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| Title: |
Wario Land 3 |
| Publisher: |
Nintendo |
| Features: |
Gameboy Color Only |
| Format: |
Platformer / Puzzle |
| Reviewer: |
Ben Kosmina |
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Introduction
The ever evil Wario is back, and he's bigger and better than ever! Wario first appeared in Super Mario Land 2
as the evil anti-Mario who stole his castle and wouldn't let it go without a fight. And he's grown from Gameboy
to other platforms too, with villainous schemes and nasty pranks to play on Mario and all his friends. As in Wario
Land II he's in a story all of his own, but this one's a little different..
Wario was flying in his bi-plane, ready to cause mischief and searching for any treasure to add to his ever growing
collection. In a stroke of bad luck (or poor engine tuning) Wario's engine blew, and he crashed into a forest.
He came upon a cave and inside he found a single music box which he promptly picked up to take. Unfortunately
the box took Wario instead, and now he's trapped in a world not his own. The only way for him to escape is to
restore the power of a mysterious being while grabbing all the treasure he can!
Gameplay
The designers of Wario Land 3 have created the same unique scenario that was in Wario Land II - Wario can't die.
It's simply not possible. However, this doesn't mean he can't be hurt. Throughout the adventure, Wario will
be squashed, squished, electrified, zombified, fried and frozen to name just a few. The fact that Wario can't
die has caused the designers to opt for a unique style of gameplay - rather than being a hop-and-bop style game
such as Donkey Kong Country, you must use your wits to solve fiendish puzzles and navigate through tricky situations.
There are still bosses and enemies, and in the style of the Mario/Wario series, you can still collect coins, but
the goal of Wario Land 3 is not simply a race to the end of the level.
Wario being Wario is only in this for one thing - the money. If there's cash involved, then Wario's there. So,
the objective of each level is to find one of the four keys hidden in the levels, and match them to their corresponding
treasure chests. Easier than it sounds, by the way. Some treasures will power Wario up (such as allowing him
to swim or break blocks more quickly) while others will cause something to happen on the map screen. For example,
find an axe, and it will cut down a tree, allowing you access to more levels. Find the two cogs to activate an
elevator. Some keys or chests will be guarded by bosses, while others may be blocked by a brick that can only
be opened by a wacky golf-style game in which you've got to body slam an enemy into the cup.
Controls
If you've played Wario Land II before you've played Wario Land 3, the first thing you'll notice is that Wario cannot
perform most of his actions. He can't swim. He can only break cracked blocks. He can't ground pound! But you're
wrong - he can do all these things (and more) but he must earn the power up to do so. Ahahaha. It can be tricky
to get the hang of Wario's many actions, so the game kindly has an "Action Help" option in its pause
menu that you can select at any time except when you are fighting a boss. All you have to do is select what you'd
like to learn with the Control Pad, and Wario will demonstrate with the keys highlighting to show you how to do
it.
Apart from the initial setback of having to earn all of Wario's actions (which was probably for the best, as it
causes plenty of fiendish puzzles), Wario's controls are tight, quick and instantly responsive, as they are with
all in-house Nintendo games. Although you might have a bit of trouble getting the hang of the Golf mini-game which
is required to complete some parts of the game, but it's not really difficult to understand. It's a very simplified
version of Mario Golf or any other golf game, in fact.
Graphics
The manual boasts "Since this game is for Game Boy Color only, it looks great!" Yes, it really says
that. Although, in this case it's okay to say something like that as the comment is justified by the fact that
it really does look great. Wario himself is large and lively - and as everyone who plays the game notices, he
wiggles his butt as he climbs up ladders. It's all about the personality, folks. You've either got it or you
don't.
Other characters also look great. They're nice and clear (always a plus in my book) and don't just consist of
different shades of the same colour that some other Gameboy Color games have been doing. Backgrounds are clear
and don't interfere with what's going on, or distract you either. The various level bosses look really good too,
as they are just as detailed as Wario himself and look really good as well as being really difficult to beat!
Sound & Music
I suppose if I had to describe the music in one word it would have to be
cheeky. The music matches the mood of Wario himself, and the pace is good and keeps you moving. I didn't notice
it getting repetitive at any point either. Depending on whether it's day or night, the music will also change
to suit the time period. Go into the woods during the day and the music's quick and cheery - but go in at night
and it's slow and slightly eerie. Oooeoo. Sounds are pretty good considering it's the Gameboy's brilliant 8-bit
sound we've got - owls hoot, ice breaks, Wario slams into walls and scientists throw their strange potions. And
you can hear it all.
Final Comments
Wario has once again proved that bad guys have the most fun. Wario Land 3 takes the standard platform genre that
was created with Super Mario Bros. and turns it into something much more fun and complex. There's an option to
play the game in English OR Japanese! Will these technological wonders never cease? Tides rise and fall with
a day/night system, and even if you do manage to complete all that Wario Land 3 throws at you, then there's the
Time Trial to complete. Top stuff Nintendo - I'll always look forward to Wario and his games - he shakes his butt
up ladders, body slams enemies and can turn into a vampire!! Is there anything he CAN'T do? |
