Developer: Treasure Publisher: Nintendo Release: 06/23/03 Genre: Action
It truly is amazing to see just how far Wario has come as a character. Who would have guessed that the supposed one off villain in Super Mario Land 2 would become a star in his own right? What makes the Wario games so good is that they are radically different from their Mario counterparts and the same can be said of Wario World. As his first 3d outing Wario World is an impressive effort full of cool mechanics, incredible level design, and creative boss battles. It is only let down by its short length. But while brief fans of platformers will have the time of their life.
The game begins with Wario enjoying the fruits of his previous labors in his newly built castle. Suddenly an evil gem hidden among his treasures called the Black Jewel awakens and turns all of his gold into monsters and transforms his castle as well. The Black Jewel also kicks Wario out, forcing him on a quest to regain his lost loot.
Wario’s move set from the Gameboy games makes the transition to 3d smoothly. The dash attack returns and is just as effective as ever. This can be turned into the corkscrew conk, a flying attack that hits airborne enemies and covers a longer distance. The ground pound sees very little use but is still present. To aid in his greed Wario can suck in coins and garlic like Kirby. New to his move set are the mad moves. After stunning an enemy Wario can pick them up and execute three attacks: the mega toss, pile driver, and wild swing-ding. All of these are far stronger than normal attacks, hit multiple enemies, and also crucial in solving the game’s simple puzzles.
The goal in every level is to collect a minimum 3-6 red diamonds to unlock the exit to the end level boss. These diamonds are in one of two rooms: short single room puzzles that challenge you to use the game’s mechanics in creative ways or Super Mario Sunshine style secret areas that put your platforming skills to the test. While I’ve made the comparison to Mario Sunshine these are not as cruel in their difficulty. Failure merely brings you back to the start for another try. In addition there are pieces of treasure in each stage. Collecting all eight both expands your health by one heart and also counts toward unlocking extra content. Unlike his prior Gameboy outings coins are only currency for health and continuing. They do not affect the ending; instead the number of Spritelings you save determine the size of your new castle.
Every level in Wario World is massive with secrets around every corner. The sheer variety on display is astounding. Every level has its own enemies and sometimes unique obstacles and puzzles. While this is a 3d platformer it is not quite as open as a Mario game. There Is generally one path with a little freedom to wander around. That being said Treasure has packed interesting scenarios in every stage. The Wonky Circus is one of the most open and one of the most puzzle heavy with its circus theme. The Mirror Mansion challenges you to use mirrors to reveal hidden enemies and for traversal. And no Treasure game is complete without a cool roster of bosses. All of the boss battles are vintage Treasure with their unique mechanics yet they do not go overboard and leave them accessible for players of all skill levels.
Most Mario titles tend to fall on the easy and accessible side. Wario World even in that regard is lacking in difficulty. There are no instant death pits for one. Falling in a hole merely sends you to Unithorns Lair, an underground area where the biggest threat is losing some coins while trying to find the exit. You can increase your maximum health up to twelve hearts but that is complete overkill. Even the default four is more than enough to get through the game with little trouble. If you die you continue exactly where you left off, even during boss battles. The game showers you with coins both to buy cheap healing garlic and continues. Unless you truly suck at video games death is never an issue.
The low challenge highlights Wario World’s only major flaw, its brevity. Technically there are only eight levels, twelve if you count the final boss battle in each world. While each stage is larger than in most similar platformers the lacking difficulty means you will breeze through them. Wario World is full of so much variety with its cool scenarios, creative bonus levels, and inventive boss battles that it is a shame there isn’t more of them. Collecting the eight pieces of hidden treasure in each level unlocks demo versions of WarioWare Inc. minigames. But even back then you were better off just buying the full game. With one or two more worlds this could have been one of the best platformers of the era.
In Closing
Wario World is a solid game only let down by its brevity. The platforming is strong, the production values are high, and the mechanics are fantastic. You will simply wish there were more of it. Buy it cheap to experience Treasure greatness that will leave you wanting more.
