The platforming level design is more fun and varied than most game boy platformers I've revisited, though still pretty "bread-and-butter" apart from a few particularly enjoyable mechanical twists (the goop cave level, the space zone). Mechanically most of the other side scrolling Marios have this one beat handily.

But really I love this for the oddity of the worlds, enemies, and bosses compared to most other Mario fare. A bunny suit, levels in a hollowed-out pumpkin, a turtle zone, just an off the wall, kind of fairytale storybook atmosphere which feels much more inspired than New Super Mario Bros. U's zones. Would be cool to see another crack at this one's unique visual vibe but without the cartridge / screen size restrictions of the game boy.

Reviewed on Nov 23, 2022


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