Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Release: 01/05/91 Genre: Action
As flawed as it was I do still wish the original Wai Wai World had come to the US. The concept of an all-out jam starring the intellectual properties of a publisher is insanely cool and still not explored very often. There were a few missteps in its design but the game was still pretty good overall. But what is even more of a tragedy is that we missed out on its far superior sequel. Wai Wai World 2 more than just delivers on the promise of its predecessor. It is one of the best platformers and games for the NES in my opinion.
Wai Wai Land has enjoyed an era of peace after the brave Konami heroes saved the world. That peace is shattered when the sorcerer Warumon steals Parsley Castle along with Princess Herb. Dr. Cinnamon escapes and creates an android named Rikkuru, who has the power to transform into several Konami heroes, to save the day.
Rikkuru is a much more capable protagonist than Konami Man and Girl. Your primary attack is a short range sonic boom and you can also double jump. It is simple but it works. There isn’t much in the way of items aside from health, invincibility, and elephants that grant extra lives. His greatest ability however is to transform into Konami heroes from game’s past with the aid of a special item.
Unlike the first game you will not have access to every character. Instead you choose from four predetermined sets of three characters. On top of that the roster has been pared down from eight to five. That makes little difference as Konami chose the best ones to return. Simon Belmont, Goemon, and Fuma return and are joined by newcomers Baby Upa and Bill Raizer from Contra. Both Simon and Fuma remain the same but Goemon is stronger as his pipe is now a boomerang. Upa is interesting. His rattle inflates enemies and turns them into platforms you can ride. Bill is game breaking; his ability to shoot in four directions makes the game trivial. All four groupings are viable although one in particular (the 2nd) is too strong.
Changing characters is accomplished with an item that appears regularly. Once acquired it cycles between the three until you press Up + A to select. Once you’ve changed a timer counts down. Any damage you receive removes five seconds off the clock rather than health. You will find so many power-ups that restore time and even keep a second roulette going that it really doesn’t matter. Unless you are truly terrible at video games you will almost never change back to Rikkuru. Unfortunately this also ruins the game’s balance but more on that later.
Initially Wai Wai World 2 does not make a great first impression. The free form structure of the original has given way to a traditional platformer. Its first level is a very slow auto scrolling affair, full of off-screen enemies and a middling pace. The one redeeming factor is that it lets you play with the game’s mechanics. Past that the game opens up and shows its true strength, variety. Every subsequent stage is a wonderful trip down memory lane as you visit world’s representing each hero. You’ll revisit the Edo period, a nice recreation of Dracula’s castle, and even the jungle stage from Contra. It is pretty trippy to mow down zombies as Bill or inflate demons as a baby in the hellish landscape of Fuma’s world. Wai Wai World 2 isn’t completely linear. After every level you can pick between two different levels, giving the game replay value.
But it doesn’t stop there! The homages don’t stop there. The game really mines Konami’s history as there is a nod to Frogger and even two levels set in the world of Twin Bee and Gradius. These aren’t just slight tips of the hat either as all of their mechanics are identical. There is a level “inspired” by Bump and Jump and even a sliding puzzle challenge if you want something different. Usually when a game spans multiple genres like this parts of it suffer but no so here. Every aspect of the game is has an insane degree of polish. If I had to sum up Wai Wai World 2 it would be a love letter to Konami’s past successes. Honestly there is really only one problem with the game.
If only it weren’t so easy! The first game could be a bit of a hassle in spots but was still manageable. However Konami dialed it back and the game suffers a bit because of it. Most of the game’s ease comes from its character switching mechanic. Since you are technically invincible as another character you can play recklessly with little consequence. The items that allow you to change appear so frequently that Rikkuru sees little use. Beyond that certain characters are game breaking: any combination with Goemon or especially Bill is easy street. I killed the final boss in less than twenty seconds using Bill Raizer!
In Closing
Lacking challenge aside Wai Wai World 2 is so polished and varied that it doesn’t matter. I had so much fun that even after playing through it multiple times I haven’t grown tired of it, especially with multiple paths to the end. Wai World 2 is one of my absolute favorite games for the NES and one that I can’t recommend enough. We missed out on a truly incredible game.
