Really fun at the time.

The true rarity that is a Mario platformer of mostly historical interest. It's very much a Game Boy launch title, and in that context it works well enough as a short, simple platformer you can play on the go. Developers would coax much better things out of the system's hardware in due time, though.

I completed this on a crappy Nokia phone with an emulator installed. One of my proudest moments, clearly

The greatest first world music ever composed

this was the first game I ever owned and the first game I ever beat. even among other Game Boy games it feels like a relic, but that it was so entertaining to me even in 1997 is a testament to the beautiful simplicity of its gameplay. the sequel is better in every way, but aren't they all?

Mario vs other ethnic stereotypes.

One of the weaker Mario titles.

In content, like a weird alternate-universe version of Mario; in gameplay, like a middling-okay platformer of the time, with visual language that doesn't quite work (I definitely shouldn't be able to jump on an enemy that's spiky on top), imprecise controls, and weird-ass physics. A reasonably good time if what you want is to experience Mario But Weird, but not as worthwhile gameplay-wise as most other Mario games.

For a game boy game this was very good. Unique with all the Worlds being 4 in this and you got to fly a plane and drive a submarine.

Oh no, it was bad.

This has to win the Weirdest Entry in the Series award for Super Mario, right? Mario jumps onto hopping Chinese men and attacking Easter Island statues? I found it insane even back in 1989! Super Mario 2 and 3 had already come out and really pushed the gameplay forward while this is Mario 1 level of platforming: fun, still, but very limited. I do prefer the super ball here to the other games' fireballs, though!

sort of strange

Probably the best they could do with the limitations of the GameBoy. This isn't a bad game, it's one of the better on the platform. I just can't recommend this as a Mario game, it doesn't fit that high standard.

One of the few Mario platformers I didn't get all that into; I played Six Golden Coins first so going back to the graphics and feel of this one was hard.