Shouts out to Blargg! This, technically, isn’t my first game. However! This is the game I’ve had for the longest. I still have the same cartridge I got some twenty years ago for Christmas, and despite my young self having a knack for misplacing games and cartridges, I was quickly sentimental, and knew to never give this one up. It’s been a while since I’ve beaten this game. Like, probably not since I went and found every secret level back in my teen years, but recently I’ve been wanting to play it again.

I’m a huge sucker for world maps, probably because of this game. I mean, my two favorite Fire Emblem games both have world maps, I love the look of this game so much, and the look of the world, too. Rediscovering a lot of the secrets of the world map, finding all of the switch palaces, taking different routes through worlds. It’s so, so great. I’m not really into Mario games, all that much. They’ve never sucked me in at all or enticed me all that much. I didn’t own a single entry in the “New” series of 2D games, I’ve not even played Sunshine, Galaxy, or Odyssey, lol. Though, hoo boy, Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks absolutely so grand.

So pretty, so charming, so tricky, but never frustrating, for me, in an unfun way. Had a blast going through this. I am not a Mario game fan, I would say, but I feel very proud to be a Super Mario Advance 2 expert lol.