As a child, the Nintendo Game Boy was a huge part of my life and two games stuck in my memory until, well, I’m guessing the end of time. I’ll let you know when I forget it. Except of course, I’ll have forgotten. Those games were The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. Both games also happened to be the only games I completed for a long time (I had a fairly poor attention span when it came to completing games back then. Not like now…). More importantly, they’re both games that I will still recommend to anyone even now. That’s how good they are.
I’ll write a bigger love letter to the Nintendo Game Boy another time but Wario Land was a huge part of that love. As a little background, I liked Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2 but I didn’t love them. The first Super Mario Land felt a little unforgiving as a kid (in hindsight, I can complete it in about 30 minutes now) and its sprites were cute but very basic. A launch title from 1989, it was showing its age by the time I got to play it in the mid 1990s.
Wario Land isn’t about being the good guy
I didn’t own Super Mario Land 2 so I only briefly played it on my Uncle’s Game Boy. Somehow, I ended up with Wario Land though. I have vague memories of getting to pick a game in the local game shop which was a very rare occasion. Wario Land’s artwork lured me in so fast. Look at how colourful and vibrant it is! Wario flinging Ducktales-esque creatures out of the way while another duck looks on from a pirate ship. Any idea what’s truly going on? Not really, but child me loved how bright and exciting it looked.
It was one of the best gaming decisions I’ve ever made. Within seconds, I was hooked.
Wario doesn’t care about saving the princess or doing the ‘right’ thing. He wants money and he wants it now. The whole idea behind Wario Land is that you’re collecting coins and finding treasure, all so you get a big house at the end of it. The capitalist dream, but at least Wario is earning it!
A newbie friendly approach
Platforming is fairly simple and straightforward. There aren’t any particularly tricky jumps to tackle here (probably why I liked it), but it’s still quite clever.
That’s thanks to the series of hats you pick up. Each offer a power-up. There’s the horned helmet which means you can run and shove enemies out the way much faster than your standard form; one that adds wings and allows you to ‘fly’ across the screen for a brief time; and a fire breathing helmet so you can…you guessed it. My general preference is the winged helmet as I like being a little faster and more agile but each play a role. Also, if you’re hit, the helmet falls off but you don’t die. You only lose a life if you’re teeny Wario or if you hit certain ultimate obstacles like lava.
Wario Land: the forgiving platformer
It’s a fairly forgiving system which ties in well with the replayability of the game. It only takes about 3 or 4 hours to complete but you likely won’t have unlocked all the treasure on your first playthrough. As you play, certain areas change through story events. Hit a particular essential button, for instance, and the first zone is partially covered with water which makes it easier to get to other areas of the levels. Don’t worry — Wario can’t drown. I am SO glad by this given the trauma that Sonic puts me through.
Ultimately, it’s a ton of fun. Wario feels chunky and able to withstand all kinds of nonsense (but looks so upset when he does fail!). There are no jumps that require pinpoint pixel accuracy, and it’s a lightweight game that still offers some neat additions that I’d like to see other games offer.
I haven’t played the other Wario Lands. Maybe I should. I suspect nostalgia will mean none are quite like the OG.
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 was originally released on Nintendo Game Boy and is currently most easily accessible via Nintendo Switch Online – Game Boy – Nintendo Classics.
