
Play Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins Online
Game Info
- Platform
- Game Boy
- Genres
- Platformer
- Developers
- Nintendo R&D1
- Release date
- November 2, 1992
Summary
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins feels like the biggest Mario adventure ever packed into a Game Boy. It follows the original handheld title but adds an overworld map, a save‑system, and a full set of 32 levels spread across distinct zones. The game also marks the debut of Wario, the mischievous anti‑hero who would later star in his own series. Critics praised it as a step up from its predecessor, and it eventually moved over 11 million units, making it one of the handheld’s most successful releases. The gameplay expands on classic Mario mechanics while introducing fresh twists. Players can revisit any zone, hunt for secret exits, and collect a golden coin from each boss to unlock Mario’s Palace. Coins no longer grant extra lives directly; instead they feed mini‑games that hand out 1‑ups and power‑ups, while hearts restore lives as before. After defeating 100 enemies a star drifts down, granting temporary invincibility and extra lives for every fifth enemy thereafter. Power‑ups include the familiar Super Mushroom, Fire Flower (distinguished by a feather on Mario’s cap), Starman, and the quirky Magic Carrot that transforms Mario into Bunny Mario, who jumps higher and can hover using his ears. Development was handled by Nintendo’s R&D1 team under Gunpei Yokoi, with Hiroji Kiyotake and Takehiko Hosokawa steering direction and enemy design. The crew deliberately tried to break away from the formula of earlier Mario games, only to pull back toward a Super Mario World feel after the first draft. Wario’s design was a tongue‑in‑cheek response to the team’s frustration at working on a character they didn’t create, his name blending "Mario" with the Japanese word *warui* (bad) and his upside‑down "W" logo echoing an inverted "M". The result is a charismatic rival who feels both familiar and freshly antagonistic. Kazumi Totaka composed the soundtrack, sprinkling in his signature hidden tune that plays on the Game Over screen after a two‑minute‑thirty‑second wait. The title resurfaced on the 3DS Virtual Console in 2011, joined the Nintendo Classics lineup for Switch in 2023, and even inspired a quirky UK ad that asked, "Why did the Hedgehog cross the road? To get to Super Mario Land 2." A ten‑page comic in Nintendo Power retold the Mario‑vs‑Wario clash, cementing the game’s legacy beyond the cartridge.
Storyline
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins picks up right after Super Mario Land. While Mario is away in Sarasaland, his childhood rival Wario casts an evil spell over Mario’s private island, turning Mario Land into his own playground and seizing the castle. He brainwashes the island’s inhabitants, convinces them that Wario is their master and that Mario is the enemy, all in a bid to claim the palace for himself. Mario must trek through six new zones, battling both familiar and brand‑new monsters, to collect the six Golden Coins that unlock the gate back to his castle. Along the way he can grab Power Mushrooms, Super Stars, Fire Flowers, and even a Magic Carrot that lets him hop around as a high‑flying hare. After securing the coins, Mario regains entry, confronts a shrunken Wario, defeats him and breaks the spell, restoring his castle to normal.
Edited by Maya Carter




