“Super Mario Multiverse” – Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GB) by the Thunder Mage

Super Mario Land 2 – In Haiku

When I first opened

Super Mario Land 2

I was blown away.

Game Boy was aging.

Its monochrome green and black

Screamed low quality.

This game, however

Defied all expectations.

A treat for the eyes.

Bold and beautiful.

Gorgeous sprites, an open world.

Handheld nirvana.

12 years old, speechless.

Fire flower burned and scorched.

Rabbit ears fluttered.

Back then, amazing.

A triumphant achievement.

Game Boy for the win.

Fast forward, I’ve aged.

40 years old, dad gamer.

Tired hands and eyes.

Mario Land 2

Played with modern thumbs and thoughts

Now seems quaint, not great.

Rabbit ear flutter

Essentially easy mode.

Breaks the game and fun.

Incredibly easy.

Goes past breezy to boring.

90 minutes, done.

Half hearted bosses.

Insulting and simplistic.

Grandma can beat it.

Yet, somehow It works

Regardless of its failures.

Big, bold, dumb, and fun.

My mind rewinds time.

Minute hand spins past the hour.

Back to yesteryear.

Where all that mattered

Was one more level to clear.

Hand held adventure.

It’s not perfection.

But don’t tell 12 year old me.

Would fall on deaf ears.

Writer, gamer, and beer geek, The Thunder Mage conjures words from the ether for a number of sites and publications. He currently serves as Lead Blogger and Music Writer for https://www.theaustinot.com (Austin culture) and has written for Texas Highways magazine, the Entertainment Weekly blogging community, and various film review sites. When he’s not mixing literary alchemy, he enjoys chasing his three-year-old around and advocating for video game accessibility on Twitter to the git gud sect.

Wahoo! You are a Super Reader! But the adventure doesn’t stop here… There’s more of this project in another castle! This article is just one level in an entire Super Mario Multiverse, a galactic collaboration between writers around the world sharing a bit of our hearts and memories about our favorite Mario games. Visit the Center of the Multiverse to see more: