Wario Land 3

Wario Land 3
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Original System: Game Boy Color
System Played On: 3DS (Virtual Console)
Rating: 4 1/2 stars 

On February 15, 2025, I defeated the Hidden Figure, thus finishing Wario Land 3 for the Game Boy Color (via the 3DS Virtual Console)! This is the 3rd Wario Land game I have finished. And I did it in 14 3/5 gameplay hours in a span of about 2 weeks / half of a month.

I actually do have some prior experience with Wario Land 3. Sometime during childhood, shortly after getting my Game Boy Color, for either birthday or Christmas, I asked my parents for any Game Boy Color game, just to merely increase my library of Game Boy Color games. Randomly, they got me Wario Land 3. I remember playing the game, and I also remember never finishing it. I remember getting stuck, and with the internet still young and video game walkthrough websites still new, I couldn't find the answer online, so I gave up on the game. This is why, when it came time to sell my Game Boy Color to buy a Game Boy Advance, I included Wario Land 3 as a package deal. Replaying this game as an adult, my childhood frustration of getting lost and getting stuck is still warranted. The only in-game hint system is the temple, in which the Hidden Figure will tell you where to go, and that's it. It tells you neither which color key/chest to go after nor which power up you will need to get there nor were exactly that color key/chest is. While this hint system prevents anybody from becoming lost on where to go, it does not prevent getting lost once there. Luckily for me playing this game again as an adult in 2025, I found a very thorough walkthrough on GameFAQs, which I had to consult plenty, especially near the end of the game. I can't imagine how anyone can get through the game without it.

I wasn't expecting Wario Land 3 to belong to the "Metroidvania" genre. Yes, Wario Land 3 belongs to the Metroidvania genre. The entire game takes place in 1 world. Certain areas of the world map unlock depending on which treasures become unlocked. Certain areas within each level become unlocked by discovering treasure that give certain power ups. This requires a lot of backtracking to older levels, as now certain power ups allow Wario to travel to previously unreachable areas in the level. It was very interesting starting out a Wario Land game with a Wario who did not have all the abilities that he did in Wario Land 1 & 2 from the onset. Once near the end of the game, however, Wario does have all those abilities, and it once again feels natural controlling Wario.

Once again, Wario in Wario Land 3 does not have power ups like a traditional Super Mario game does. At best, Wario regains his abilities by collecting certain treasures, but that's about it. The next closest thing is that certain enemies give Wario status changes, almost like a "power down." In Wario Land 2, these power downs were implemented well, as most often, Wario needed these power downs to access certain parts of an area. While still happens in Wario Land 3, it happens a whole lot less. More often, these power downs become more of annoyance or an inconvenience, as they drag Wario away from where he needs to be. Therefore, I would say that the power downs in Wario Land 3 are done poorly, especially in light of Wario Land 2, where they are done well.

Once again, Wario Land 3 takes an alternative route when it comes to boss battles. Unlike a traditional Super Mario game, Wario cannot lose a life or get a game over in a boss battle (minus the final boss battle). Instead, Wario simply gets booted out of the boss area and has to go back to the boss area to start all over again. Between finishing Wario Land 2 and playing Wario Land 3, I watched a YouTube video which explained why this fits his character as originally a bad guy, and I have to say, I've come to like this way. Nintendo must have received complaints about how long it takes to get back to the boss area, though, for Nintendo fixed that with Wario Land 3. Wario Land 3 has a whole lot of shorter paths to return to the boss battle than Wario Land 2. Still, I would still prefer if the boss battle would allow me to pick up where I left off instead of having to begin the whole ordeal all over again.

You may have noticed I didn't record my progress toward completion. The game really doesn't do a good job of it, especially in comparison to prior games in the series, i.e. no completion percentage after the credits. As a matter of fact, one of the treasures to collect in the game is a magnifying glass, which lets the gamer know which treasures have already been collected without entering the level. Same goes for the music box coins, the other collectable in the game. While I know I collected all 4 treasures in multiple levels, only 1 level I collected all 8 of its music box coins. If previous games could let the player know the completion percentage, then so could this game. I could tell you, however, the game's coin counter maxes out at 999, for I did that a couple of times, including by the end of the game.

Wario Land 3 also has a minigame of minigolf. It does the typical golf video game gameplay, with a meter for both power and accuracy. Personally, I found it hard to control. I felt like the best strategy was to just it the ball as powerfully and accurately as possible and then hope for the best. The courses come up randomly, and it does cost money to play, but finding money becomes quite easy, so it's nothing to fret spending all this money.

In conclusion, to sum everything up, Nintendo continues to experiment on what makes a Wario Land game unique, distinct from a Super Mario game. The first game of the franchise was very linear. The second game of the series experimented with a branching narrative. The only way to go up from branching story was naturally a Metroidvania, which was exactly what Nintendo did. The Metroidvania genre makes Wario Land 3 feel fresh from the rest of the games in the franchise. At first, not having all of Wario's abilities expected from earlier games in the series feels quite frustrating for the seasoned veteran of Wario Land games. As the game progresses, however, the limitation allows and invites the gamer to experiment how to reach goals with said limitations. Despite the lack of game overs due to Wario's inability to die, the game finds way to annoy and frustrate the player to discourage the player from powering through the levels. While overall Wario Land 2 did a better job of the enemies powering down Wario, the power downs in Wario Land 3 further reinforce avoiding enemies, despite the fact Wario can't die. With all this in mind, I therefore give Wario Land 3 4 1/2 stars. It's somewhere between a good game and a very good game. I would play this game until you finish it, and if you liked it well enough, then fully complete it, but do not feel obligated to do so.

Running Ranking
1. Wario Land 3
2. Wario Land 2
3. Wario Land 1 

Wario Land II

Wario Land II
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Original System: Game Boy Color
System Played On: 3DS (Virtual Console)
Rating: 4 stars 

On February 1, 2025 I got all 5 endings, thus finishing Wario Land II for the Game Boy Color (via the 3DS Virtual Console)! This is the 2nd Wario game that I have finished. In my playthrough, I collected 54% of the treasures and 78% of the picture panels, as well as cleared 100% of the stages. And I did it all in 15 1/4 gameplay hours over the span of 21 days / 3 weeks / 2/3 a month. To change things up, and for the fun of it, I will make my comments with a plus (+) signifying a positive and a minus (-) signifying a negative. Then I will sum up my overall thoughts and feelings in the conclusion.

+The removal of the time clock does encourage exploration.

+Getting power-ups from the enemies instead of an item was definitely a very big positive. The last game felt like random items gave random effects. This time the enemy gives the effects, which have both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes you actively pursue these power-ups, and at other times, you actively avoid them. Some puzzles even require them.

-The boss throwing Wario out of the ring, causing Wario's handler to retrace steps was an interesting take to boss battles. I would be on board with this change, if it weren't for one detail. When the boss throws Wario out of the room, Wario must begin from the boss battle from the start when he re-enters the room. If the boss battle would have merely picked up where it left off, that would have been fine. It's the fact the boss battles start all over again that has me annoyed by this feature.

-Why is Wario in white, especially in the Game Boy Color? I'm pretty sure he's established as purple overalls and yellow shirt & hat by now (see Mario Kart 64). Of all the systems to not show off Wario's colors, the Game Boy Color is the worst one to do so.

-This game is both linear and non-linear at the same time. On the first playthrough, the game is very linear, as it only gives you the option of 1 ending. The second and thereafter allows for multiple routes for multiple endings. I think multiple endings should be allowed from the onset.

-Wario Land II offers 2 minigames: a picture matching game and a number matching game. Completing all the minigames is required for 100% full completion. Both minigames become easier by putting more money into them. With the amount of money at the end of the game determining the gamer's final ranking in the game, however, both minigames discourage spending the money to make the minigame easier and encourage not spending money, which in turn results in a harder minigame. Putting the least amount of money into the picture matching game results in the pictures instantly flashing before the player's eyes, meaning the player must have immediate reaction. Failure to succeed at this game will result in having to play the minigame again, which costs more money. Putting the least amount of money into the number matching game will only reveal a ninth of the number, which the game has to guess from a range of 0 to 9. Virtually, the gamer is playing a guessing game based on luck, with a 10% probability of winning. Failure to win at this game requires replaying the whole level. Again, the prizes for winning these minigames are collectibles for 100% full completion and nothing more, and even then, they can be a detriment to fully completing the game with a high ranking. It almost feels like whoever plays Wario Land II has to choose whether he or she wants to 100% fully complete the game or go for the highest ranking but not both. Only the most season Wario Land II expert can do both.

In conclusion, to sum everything up, Nintendo continues to experiment on how to make a Wario Land game a unique platforing experience, at least unique from a Super Mario platforming game. The gameplay mechanic utilized to make Wario Land II unique is Wario's immortality. Enemy attacks that would kill Mario either knocks Wario back and costs Wario coins, or in some cases, gives him a power-up, which within itself can either be advantage or disadvantage. For this game, it works! Even though Wario can't die, the gamer won't want to just damage boost through the level. In a game which determines the final ranking based on the amount of currency at the end of the game, the player carefully avoids or attacks enemies, in fear of losing that precious money that will impact the final ranking. Overall, I would say that Wario Land II does a better job of making a Wario Land look and feel unique than its prequel. The prequel merely takes a Super Mario platforming game and gives it a Wario skin. This game stands out as unique in comparison to a Super Mario platforming game in the branching story, Wario's attacks, Wario's power-ups given by enemies and the bosses. Wario Land II is definitely an improvement from its prequel. I give it 4 stars. It's a good game. Make sure you play it until finish, but don't worry about ranking or completion.

Running Ranking
1. Wario Land II
2. Wario Land (1)