[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sml2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[AddedAlliterativeAppeal Temper tantrum tyrant]] [[{{Tagline}} seizes Mario Land!]]]]
->''"Obey Wario! '''Destroy''' Mario!"''
-->-- '''Wario''', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZm5cXRShO4 USA Commercial]]

The sequel to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'', this game is the FirstAppearance of TheRival, VideoGame/{{Wario}}, and one of the few times Wario is an outright BigBad instead of just being extremely greedy. It was originally released in the last quarter of 1992, and is the seventh entry in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series. The plot is that Wario took over Mario's castle and land while Mario was rescuing Daisy in the first game. Mario needs to find the eponymous six golden coins to get into the castle and stop Wario. Interestingly, one of the golden coins has been entrusted to Tatanga, the perpetrator of Daisy's kidnapping.

Whereas ''Super Mario Land'' was essentially a handheld version of the original 1985 ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', the sequel took most of its cues from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' instead, including a nonlinear world map and a new, gravity-defying power-up (Carrot) that serves as the game's signature power-up (thus following up the Raccoon Leaf and Cape from previous games). This game swapped the small sprites of the previous game, and had much more detailed graphics (although still smaller than UsefulNotes/{{NES}} sprites due to the UsefulNotes/GameBoy's smaller resolution).

Wario himself proved so popular that the ''Super Mario Land'' series was repurposed into the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series. The first game, ''VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3'', would retain the ''Super Mario Land'' name, but the sequels dropped it. Wario also went on to appear in a wide array of ''Mario'' spinoffs ever since, even gaining a partner in the form of the memetic Waluigi. ''Super Mario Land 2'' would also be the last original [=2D=] ''Mario'' game for 14 years (with ''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe'' and the ''Super Mario Advance'' series of remakes being released in the meantime). The [=2D=] line would eventually be revived with ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1'' on the DS.
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!!Provides examples of:
* HundredPercentCompletion: The game has 32 levels, but since there's no save option after defeating the FinalBoss or seeing the credits, the game's completion count in the file can only clock at 31 at most.
* AllThereInTheManual: As usual for the era, most of the plot about Wario stealing Mario's Castle and why you need the Golden Coins is explained in the manual. The game itself provides zero context as to what's going on and immediately plops you in front of the first level. Additionally, the Japanese character guide, ''Perfect Edition of the Great Mario Character Encyclopedia'' establishes that Tatanga became a henchman of Wario to get revenge on Mario for stopping him in the previous game.
* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: While Mario was rescuing Daisy in the previous game, Wario has taken over Mario's castle.
* AmphibianAssault: There's an enemy called Bopping Toady, which appears in the Tree Zone. It jumps after Mario and attacks with its tongue.
* AntAssault: The Antotto is a big ant enemy that can be found in Tree Zone as well as Macro Zone. The former world only has standard specimens, but the latter features variants with unique characteristics.
* ArtEvolution: ''Super Mario Land'', being one of six launch titles for the Game Boy, had incredibly small and simplistic sprites reminiscent of the [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 first]] [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels two]] ''Mario'' games. Thanks to graphical advancements since then, however, ''Six Golden Coins'' uses much larger sprites and a more detailed art direction reminiscent of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''.
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Averted; even though Mario never had any trouble breathing in space before or since (excluding ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario''), he dons a spacesuit, complete with fishbowl helmet, in Space Zone.
* BeeAfraid: The game has the normal-sized Bibi and the bigger Buuichi (both exclusive to [[TreeTrunkTour Tree Zone]]), giant bees that attack with their stingers. Bibi fly around and chase Mario down, while the Buuichi stay in one place and attempt to crush Mario when he approaches it from below. There are also the stronger, skull-headed Skeleton Bees found later in the level.
* BigBad: The debut of the heroic red plumber's EvilCounterpart, Wario.
* BigBoosHaunt: Pumpkin Zone, which applies the concept of the Ghost House setting (first seen in ''Super Mario World'') and extends it to a full world. The Zone has its share of undead creepers as well, many of them with what appeared to be knives still stuck in their heads. The levels take part in different parts of the large haunted mansion, and is guarded by a WickedWitch who guards one of the golden coins.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The game has an ant species known as Antotto. These are large-sized ants that can be found in Tree Zone and Macro Zone; those of the former simply walk around, but in the latter world special variants can be found: Some have spikes on their bodies, some dig with shovels to throw dirt balls at Mario, and some shoot pellets with a cannon in their heads. A successor species called Ant Trooper appears later in ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker2''.
* BigFancyCastle: Mario's mission is taking back his stolen castle from Wario and restoring it back to normal.
* BonesDoNotBelongThere: One of the enemies in the game is [[BeeAfraid Skeleton Bees]], who are [[RevivingEnemy self-reviving]] skeletal versions of bees.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Nearly all the residents of Mario Land have been turned against you by Wario.
* BranchAndBottleneckPlotStructure: After completing the initial stage, you're free to tackle the game's six worlds in any order you want. You'll have to complete all of them to access the final area of the game, Wario's Castle.
* BreakoutCharacter: Wario turned out to be so popular that he received not [[VideoGame/WarioLand one]], but [[VideoGame/WarioWare two game series]]. He has also starred in some [[VideoGame/WarioWorld other]] [[VideoGame/WarioMasterOfDisguise games]].
* BuiltWithLego: The final level of the Mario Zone is built out of Nintendo's long-forgotten [[FollowTheLeader knockoff brand]] of Franchise/{{LEGO}} bricks, called [[http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/N%26B_Block N&B blocks,]] from back when the Big N was a toy company. The mark "N&B" appears on one of the blocks.[[invoked]]
* {{Cap}}: You can have up to 999 coins and 99 lives- the most expensive of the slot machine minigames costs the full cap of coins.
* {{Checkpoint}}: In most levels, there's a bell that has to be rung for its midway checkpoint (which is not to be confused with the bell at the end that triggers a bonus game if rung).
* CheckpointStarvation: The levels for the most part have checkpoints (bells in this game). However, in Wario's Castle, not only is the level longer than any other with a 3-part boss battle against Wario at the end, but there is no checkpoint at all! There's also Space Zone 2, which is one straight UnexpectedGenreChange.
* ContinuingIsPainful: If he has any in his possession when he loses his last life, Mario loses all six Golden Coins and has to get them back by defeating the bosses again. The levels you have previously cleared remain open, though, so you can just go straight to the boss stage if you've previously beaten it.
* ContrastingSequelSetting: Sarasaland, with its real world-inspired kingdoms, was already an unusual setting for a ''Mario'' game, but this game's setting contrasts ''that'' by taking place in Mario's own kingdom [[OddballInTheSeries that's never been mentioned before or since]], filled with strange levels such as a giant statue of himself and a SpaceZone.
* CraniumRide: Since Heavy Zed is just a big, harmless owl, this is the only way Mario can interact with him, as he isn't an enemy.
* DeathCourse: The castle Wario has taken over has become this. It is packed full of {{booby trap}}s, [[PlatformHell precision-required jumps]] and EverythingTryingToKillYou.
* DeathThrows: The way the bosses die in this game is... somewhat comedic and exaggerated to say the least, with them falling off the screen upside down with their eyes wide open.
* DemotedToDragon: Tatanga returns from the first game, only to show up as the boss of the Space Zone.
* DrillMole: An enemy appears with this exact name. As might be expected, it's got a drill for a nose.
* DownTheDrain: Mario is too tiny to enter the house in MacroZone through the front door, so he travels up the plumbing to emerge out of the kitchen sink.
* EarWings: The Carrot, although they're more for slowing your descent instead of flying. They ''can'' send you impressive distances if you quickly tap the button repeatedly rather than holding it to hover, though.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** Wario's design is somewhat more grotesque and deranged than in later games, and is depicted here as being about three times Mario's size. Additionally, his small form looks more goblin-like than in subsequent appearances.
** This game is one of the few where Wario is a straight-up villain rather than an AntiHero or TheRival, the only other instances being ''VideoGame/MarioAndWario'', ''VideoGame/WariosWoods'', Mario's storyline in ''[[VideoGame/DrMario Dr. Mario 64]]'', and ''VideoGame/WarioWare Gold''. The former two games are also the only ones, aside from ''Mario Land 2'', to feature Wario's hypnotic powers, which he uses to control his minions. It's also implied that he's a SorcerousOverlord of sorts whose very presence curses the land, FisherKing-style, an aspect of his character that was completely dropped from later games.
** This is the only game where Wario is depicted using a Fire Flower, like Mario. Later games either gave him a [[HatOfPower hat that spits fire]][[note]]a seadragon for just fire or a traditional dragon for fire and flight[[/note]] or [[IncendiaryExponent set his whole body on fire]].
** This game introduced the SpaceZone setting into the ''Mario'' series. But unlike in future games with levels of this type (such as ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld''), here Mario has to use a space suit, though ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' would later have him requiring the use of a literal FishbowlHelmet to survive in space.
** The game depicts Mario as living in his own ''castle'' with a ''surrounding land'', something that has never been shown again. Whenever a residence of his appears in later games, it's shown to just be an ordinary-looking house, sometimes shared with Luigi. Though of course, Luigi would famously acquire [[VideoGame/LuigisMansion a mansion later on]].
* EasierThanEasy: While already not an extremely challenging game overall, pressing Select on the file screen will activate an "Easy Mode" signified by Mario shrinking to his smaller form, which removes several enemies and environmental hazards, presumably to make the game more accessible to young players.
* EasterEgg:
** Kazumi Totaka composed the soundtrack, so naturally his trademark tune plays somewhere. In this game, on the GameOver screen, after three minutes, his song will start to play.
** If you look at the level layout of the first level in Space Zone, you can see a bunch of stars spelling out the word "HAPPY!".
* EternalEngine: Mario Zone, which takes place entirely within an enormous clockwork statue of Mario himself. Various moving mechanical parts like pulleys and cogwheels can be seen and used to get around.
* EventFlag: For every boss defeated, a WhiteFlag flies over their Zone in the [[HubLevel overworld]]. As there's no menu telling the player how many Golden Coins remain, it's a nice way to [[AntiFrustrationFeatures avoid backtracking to Zones]] already completed by mistake.
* EvilCounterpart: Wario, to the extent [[spoiler:of having every form Mario has]].
* {{Expy}}: The Unibōs, who look exactly like [[Franchise/{{Kirby}} Gordos]].
* FlashOfPain: All bosses flash momentarily when hit by Mario. Since the game uses monochromatic sprites (it was originally released on the UsefulNotes/GameBoy), the bosses' sprites (which use shades of white, black and gray) flash into the shades' respective opposites, with white going to black and vice versa while gray swings between those two other colors.
* FloatingInABubble: Mario can do this in the level with the Hippo statues that takes him to Space Zone. Although it's not strictly necessary to beat the level, it ''is'' useful for practicing the next level's jump physics, and getting plenty of coins and power-ups.
* GameMod: While the original game never received a [[UpdatedRerelease DX version]] for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, one fan put together an excellent [[https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3784/ ROM hack]] that fully colorizes the game and adds in Luigi as a playable character (with his own unique jump physics).
* GhostLegLottery: One of two bonus games is an Amidakuji where you pick one of four fuses to trigger, and a spark will run down the wires and reach an item. Complicating the setup are two rats who land on and chew two horizontal lines, causing the spark to skip that line.
* GoombaStomp: It's a ''Mario'' game, what do you expect? Just don't try it on the ghost Goombas in Pumpkin Zone, because like Boos and unlike regular Goombas they avert this trope.
* GreenHillZone: The game only has the very first level (which doubles as a OneTimeDungeon as it cannot be replayed) and some grassland levels found in the mainland area of the map that are outside the themed Zones. These levels are ideal to practice with the Carrot powerup (and the first level is indeed tailored for it).
* GuideDangIt: Those notorious Wario heads during the final level take two hits each to kill. However, you can kill them in one hit with a spin jump, but you have to learn that trick on your own.
* GreenEyedMonster: The whole reason why Wario took over Mario's castle is because he was envious of Mario.
* GroundPound: Wario attacks Mario in the second phase of the FinalBoss battle by attempting to pound at him while hovering airborne with the Carrot powerup.
* HarmlessEnemy: A first for the series. There are enemies in the levels like Bee Fly that run at the sight of Mario, or the gnome-like Collectors who try to steal [=1-UPs=] away without trying to do damage upon contact.
* HeartsAreHealth: One thing it has in common with its predecessor. In other ''Mario'' games, 1-Up Mushrooms are green as opposed to red, which of course doesn't work on a colorless system like the original Game Boy. So, extra lives are now hearts.
* {{Hitodama}}: The Fireball Boys are based on these. They appear in the [[{{Wutai}} second Pumpkin Zone level]].
* HornetHole: One level in Tree Zone takes place inside a beehive, complete with bees that pop out of honeycombs in the walls and fly after you to attack.
* HubLevel: Uniquely among the 2D games in the ''Mario'' franchise, the overworld map acts as a hub connecting the main Zones from the center (as each Zone already has its own map). This map also has a few levels on its own (though some require completing a Zone's level via a secret exit to access it), and it's also there where the final level (Wario's Castle, only available once all main bosses are defeated) awaits.
* HypnoticHead: The commercial for the release of the game (as quoted at the top) has Wario featured in this fashion, convincing the viewer to join him against Mario.
* ImmediateSequel: The game takes right after ''Super Mario Land'', with Mario discovering Wario has taken over his Castle upon arriving home.
* IconicSequelCharacter: Wario made his debut in the ''Mario'' franchise as the FinalBoss of this game, and then managed to supplant Mario's role as a protagonist in ''VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3'', turning it into the start of the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series. He later gained a second sub-series (''VideoGame/WarioWare''), and became a regular character in ''Mario'' spinoffs.
* InconvenientlyPlacedConveyorBelt: The third stage of Mario Zone has conveyor belts in narrow passageways. Mario has to duck while being transported to avoid touching the ceiling's spikes.
* InvincibleMinorMinion: Space Zone has invincible stars (not stars that turn you invincible, stars that are invincible and will kill you). Like Jelectros, they only appear in one stage, a frustrating auto-scroll. Unlike Jelectros, some can move. There are also [[Franchise/{{Kirby}} Gordos]], but they only shake a little when Mario comes near them and are not hostile.
* KaizoTrap: There's one such case with the boss of the Turtle Zone, Pako the octopus. Throughout the battle, he spawns Pokos, {{Invincible Minor Minion}}s that can easily get in the way. When Pako is defeated, the Pokos don't despawn, and since Mario is locked in place during the cutscene of getting the Turtle Zone coin, it's possible to die after beating the boss if he gets hit while small.
* JourneyToTheSky: To reach Space Zone, Mario has to reach the top of a tall plateau in the overworld map and enter a level where he uses a hovering Hippo bubble to travel across it (and gather coins in the process) until he reaches the upper exit; this is the only way for Mario to ascend higher and reach outer space, because getting to the lower exit will kick Mario back to the overworld (close to Macro Zone). This procedure has to be repeated whenever he wants to return there.
* {{Karakasa}}: Karakasa appear in the second level of the Pumpkin Zone. They launch up into the air, then float themselves back down to the ground.
* LawOfOneHundred: This is the only 2D ''Super Mario'' game alongside ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' to show a notable aversion of this trope. Coins don't give Mario lives directly. They have to be invested in a minigame to earn lives there: unlike in ''[=SMB2=]'', the minigame in question has to be accessed from the overworld, instead of coming right after the completion of a level. To make up for this, another mechanic -- detailing how many enemies you've defeated in your current playthrough -- awards you an invincibility star for every one hundred, before resetting to zero.
* LevelInTheClouds: The final level of Tree Zone, as it takes place at the very top of the large tree and thus plays as a sky level. The hidden bonus level in Macro Zone is sky-themed as well, as Mario navigates onto floating solid blocks.
* TheLostWoods: Tree Zone, which takes place in and around an enormous tree populated by assorted BigCreepyCrawlies.
* MacGuffin: The six golden coins. The boss of each Zone has one, and gathering them all together is needed to open the front door to Wario Castle and thus access the final level.
* MacroZone:
** Macro Zone is the TropeNamer. The world map shows Mario entering the Macro Zone through a cave system that shrinks him on the way towards the house.
** Other worlds mix it with other settings. One world is a gigantic tree, the [[TreeTrunkTour Tree Zone]], in which Mario must battle oversized insects; another world, known as the [[EternalEngine Mario Zone]], is a mechanical statue of Mario inhabited by larger-than-life toys and moving parts.
* MarathonLevel:
** Space Zone has longer stages than the other zones, to compensate for the fact that it only has two of them.
** The castle is the longest level in the game, which is emphasized by the fact that it [[CheckpointStarvation doesn't even have any checkpoints]].
* MinskyPickup: The athletic theme uses this for the first six notes.
* MinusWorld: If you pause and leave a level while going down in a Warp Pipe, entering a level will make Mario continue moving down - and subsequently, straight through the floor into an area full of glitchy tiles. Some of the tiles aren't solid, some act like floors, some damage or kill Mario, and some take you directly to the game's credits, allowing you to finish the game far faster than if you played the intended way.
* MirrorBoss: Wario turns all of the game's power-ups against you, namely the Mushroom, Carrot and Fire Flower.
* MusicalNod:
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWM5UofWfXE "haunted house" music]] heard here is based on the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGLKHDZLe9k "coin room" music]] heard in ''Super Mario Land''.
** The "Treetop" theme features part of the World 3 map theme from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3''.
* NamedworldAndNamedland: Mario ''Land'', a small island that served as Mario's private property until Wario took over.
* NonPlayerCharacter: Not all the residents of Mario Land are BrainwashedAndCrazy. Some like the Heavy Zed owls in Tree Zone, and the huge hippo before Space Zone, help the plumber reach the level goal quicker.
* NintendoHard: The final level is extremely difficult compared to the rest of the game, as it has no checkpoints and constant screen crunch.
* OrcusOnHisThrone: Wario, until you confront him in the castle's throne room, does nothing except survey his ill-gotten gains.
* OddballInTheSeries: While not quite as outlandish as the previous game, the dev team (led by Hiroji Kiyotake) made a deliberate decision to do away with conventional ideas featured in the ''Mario'' series so that their game could stand on its own legs. This can already be seen with the game's plot, which features Mario fighting to retake something that belongs to him rather than to save someone else. Mario also has his own castle and land, neither of which appear or are mentioned again in any other game[[note]]unless one counts ''VideoGame/MarioParty2''[[/note]], as later games depict Mario living in a modest house. Also the sound effects, which in an earlier build, were the same as those featured in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', but were changed mid-development to new sounds so as not to give players the impression that they were playing the "downgraded" version of a "real" ''Mario'' game. The ''Mario'' games in general also have a lot of recurring enemies and world types. Both this game and the first ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'', meanwhile, feature an abundance of unique enemies and environments that are rarely, if ever, seen again.
* OneTimeDungeon: The boss stages cannot be replayed after being completed, unless you get a GameOver and have to recollect the golden coins. The tutorial level, meanwhile, cannot be played again at all after being completed.
* OpeningTheSandbox: After the tutorial level is finished, the six zones do not have to be done in any specific order, and there is no requirement to do all of the zone's levels at once, so players can complete a couple levels in one zone and decide to do another, for example.
* PowerUpLetDown: The Mushroom, while helpful in general, will downgrade Mario from his Fire or Bunny forms back to his Super form if he collects it. This makes it more disappointing to see if you happen to get a Mushroom from a mini-game.
* PalmtreePanic: The hidden bonus level in the Turtle Zone takes place in a coastal area outside the cavernous space of Turtle Zone itself.
* PlotCoupon: The titular six golden coins. They're necessary to open the gate that leads to the castle, and have been entrusted to bosses (one of which is Tatanga, the villain of the first game).
* OurMonstersAreWeird: Mōgyo. These cow-fish hybrid enemies are found in Tree Zone Area 2. Its so out-of-place together with the weird jelly-like sap everywhere, you'd think they were belonging inside the whale in Turtle Zone.
* {{Railroading}}: Averted. Once you complete the tutorial level, you can complete each world in any order you want. The only catch is that you need to beat all six to enter the final level.
* RecurringRiff: The "Athletic" theme has its tune remixed and played in many other levels, even in the file select and game over screens.
* RibcageStomach: The whale in Turtle Zone. If you discount the fact that until you reach the boss, the entire stage with hazardous sharp teeth, was [[{{Kaiju}} merely set in the leviathan's ''mouth''.]]
* SecretLevel: All worlds except Mario Zone have at least one bonus level, though finding the alternate exit that leads to it is not always straightforward. Oddly, the exception to this is the mechanical Mario-themed stage. However, Pumpkin Zone makes up for it by having two.
* SequentialBoss: Wario has three phases: [[spoiler:Super, Bunny, and Fiery]].
* ShipLevel: The second part of the Turtle Zone takes place in a sunken submarine.
* ShockwaveStomp: By far, Wario's most ''annoying'' attack is this. He does it very often, stun-locking you, leaving you unable to avoid his follow-up attacks. Being in midair when he hits the ground will ''not'' protect you, unlike in other Mario games with enemies who use a similar attack.
* ShoeSlap: After Wario is beaten, he tosses his shoe at Mario before fleeing.
* ShoutOut:
** The J-Sons ("masked ghouls" in Magazine/NintendoPower) in Pumpkin Zone (which can be {{Goomba Stomp}}ed) walk around wearing [[Franchise/FridayThe13th hockey masks]] that have knives stuck in the foreheads.
** The broom enemies are named Rerere, after [[Manga/TensaiBakabon Rerere no Ojisan]], a sweeper never without his broom.
** The bosses of [[ToyTime Mario Zone]] are Literature/{{The Three Little Pig|s}}heads, who emerge from houses made of straw, sticks, and bricks.
* SinisterSilhouettes: When Mario is standing outside the castle, Wario is shown running around as a silhouette.
* SinisterSwine: The Three Little Pigheads serve as the bosses of Mario Zone. They emerge from their houses made of straw, sticks, and bricks, and attempt to attack Mario with CollisionDamage.
* SlidingScaleOfLinearityVsOpenness: You can choose whatever order you want to collect the titular six golden coins in. Once you complete a level, you can backtrack, so leaving an area to collect some [=1-UPs=] from past levels where they're plentiful is an option.
* SmurfettePrinciple: The witch in Pumpkin Zone is the only female character in the game.
* SnotBubble: A friendly Hippo helps Mario reach Space Zone via his bubbles, and it can [[EasyLevelTrick bypass the stage]]. Though caution is required, as if the plumber touches ''anything'', it will pop.
* SpaceIsAnOcean: Space Zone functions like this in the second level (as Mario moves as if he was swimming underwater), but not the first.
* SpaceZone: The TropeNamer, which takes place on the Moon and a nearby star. The gravity is reduced in its levels, allowing Mario to navigate through them in a new way. The boss is Tatanga, who was the original FinalBoss of the previous game.
* SpikesOfDoom: Spikes appear prominently in levels of Mario Zone and some ceilings in the final level. Depending on the case, Mario can rely on either defeating a Bear and maneuvering its circus ball, using a cog on rails, or ducking while standing on a conveyor belt to cross the spiky floors or ceilings.
* SpinOff: The ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series. Just like how this game is often considered one of the best for the original Game Boy, the ''Wario Land'' series would go on to produce games that many consider some of the best for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor.
* StockMoneyBag: Some levels feature money bags marked with letter "M", standing for Money. They are worth fifty coins.
* StormingTheCastle: The final level is the castle, which Mario must take back.
* SuperNotDrowningSkills: This game's [[AllThereInTheManual manual]] actually justifies it by saying that when Mario goes into the water he becomes Aqua Mario.
* SwallowedWhole: In order to access the undersea Turtle Zone, Mario gets gulped down by the giant turtle on the world map. Which may, [[DependingOnTheArtist or may not]], be alive.[[note]]The Japanese manual depicts it as a huge grey Koopa Troopa, the American art as a stone sculpture[[/note]]
* ThemeAndVariationsSoundtrack: The game takes cues from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' and remixes the overworld theme to create the underwater, underground and ghost house themes. A small part of this theme is also used for the GameOver music.
* ThemeParks: What Mario Land is supposed to be, until Wario turned it into an AmusementParkOfDoom.
* ThreateningShark: They appear in Turtle Zone, and Mario can't defeat them without a Star or a Koopa Shell.
* ToyTime: Although it takes place in a giant Mario robot, the Mario Zone has its insides consist of giant toy blocks and simple toys serve as background obstacles.
* TreeTrunkTour: One of the levels of Tree Zone takes place inside an enormous tree. The other levels are set in the top or bottom areas of it.
* UnderTheSea: Turtle Zone, an underwater land which is reached by being eaten by an enormous sea turtle.
* UnendingEndCard: The game's credits end with the words "Mario Land 2 Nintendo" and a flag at the top of Mario's castle saying "The End" shown, alongside a shot of Fire Mario walking forward and Wario giving the player a thumbs up, all while the credts theme plays (it loops instead of ending). Nothing else can be done by this point except turning the game off.
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The game has Wario's Castle, tantalizingly located at the center of Mario Land, and only accessible after Mario gathers the eponymous 6 Golden Coins that open the castle's entrance gate.
* VideoGameFlight: By [[EarWings flapping his ears]], Bunny Mario can fly.
* VillainousBreakdown: When you finally defeat Wario [[spoiler:he shrinks down, crying his eyes out, and throws his shoe at you before running away. Resembling a spoiled brat, more than an evil king.]]
* WarmUpBoss: The Big Bird boss of the Tree Zone. He has a very simple pattern and can easily be defeated.
* WorldHealingWave: After Wario is kicked out, the once ominous castle is restored to its former glory.
* WickedWitch: The Witch boss of Pumpkin Zone. She guards the Golden Coin of this Zone, and challenges Mario in a room full of cauldrons.
* WombLevel: The final level of Turtle Zone has you trawl inside a giant sleeping sperm whale. The area contains a few hazards unique to the setting, such as sharp teeth that can damage you if you jump into them from below or above.
* {{Wutai}}: Part of the Pumpkin Zone is based upon a traditional Japanese house, and {{youkai}} feature as enemies in several spots.
* {{Youkai}}: Most of the enemies in Pumpkin Zone's second level are based on these. Bero is based on chochin-obake, Karakara is based on the Kara-kasa, Fireball Boys are based on {{Hitodama}}, and Kyororo is based on the hitosume-kozo or the "One-eyed boy".
* YourSizeMayVary: The Hippo that helps you to Space Zone is shown as ''gigantic'' on the manuals and overworld, but appears only marginally bigger than Mario when you enter his stage.
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