Review Information
Game Reviewed Yet Another Mario Land, by littlelum
Review Author ByeBye
Created Jan 8 2025, 1:27 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview
Yet Another Mario Land is a short and sweet homebrew Mario game that runs on the original Game Boy hardware. While it’s simple and relatively brief, it’s incredibly impressive to see this kind of game running on vintage hardware. The game delivers solid controls, fun level design, and even custom music for each stage — plus, there’s a bit of a divisive ending that’ll leave you scratching your head. It's a bit of a technical showcase that can show how viable homebrew games can be.
 
Pros + The ending
+ A sweet technical showcase! It's awesome to see a game like this running on original Game Boy hardware.
+ The controls are surprisingly tight — Mario moves well, and his moveset feels just right, like using crouch to dodge firebars.
+ The power-up system is a treat. The transition to Big Mario looks smooth and faithful.
+ Levels are short, sweet, and fun, with a gradual increase in challenge. They’re well-designed, and the pacing is spot-on.
+ Each level has custom music, and it’s clear the creator had a blast making it.
+ Great attention to detail in the background and little graphics touches.
+ It makes excellent use of Mario Land 2 graphics, which adds some nostalgia to the mix.
+ The levels feel varied—each one is distinct thanks to unique layouts, graphics, and music.
 
Cons - The ending
- Walking speed can feel a little stiff at times, especially compared to other Mario games.
- It’s on the shorter side, with only four levels.
- Bricks don’t break even when you’re Big Mario, which feels a makes me sad :(
- The attack on the lead synth in level two kind of ruins the melody of the song.
- The mix of black-and-white and color graphics is a little odd, though not a dealbreaker.
 
Impressions
Gameplay
7 / 10
The gameplay is solid, offering fun platforming action with just the right level of challenge. The controls are great for the most part — Mario moves smoothly, and it feels like he has all the right moves, like crouching to avoid firebars. The levels are designed well, and each one offers something a little different. The game’s short, but that works in its favor — it’s a quick, fun experience. That said, the walking speed feels a little stiff at times, which can throw off the flow of movement.
 
Graphics
7 / 10
The game does a great job with the graphics, especially considering it's running on the original Game Boy. The Mario Land 2 style graphics look sharp, and the attention to detail in backgrounds and little touches really shines. The mix of black-and-white and colour graphics is a bit odd, though — it feels like the game can’t decide if it’s going for a GB or GBC aesthetic. Still, the overall aesthetic is charming, and the graphics work well with the small screen of the Game Boy.
 
Sound
8 / 10
The custom music for each level is a nice touch, and you can tell a lot of effort went into it. The tunes are catchy, though there’s one issue with the melody in level two — the lead synth has such a long attack time that it feels like it’s being drowned out by the rest of the song. It’s a bit jarring, but it doesn’t ruin the experience. Overall, the soundtrack and sound design fits the vibe of the game and feels well-placed and put together, even if the odd mix in level two strikes me as a bit off.
 
Final Words
7 / 10
Yet Another Mario Land is a fantastic little homebrew game that packs a lot of charm and technical achievement into a short but sweet package. It’s got fun level design, solid controls, and a nostalgic feel thanks to its Mario Land 2 inspired graphics. While the game’s short, it’s definitely worth checking out for any fan of Mario or homebrew games in general. And that ending? Well, it’s worth checking this out for that bit alone. If you’ve got an emulator handy, give this one a shot — you won’t regret it (as long as you complete it)!

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