A lot of “classic” games haven’t aged well. Sure, some have nostalgia, but they also rely on outdated gameplay. Super Mario Land 2 isn’t one of the games.

On the contrary, it’s downright delightful, on par with what you would expect from a high-profile console version of Mario. And since it was produced by Gunpei Yokoi, the mentor of Miyamoto and inventor of Metroid and Game Boy, Super Mario Land 2 has a different feel to it. Dare I say a shot in the arm to the tried and true franchise.

The only flaw I see in the game, in addition to its annoying commercial music, is the occasional slowdown and sluggishness of the Game Boy. It may technically be an 8-bit system, but at times it certainly feels more like a 4- or 6-bit, if you catch my drift. And playing on a Game Boy Advance doesn’t boost the performance.

Nevertheless, if you were caught up in Super Nintendo and 16-bit in general at the time of its original release, do yourself a favor and track down a copy of Super Mario Land 2. From a musical, gameplay, and level design perspective, you will not be disappointed.