Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Released: 01/14/88 Genre: Action
Captain N might have been a cheesy cartoon and not very good (I still love it) but it did show cool a crossover between video game characters could be. While Capcom and Nintendo would eventually get there Konami beat them to the punch with their own crossover. I have to admit Konami were not the first on my list for such a title but hey, I’ll take what I can get. On its face Wai Wai World should be the ultimate platformer marrying Konami IP with their gameplay expertise. It is not everything I was hoping for but is still a pretty good title overall.
Wai Wai World takes place in the fictional Konami World where all their intellectual properties exist. Konami World is under attack by aliens and they capture the heroes of various Konami games. Dr. Cinnamon (of Twinbee fame) creates Konami Lady to assists Konami Man in saving the heroes and repelling the alien invasion.
The roster of playable characters is an all-star list of Konami’s best IP at the time with a few unexpected surprises. Konami Man made cameo appearances in their titles throughout the 80s and this is his first playable role with Konami Lady as his female counterpart. Simon Belmont is prominent alongside Goemon and oddly enough Mikey from the Goonies. Most players will not recognize Fuma from Getsu Fuma Den as that title never left Japan. Gradius has representation on two fronts. A Moai head is one of the last heroes you will recruit and the game’s final level features an extended shooter sequence. Konami had the King Kong license in Japan and so Universal’s ape is also playable. Alongside the Vic Viper the Twinbee ship is also playable in the finale. The only major characters missing are Bill and Lance but don’t worry, they show up in the sequel.
Once a hero is rescued you can switch characters like TMNT NES. Everyone has an individual life bar, weapons, and strengths and weaknesses. Simon has the longest reach and can deal heavy damage with the cross. King Kong is physically the strongest, jumps the highest, and can break blocks with his rocks. Mikey is the most underutilized as his only specialty is that he is short. Both Konami characters can eventually fly once you find the mantle which opens the game tremendously. Fuma and Moai are the final recruits so they do not get a lot of play time as their specialties are covered by other characters. Once you assemble the full crew you can head to the game’s final level but there are many optional items to go back and find such as character specific secondary weapons and stat boosters.
Despite the apparent freedom you have Wai Wai World is actually quite linear. There is a very clear order to play through the game that comes down to particular character abilities. Konami Man/Girl are limited in their powers and so certain areas are impossible to access or progress. For example the tentacle monsters in the Pirate Ship require ranged attacks to destroy while the walls in hell are too high for them to access. Because you can’t rescue Mikey from that area you can’t save King Kong in NYC who can clear those walls. As you can see the design decisions cascade and railroad you in to a certain path. I wish the game were clear from the start as many will wander aimlessly only to have to leave certain levels. The lack of total freedom does not hurt the game however.
The fan service is largely what drives Wai Wai World. The game makes excellent use of its various IP and recreates each world perfectly. Seeing the halls of Castle Dracula in a new style is cool and it even squeezes in a Dracula encounter. Players may not be familiar with the ship from the Goonies as that game saw limited Western release but will recognize the enemies. The other worlds are new to most gamers and are equally as cool and may even inspire some to track down those games. For years you have heard of the Moai statues on Eastern Island and now you get to explore it. New York may be typical but the trip in to Hell makes up for it. Konami did not slouch on the shooter finale either. It won’t challenge vets of Gradius and Twinbee but makes for a nice Easter egg nonetheless.
The controls are not as tight as one would expect from a Konami title. Movement can be a little stiff and characters are slow to react. My biggest gripe is the setup of the controls. You press Up + A to switch which is dumb; the select button could easily have taken its place. To toggle special weapons on and off you press Down + A which is equally as silly. Because of this there are many times you will switch or waste bullets and take cheap hits. My other issue is that you have to walk close to the edge of the screen to scroll. This is a concession for two-player coop but still pretty dumb. Luckily there are game genie codes (it is strange) to center the character.
Wai Wai World is one of Konami’s more difficult NES releases for a variety of reasons. Certain characters are more favorable to certain enemies. However the idiotic character switching method leads to many cheap hits. If you want to give hearts to a particular hero you need to cycle through the entire party to reach them at which point it probably disappeared. By the late game enemies are so strong you will rely on King Kong or Moai heavily. The price of death is also steep; it costs one hundred bullets to revive them. If the entire party dies you are left with the Konami pair and half of your bullet supply. At that point you might as well restart using your last password. I did not expect to have to grind yet here we are. The difficulty is not a deal breaker of course but surprising.
In Closing
Wai Wai World is not the ultimate platforming extravaganza I expected but is still pretty good. Seeing a variety of video game heroes team up in one grand adventure is a novelty that is still rarely explored today. While it has its faults I enjoyed it overall.
