Finally finished Super Mario Land 2!

RetroGaming@lemmy.world – 552 points – 8 months ago

This game came with my hand-me-down DMG I got for my birthday back in 2001. Thankfully I never made it to the final level back then, pretty sure I would've tossed the game out the window after losing 50+ lives. Looking for what I should play next, recommendations welcome :)

The disparity between the final level and any other level in that game is insane. Congrats on the win!

To add to that, I think this may have been the game that started that trend. There was always a difficulty ramp, but the sudden spike level came later in the series. Any Mario platformer these days has a crazy difficulty spike near the end.

I mean, New Super Mario Bros. 2 had an entire DLC called "impossible levels." And don't get me started on The Final-Final Challenge in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Wonder as a whole is way easier than most mainline Mario games though. It's only the secret world that poses any challenge.

Sure. That's a bit beside the point, though. I was referring to these games based on the hardest levels in them.

That screen doesn’t look right unless you messed your console with some new acreen

Haha yes definitely not original. I put an IPS screen in it over Christmas. Gave me the push I needed to revisit the GB library on semi-official hardware.

That looks amazing!!! Pokémon Red next?

Ps: tutorial for that screen update?

Played yellow when I was younger, never got around to blue or red. Added to the list :)

Parts: Replacement screen+front PCB https://funnyplaying.com/products/dmg-retro-pixel-ips-lcd-kit

Alignment bracket: (the link above came with a bracket even though it said it wouldn't) https://funnyplaying.com/products/dmg-retro-pixel-ips-lcd-holder

Video tutorial I followed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDmJ1IJG_Zo

Good luck :)

Saving that screen link for later. I cannot imagine how great that must look in the old girl.

Oh it's night and day. It's really made me appreciate the DMG library. It has a dot matrix mode that emulates the grid of the OEM screen. I flip back and forth from time to time.

If you have a way to load Roms into it, you may want to to try ShinPokéRed. A mod fixing bugs and trainer Ai.

Yep I have a flashcart. I'll def give it a look before I start Red version!

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

https://www.piped.video/watch?v=PDmJ1IJG_Zo

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.

When I was a kid I bought one of these weird magnifying lens/lighting attachments for my game boy so I could play it when I was supposed to be asleep. I know what you did somehow desecrates the historical hardware but if I had the opportunity to get that mod in 1990 then I would’ve done whatever I could to afford that backlit screen!

If you have one of the earlier cartridges, go explore the secret RAM area. It's one of the two games I know where you can do that.
OneShot ram joke

That's pretty interesting! Mario's running through the game's code rewriting it like King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph...except with far less control.

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

That's pretty interesting!

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.

Never knew about this! My copy must be a 1.0 or a 1.1, I was able to explore the memory/ROM :)

If you have a GBC I would recommend super Mario bros deluxe. gives you SMB and the Japanese SMB 2 along with a bunch of of unlockable QoL fun feature like time attack, save files, and a red coin challenge.

I was really hoping this was going to be a patient gamer shitpost lol

I never finished this game as a kid . I had this with my original no color gameboy. Not sure how my mom paid for it . But she did go to jail one Christmas for shoplifting so maybe she didn't lol .

I don't think I ever beat it! I got to the final fight with Wario. I figured out I could turn it off right before I would die and not lose my progress. (When you lose all your lives you'd have to redo the boss levels and, you know, get the 6 Golden Coins.)

I loved that game. I'd recommend Link's awakening next. It's completely different, of course, but it's another great adaptation of something familiar for the gameboy.

Funny you say that, I took a break from Link's Awakening to play Super Mario Land 2. Trying my hardest not to use a walkthrough but some of the late game dungeons are pretty tough compared to LTTP.

They are, yeah. I don't sweat walkthroughs anymore. I'm about 20 years too old to have enough time to wander around frustrated. I give it a go, and look for a hint when I can't figure it out.

I remember some of those dungeons were ingeniously tricky to figure out but once you do you'll be kicking yourself.

Kirbys Dreamland

I remember being addicted to the first one until i managed the hard mdoe w.o. dying once. With that i find SML to also have great replay value.

Here you go everyone: https://youtu.be/ICXltEUJ41U?si=gZnpuN8A85UKyjyC

Exactly what you didn't know you were looking but, in the back of your mind, you really were.

For some reason I thought this was going to have something to do with "Obey Wario, Destroy Mario!"

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

https://piped.video/ICXltEUJ41U?si=gZnpuN8A85UKyjyC

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.

Iirc I did this once when I was a much younger person. Fantastic game and incredibly challenging, especially near the end. Great work!

How many hours did it take? Congrats

Maybe 5 or 6 hours total? One hour was just trying to beat thee Wario level over and over.

The game always reminds me of being in the hospital getting my adenoids removed in 1992.

this gives me memories of being at my grams house in rochester during the summer 💕

That sounds like a lovely memory. :)

(i just realised this said part 2 and not 1 but it still applies :))

I'll always prefer SML 1.

But I do fondly remember this.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say this.

SML1 was basically just a proof of concept, it’s so short, lacking graphical detail and proper Mario physics. It’s not awful or anything, but if it didn’t have “Mario” in the title it wouldn’t even be remembered today.

SML2 isn’t perfect but it’s one of the best original Gameboy games, and really shines on its own. They don’t even feel like they’re part of the same series. I highly recommend the SML2 DX hack, played it on my Analogue Pocket and loved it, without the slowdown and with colour it’s very fun.

SML 1 was my first game, and I love it dearly, but SML 2 is objectively better in almost every way.

I think it's a combination of nostalgia and the fact that SML1 had levels, enemies and music that were super unique compared to other Mario games before or after.

SML2 is a better game on the technical side of things but nothing in it blew me away or was memorable enough for me to recall with super clarity like I do with 1.

You're joking

Nope.