; the boss fights are generally pretty easy, though one or two of them are rather tricky. I quite like Sonic‘s unique ring system where you collect rings in the levels and they then act as your health. If you get hit, you drop all your rings and have to quickly collect them again. The more rings you have, the easier they are to recollect and a skilled player might be able to survive on one ring for quite some time.

What I didn’t like about the game was its control system. Sonic generally felt very slidey and it always felt difficult to properly aim his jumps when attacking enemies. What’s worse is that this game is based around speed; Sonic’s unique ability is his power to run at the speed of sound. This on its own is a nice enough concept, but the problem stems from the fact that none of the game’s levels seem to be designed around this idea and, more often than not, if you go fast you’ll die because you’ll run into a sneakily placed enemy or trap. So instead I just moved very slowly through all the levels, making some of them feel like a chore.

I don’t want to be too negative, because without this game there’d be no other Sonic games and I like some of the later ones a lot, but this game does have some big problems. It’s not too bad and I did genuinely enjoy some of the levels, but with poorly designed levels, difficult controls and a rather bland soundtrack this wasn’t the classic I expected it to be.

Rating: 5.9/10

Buy it here.

(Don’t miss today’s Finger Puppet Show!)

This is the third and final game in the Super Mario Land trilogy as well as being the first game in the much better Wario Land series! Yes, having been so popular as the villain in the previous game, Wario is now the star of the third Super Mario Land game.

The story goes that after his failed attempt at stealing Mario’s castle, Wario is looking to get himself his own castle. In search of treasure, he heads to Kitchen Island where he crosses paths with a group of pirates known as the Black Sugar Gang. The game has you exploring Kitchen Island and fighting the Black Sugar Gang as you go along.

One of the best things about this game is getting to play as Wario. Unlike Mario, Wario is a big tough guy and his strength definitely comes across in his playstyle. It’s fun to charge through enemies and knock down walls and, not only that, but Wario has some pretty cool power-ups too. Two of my favourites are a dragon shaped hat that can breathe fire and a rocket powered hat that lets you charge very fast!

Another very appealing thing about this game is that it has a good feeling of exploring the unknown. The environments are all very natural and secluded areas and the game has a superb soundtrack which really reinforces this atmosphere. Plus, of course, there’s a whole new set of enemies which makes it clear that this is not the part of the Mushroom World that you are familiar with.

The levels are very well designed too, I’ll tell you about two of my favourites. In one, you have to get through the stage as quickly as you can because there is a huge wave of lava coming up behind you! In another, you move slowly and peacefully through a cave while riding on the back of a creature called a Pouncer. There’s also a strong focus on treasure hunting; the amount of money and treasure you collect as you go through the levels will affect how the game ends.

There’s not really anything bad about this game I can say. I guess it is a little bit short (but not too much and there is a lot of reason to replay levels) and also Mario fans might be disappointed to find out that Mario himself only has a tiny role in this game (but I found his scene very funny). Of the Super Mario Land trilogy, I’d say it’s definitely the best and I think it is one of the best Game Boy games overall too. Well worth a try!

Rating: 8.9/10

After the success of Super Mario Land there’s no surprise that it was eventually followed up with a sequel. For once, I’m actually pleased with the sense of continuity and ongoing narrative, as the story behind this game is quite clever: while Mario was off saving the day in Sarasaland, Wario took control over his castle back home and, in fact, had been the person behind all of the bad goings on in Sarasaland! Very good, for the Super Mario series.

Speaking of things I like, this is the game that introduced us to Wario. For those who don’t know, Wario is a kind of evil twin to Mario. He’s a greedy, money-obsessed character with a comically bizarre design. Wario has gone on to be a regular character in the Mario series and has even gone on to have his own series of games. Right from his first appearance he’s very likeable and it is the introduction of Wario, perhaps, that is this game’s best feature… Even if he is only the final boss.

But there’s something strange about this game. There are a lot of things about it which, independently, I like very much, for example: there’s a nice big over-world map, unique choices of enemies (such as the three little pigs) and unusual level locations (like the inside of a whale) but despite all of these qualities, things just don’t quite gel for me. The soundtrack is generally quite bland and the controls feel quite floaty and just generally ‘off’ so I wonder if these two things might be what’s spoiling my enjoyment of it.

It’s by no means a bad game and, if you can find a cheap copy of it, by all means give it a try because maybe you’ll like it more than me. I just feel like the game has a good premise and lots of good ideas and it’s all the more disappointing because of that. It could have been a superb Mario game, but for me it just misses the mark.

Rating: 6.7/10

Buy it here.

The Game Boy was Nintendo’s first real portable console and, as I’m sure you can understand, they were keen to get a brand new Super Mario game ready to be released alongside it and Super Mario Land was that game.

Super Mario Land has a lot in common with other 2D platforming games in the series, but also has a fair few elements which give it a unique identity. Usually Mario travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser, but this time he travels through Sarasaland in order to rescue Princess Daisy from Tatanga. On the one hand, Tatanga is an interesting and mysterious villain and I wish he had appeared in more games, on the other, Princess Daisy is basically Peach but with a different colour scheme (and she is the one who’s gone on to make lots of appearances, but I guess some people like her, so I shouldn’t complain).

However, while the change of characters is interesting, I think the best thing about this game is the change of setting. Sarasaland gives you creatures and locations that you don’t find in other Super Mario games, for example you’ll find yourself exploring ancient temples, or in a place based on Easter Island (with Moai-like creatures!) and even a place based on ancient China. Sure, you’ll see some enemies that look like the creatures you’re familiar with from other games, but even they are a little different. What’s most exciting is that, unlike the Mushroom Kingdom, Sarasaland cannot be entirely transversed on foot and some levels have you driving a submarine or airplane!

If that all sounds quite exciting to you, there’s something you need to bear in mind: it’s very short. There are four worlds and each of those are made up of three individual levels, so, that is only twelve levels for the whole game. I completed the whole game twice (once normally and then again in hard mode) in only forty minutes. At the risk of sounding arrogant, maybe I’m just very good at it, but I think most people might make short work of this game. But I think it’s always important to remember “quality over quantity”; in many ways it feels like a better version of Super Mario Bros. and that game has more than double the number of levels. I like Super Mario Land for its unique levels and enemies, having a catchy soundtrack and for just being generally enjoyable.

Rating: 7/10

Buy it here.