Super Mario Land [Model DMG-MLA]

At Nintendo CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi's request, Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi's Nintendo R&D1 developed a Mario game to sell the new console. It was the first portable version of Mario and the first to be made without Mario creator and Yokoi protégé Shigeru Miyamoto. Accordingly, the development team shrunk Mario gameplay elements for the device and used some elements inconsistently from the series. Super Mario Land was expected to showcase the console until Nintendo of America bundled Tetris with new Game Boys. The game launched alongside the Game Boy first in Japan (April 1989) and later worldwide.

Known export releases:
"Super Mario Land [Model DMG-ML-USA]"
"Super Mario Land [Model DMG-ML-UKV]"
"Super Mario Land [Model DMG-ML-EUR]"
"Super Mario Land [Model DMG-ML-NOE]"
"Super Mario Land [Model DMG-ML-FAH]"
"Super Mario Land [Model DMG-ML-ITA]"
"Super Mario Land [Model DMG-ML-GPS]"
"Super Mario Land [Model DMG-ML-AUS]"
"Super Mario Land [Model DMG-ML-ESP-1]"

The game was lauded by critics, who were satisfied with the franchise's transition to the Game Boy, but noted its short length. The handheld console became an immediate success and Super Mario Land ultimately sold over 18 million copies, more than that of Super Mario Bros. 3. Both contemporaneous and retrospective reviewers particularly praised the game's soundtrack.

Super Mario Land was later rereleased for the Nintendo 3DS via Virtual Console in 2011 again as a launch title, which featured some tweaks to the game's presentation.