Play Maru's Mission Online

Maru's Mission came out for the Game Boy in 1990, published by Jaleco. It was one of those early platformers that tried to do a lot with the system's limited hardware, focusing on action and exploration rather than just running and jumping. You could tell it was aiming for something a bit more ambitious than the average cartridge at the time.

You control Maru, a character who shoots electric sparks to defeat enemies. The main goal is to rescue a kidnapped princess by fighting through side scrolling stages, each with its own set of obstacles and bosses. You explore screen by screen, sometimes backtracking to find hidden items or alternate paths. The pacing is fairly quick, but the difficulty can spike unexpectedly, especially in later levels. It feels responsive and challenging, with just enough variety to keep you pushing forward.