OST of the Day #8: Super Mario Land - Muda Kingdom
Hey Steempress!
If you're unfamiliar with this series, basically I share a soundtrack and my thoughts about it, and I highly recommend listening to the song while reading! 😊
Today we're going waaaay back to 1989 when this oddball of a game was released:
If you've never seen this game before, Super Mario Land is a 1989 side-scrolling platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for their Game Boy handheld console. It is the first Mario platform game ever to be released for a handheld. Players advance Mario to the end of 12 levels by moving to the right and jumping across platforms to avoid enemies and pitfalls. Unlike other Mario games, Super Mario Land is set in Sarasaland, a new environment depicted in line art, and Mario pursues Princess Daisy (like a playaaa). The game also includes two Gradius-style shooter levels.
This was the first Mario game I ever played since I grew up with the Game Boy and pretty much all the Nintendo handhelds until I got a Wii in 2007. I can't remember which year I played this but we got the Game Boy pretty late and I was born in 1995 so it was probably somewhere between 2000-2001 that I first played this. I'd never seen the NES/SNES before so I didn't even know the existence of Super Mario World until many years later so when people (on Youtube) would talk about Super Mario World I always thought they were referring to this game (I couldn't remember that this was called Super Mario Land, instead of World). Regardless, I always remembered this game fondly and still do.
Man, those good 'ol days.
Anyway, why I call this game an oddball is pretty obvious if you've played this and other Mario games before. The design of the game is very different to other Mario games, with weird stuff like UFOs and Easter Island heads.
Even the enemies look very different and have different mechanics. The Koopas in this game have shells that explode after you jump on them, there are weird flies that jump at you and sidestepping UFOs that throw their lid in an arc towards you.
A colour version of the game that was released for the Game Boy Colour that I didn't get to play. I like the palette though!
The reason why this game is sooo weird and different compared to the usual Mario games is because different people developed this game. All the other more "normal" Mario games were developed by Shigeru Miyamoto, who was also the original Mario creator (who seems like a real fun guy from the videos I've watched!). However, this game was developed by the Game Boy creator, Gunpei Yokoi, at the Nintendo CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi's request. I was surprised to learn that Yokoi was actually Miyamoto's mentor! How cool is that!
I read DenOfGeek's review of this game and I think he's quite right in suggesting that Nintendo took a risk with this game, which would also explain why this game is so strange. The Game Boy was still not as popular at the time and with Super Mario World coming out soon just months later, should the Game Boy prove not to be as successful as they hoped, Nintendo could say this game was just a spinoff, or maybe something Mario hallucinated when he was high on mush-shrooms.
Here's the song for today:
When I think of this game this song is the first thing that comes to mind. I still remember it was not too long ago when I discovered the Game Grumps played it that I knew I didn't just dream of this game. I remembered playing it but I didn't see many videos of it on Youtube back then and all the LPers I watched only mentioned Super Mario World, and it looked vastly different to Super Mario Land so I was very confused.
Anyway, about this song; it's so catchy yet relaxing I love it. It kinda matches the pitch of the Overworld theme; which is really good as well and it's a shame it's constantly in the shadow of the Mario Bros. theme. Have a listen:
There's not much to dissect in this song since it's just 8-bit notes with a hi-hat and supporting notes, fitting for the Game Boy and its limitations but the tune itself is what makes it really memorable. It's a cheerful but tranquil theme, unlike the peppy and bubbly Overworld theme. I always thought it matched the level well. This song is first heard in World 2-1, called Muda Kingdom, and it starts with Mario appearing underneath a spaceship (which he supposedly arrived in). It's quite strange that Muda (無駄) in Japanese actually means uselessness, or wastefulness. It just contributes even more to the weirdness of this game.
That funny-looking thing on the right is the UFO enemy that launches his head towards you. I was always scared to approach him especially when I was small since it's insta-death if he touches you.
This is probably my favourite song in the game, and my favourite World, as a result. The enemies are a lot tougher but this song always made it better. It's a somewhat simple song, lasting barely over a minute so it's very memorable. The Game Grumps said that this song really conveys a childlike wonder when playing this game and I think it's quite accurate, represented by the upbeat harmony. The slightly slower pace together with the lower pitch also conveys a sense of slight trepidation, but the ocean waves keep Mario calm and determined to save his princess.
Overall, I'd say this game is indeed very strange, but that doesn't make it bad. I like the different directions they took with this, and I think Yokoi did the best with what he had, and it paid off! This game sold millions of copies, and became one of the Game Boy's must-have titles, along with Tetris. This game definitely hits me in the nostalgia, and even though I didn't manage to finish it (I wasn't as skilled back then) I'll always remember this song.
Here's an excellent acapella version by Smooth Mcgroove, with beatboxing and all:
Thanks for reading!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://tacocat.vornix.blog/2018/07/06/ost-of-the-day-8-super-mario-land-muda-kingdom/
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