Warioland 2 (Color) Game by Nintendo Reviewed by Iwan iwan@lamble.demon.co.uk Size: 8 megabits (1 megabyte) Save: 1 save slot Released: 1998 Works with: All Gameboys (saved games from B+W can't be used in color) ************************************************************************ Opening Snide Remarks: This game should be the ultimate Game Boy platformer. After all those years of experience and using programing techniques refined from Mario Land 1, Mario Land 2 and Wario Land 1, Nintendo surely can't fail to produce an amazing game, can they? ************************************************************************ Gameplay Description: Let's get this over and done with at the start: Wario can't die. In theory, this is how the game works as follows: As platformers have gained save slots and mid-level save points, gamers have become less worried about dying, since they'll only have to restart from a few screens before. Therefore, in Wario Land 2, instead of dying, you'll just get taken back through the level in some other way - falling off a building, being carried along by strong currents in water or by being turned into something so that you need to go somewhere else before Wario can turn back to normal (more on that later). This allows Nintendo to be more inventive with the level designs, the enemy characters and what Wario can do. It also allows Nintendo to include more puzzles in the game. When hit by most enemies Wario loses coins but some turn him into other forms: Zombie Wario (who can't jump, moves very slowly but can fall through floors), Drunk Wario (control is harder, but he has deadly breath), Flat Wario (who can float), Puffy Wario (who can 'fly'), Small Wario (can jump high), Fat Wario (extra heavy jumps) and Firey Wario (who can burn down walls but never stops running). To change back to normal Wario you must perform a task. For instance, you must jump in water to put out the fire on Firey Wario. These other forms Wario turns into have advantages which you'll need to use to get through the levels. In practice, it doesn't work quite as well: when, and if (since a lot of the time you simply don't), you get knocked back through a level you never get knocked back very far and the 'puzzles' are pitifully easy - 'there's a dragon that sets you on fire and there's a wall you can't destroy, hmmm, I wonder what you have to do...' It also means that most enemies in the game are no threat at all and are just annoying. The puzzles and the lack of threat also slow the game down from the usual frantic Mario-style races though levels. This isn't to say that the game is bad. In fact, it's the most enjoyable platformer I've ever played. Where it succeeds is the 'Wario feeling': it makes you think like Wario and allows you to play evil. You can torture enemies - throwing them around and jumping on them before finally stomping on them hard or throwing them too their doom off tall buildings or into deadly (for them) water or knocking two of them together... all for the sake of one coin. And you can go on wild rampages, smashing walls down and destroying crates everywhere. And Wario Land 2 teaches you to love treasure. You collect huge amounts of coins (often over 500 a level), including some giant-sized ones which make you feel really good (and are worth 10 normal coins) and silver ones which are worth 100 gold ones. And then you'll feel remorse for every coin that drops out of you when you're hit, never to be seen again... or every silver coin that appears just out of reach... The best bit is, like Mario 64, when you reach the end of the level, you don't want to leave. You'll *want* to go back, hunting out every coin, every piece of treasure and every hidden room, because Wario's levels are so fun. There's usually something interesting to do to complete the levels too rather than just finding the exit (although that does appear). With 51 levels, 6 endings, 50 pieces of treasure, 50 pieces of a map and three mini-games, Warioland 2 will last you a long time and is certainly value for money. Liked: Lots of fun, inventive, the 'Wario feeling' Hated: Too easy, too slow, enemies just annoying, not threatening. ************************************************************************ Graphics Description: Graphically, this is about as good as you'll get on the normal Game Boy. The characters are chunky and have loads of animations, there's lots going on on the screen at once and plenty of graphical effects. Blur and flicker is kept to a minimum. On the Game Boy Color, though, it's not as good as it could have been. The scrolling is kept to a minimum to prevent blurring on B+W Gameboys, but just serves to make you feel cramped on a sharp GBC. The coloring in could have been done a bit better as well - it's often obvious that this was a black and white game with backgrounds sketched in single colors and objects are often just given a 'hue' (i.e.. their palette consists of four shades of the same color instead of anything more daring or imaginative). Some of the color schemes seem to have been chosen simply to show off the number of different colors available on the Game Boy - I mean, bright pink walls?! The fading in and out effects also look a bit dodgy on the GBC. Also, criminally, Wario's famous bright yellow suit looks like a dirty white suit - probably to allow backwards compatibility with the B+W Game Boy. Color is still an improvement, but it could have been done better. Finally, while it's nice to see cutscenes in a platformer, the ones in Wario Land suck badly. They're in widescreen, for a start, because the sprites from the game itself are used and they'd look a bit small in full screen. Then there's the fact that there are only about three cut- scenes in the game and these are just repeated over and over with different backgrounds. It's pretty bad when you spend hours trying to beat the final boss and then turn the game off half way though the ending because it's so dull. It also seems that someone's forgotten to color in the demo that plays when you leave the game alone on the title screen. Whoops! Liked: About as good graphics as you can get on the Game Boy, lots of animation, lots of color, has cutscenes Hated: Coloring in could have been better, claustrophobic, cutscenes suck ************************************************************************ Sound/Music Description: Sound is great. Music is great. Lots of variation, lots of tunes. They stick in your head too, which is probably good. When I pause the game on my Game Boy Color, the sound seems to go a bit crackily, but it's nothing to worry about. Liked: Everything Hated: Nothing ************************************************************************ Play Control/Game Design: Control is superb. Wario must have the most moves available to a platform game character ever and it all feels natural to control. The levels are a bit of a mixture. Sometimes they're intricately designed with loads of hidden rooms to find and switches to press. At other times they lack character and are a bit dull. Nintendo really haven't got the hang of designing puzzles, though - while secrets are well hidden, the actual puzzles you need to solve to get to them or to complete the levels are so easy it's a joke. The difficulty curve seems a little off, too. Most of the game is stupidly easy but there are some moments that really test your button- pressing skills. For example, while most bosses in the game are easily beaten, the final 'Captain Syrup' bosses are near impossible to beat. What's going on? Liked: Very good control, lots of moves, some inspired design Hated: Difficulty curve totally messed up, some levels are really dull ************************************************************************ Improve: 1. Make it harder. 2. Make save game files compatible with both B+W and color Gameboys 3. In the Japanese version, birds threw bottles at Wario and made him Drunk Wario. In the Western version they throw balls and turn him into 'Crazy' Wario. Guess which was better. RIYL: Warioland, Mario Land 1 and 2, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe ************************************************************************ Final Words: It seems that Nintendo are aiming Wario Land 2 at first-time games players and young children. It rarely needs fast reactions, it's easy to pick up and is very forgiving. However, this doesn't mean that it should be totally dismissed. More seasoned games players can also have a lot of fun with it. While it is easy, there's plenty to see and do and playing as an invincible Wario is great fun. I find myself replaying levels over and over, even though I completed the game (one ending) the day I got it. As I said, it's the most enjoyable platformer I've ever played. It also has an option to save at any point and return to that precise point in the game, which makes it great for playing in short bursts but it also has plenty to keep you going for day-long sessions. Wario Land 2 isn't half as good a platformer as Wario Land 1 (although its better than Mario Land 2) but then Wario Land 1 isn't in color and doesn't let Wario get drunk. Note: One save slot doesn't sound enough but, once you get the map screen, letting someone else play your game isn't a problem - they can't lose any lives for you and all of the levels can be played as many times as you like (including, if you really want, cutscenes). ************************************************************************ Score Gameplay: ***** Graphics: **** Sound/Music: ***** Play Control/Game Design: *** Personal Opinion: ***** Total: 22 out of 25 Final Score: 88% ************************************************************************ Currently Known Codes: Get all the treasure and all parts of the map for the final (very hard) level and the Flagman D.D. bonus minigame.