Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

Underrated af

A great concept and a decent game, but this one in particular feels largely like an awkward middle point between traditional Mario gameplay and the unique flavor that Wario Land would establish for itself later. In terms of raw level design and platforming it's weaker than Mario Land 2, and while the treasure-hunting elements, enemy-centric gameplay and abundance of clever secrets are present, I don't feel like they're quite strong enough yet to carry the rest of the weight. Still, the fact that this game was even made to begin with makes me happy. Imagine present-day Nintendo making a game that actively encourages you to just be a selfish, greedy bastard. It'd never happen.

found the cartridge at karate class

It certainly had some fun aspects and was good enough to get through, but after 40 levels I was pretty ready for it to end.

not bad but it feels like a step back after Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins [スーパーマリオランド2 6つの金貨]

Happy 30th!