The game saves the player's progress after beating a stage, being the first Mario game released on a portable system to have a save feature. In addition, there is also a bell high above the door which, if touched, activates a mini-game where the player can try to get either a power-up or 1-ups. At the end of a level, there is a door that must be touched to clear a level. 3 and Super Mario World: there is an overworld map, the player is no longer restricted to moving only right in a stage, many stages contain higher and lower areas instead of entire stages all at a single level, and any stage (except for the introductory stage and "boss" levels) can be replayed multiple times. While its predecessor was similar to the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Land 2 has more in common with Super Mario Bros. While Mario is invincible, the 5th and each subsequent enemy he defeats will provide one extra life. The star can also be found in other places in the game. After killing 100 enemies, a star drifts down to provide a short period of invincibility when touched. To gain lives, instead, the player must find hearts like they did in the previous Game Boy entry.
Unlike in previous Mario games, coins are not accumulated to automatically grant extra lives instead, they are used to play games in a special area that awards lives and other power-ups. Other established mechanics include Warp Pipes which allow the player to enter hidden areas or find shortcuts, coins, and ? blocks which hide coins and items. Enemies can usually be defeated by jumping on their head, but also may need to be defeated by different means, such as by use of fireballs. The game retains several enemies from the Mario series, such as the Goomba and the Koopa Troopa, and also introduces several new enemies. The objective of Super Mario Land 2 is to reach the end of each level, defeating or avoiding enemies while doing so. Super Mario Land 2 was re-released in 2011 as a downloadable title for the Nintendo 3DS.
Super Mario Land 2 marks the debut appearance of Wario, who would become a prominent character in the Super Mario series as the antihero of several games, the first being this game's sequel Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. Reviewers emphasized that the game surpassed its predecessor in all aspects. Super Mario Land 2 received critical acclaim upon release and sold over 10 million copies, becoming one of the most successful and highest-rated titles on the Game Boy. The gameplay builds and expands on that of its precursor with innovations carried over from Super Mario World. In Super Mario Land 2, the player assumes the role of the protagonist Mario, whose main objective is to reclaim his personal island, Mario Land, from the clutches of his greedy rival Wario. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is a 1992 platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy.