- search for treasure.
- Wario is invincible.
- enemies cause temporary effects.
- side effects are used to solve puzzles.
- explore a world contained in a music box.
Product Description
-------------------
Wario (not to be confused with the related, though much less
evil Mario) leaps back onto the Game Boy Color in a new
side-scrolling, run-n-jumping adventure that'll keep gamers
collecting coins and dealing with foes until the wee hours. This
time around, Wario's fallen into a magic music box and needs to
perform a few tasks to return home (clicking his heels three
times won't help). Hidden throughout 25 levels are four treasure
chests and five music boxes--once he's found them, he's free.
Naturally, Wario must contend with plenty of obstacles, puzzles
and truly bizarre foes before settling into his favorite chair
back home. In a cool twist, certain foes and power-ups transform
Wario into the oddest of configurations that help or hinder his
progress through the levels. Fire-loving critters, for instance,
will set Wario's pants on fire, sending him on a mad dash to some
remote part of the level. A specific power-up flattens Wario like
an unlucky Looney Tunes character. In this game, though, a flat
Wario is a lucky Wario, as he can squeeze into new areas. The
Japanese import version of this game released to much accl, so
consider this release a good bet as a very replayable addition to
your Game Boy pak library.
.com
----
The Wario Land series stands as one of the most innovative on
the Game Boy Color, and with each new release we are left
wondering how Nintendo is going to top itself with subsequent
releases. Somehow they've managed to improve on the game's
magical formula once again with Wario Land 3, which is not only
the best Wario game ever released, but also one of the best Game
Boy Color games, period.
Most games require cheat codes before players get unlimited
lives, but the gameplay of Wario Land 3 revolves around the
concept of invincibility. Wario can't die, but the various
creatures in the game can transform him temporarily into an
alternate form. Get hit by a zombie, and you turn into a zombie
until you are healed by light from a street lamp. Let the mad
professor hit you with his potion and you become invisible,
meaning security cameras can't see you, but you also can't see
yourself to make precision jumps. Each alternate form has a
specific strength and weakness, and figuring out how to use the
transformations to solve puzzles is half of the game's fun. It
may seem counterintuitive, but to succeed at this game you'll
need to deliberately try to get hit by certain enemies at various
points in the game. Is this the anti-Mario, or what?
The graphics are clear and colorful, and the animations for both
Wario and the other denizens of the land he's trapped in are very
fluid. The sound effects are so-so, but the strange soundtracks
that play on each level are catchy. Considering the limitations
of the Game Boy Color, it's nice to have a game that combines
some of the best graphics the system can output with some of the
most phenomenal gameplay ever developed for any title. --T. Byrl
Baker
Pros:
* Twists like invincibility and transformations make for some
exciting gameplay considerations
* Terrific background graphics, smoothly animated characters, and
a catchy soundtrack
* One of the best Game Boy Color games ever released Cons:* May
be too difficult and frustrating for younger players
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Review
------
What a difference two years make. Wario Land 2 was a
high-quality platformer, but it didn't fully express the
quirkiness or fun factor that Nintendo refined over the years
with its Mario series. The concept of an invincible character,
along with a somewhat short quest served to deliver a game
steeped in gameplay but lacking longevity. Now, Nintendo is back
with its third title in the series, Wario Land 3, ing to
remedy prior complaints while taking run-and-jump gameplay to new
heights of enjoyment. Right from the initial anime-style intro,
you can tell Wario Land 3 is going to be a unique experience.
Cartoon-quality animation leaps from the screen as Wario finds
himself sucked into a dream world contained within a music box.
His future is uncertain, until a hidden figure offers an escape.
If Wario collects the five music boxes that will free this
ghostly power from its prison, the hidden figure will return
Wario to his physical self. Sure, Wario realizes that the old guy
has his own agenda, but what does he care? Wario is greedy,
happy-go-lucky, and quite fond of his freedom. Upon exiting the
master's cave, Wario finds himself at the first of the game's 20
initial levels. Throughout each rests four treasure boxes, each
of which can either unlock a later level, transform prior levels,
yield a sacred object, or reward Wario with a power-up. Making
things interesting, some chests require power-ups from later
levels to reach, while others remain inaccessible until an
environmental disaster transforms the terrain. Because of this
nonlinear quest, Wario is constantly traversing back and forth
through the game's four main areas, with each level constantly
offering something new to discover. Many factors serve to make
the Wario 3 experience enjoyable. First, since it's a dream
world, Wario can't be killed. His invincibility exists as both a
hindrance and a tool for guiding him through levels. Contact with
enemies results in a variety of status changes, such as setting
Wario ablaze, causing him to float, or just bouncing him toward a
waiting goal. These status changes, along with the game's ten
various power-ups, are what give you a near-limitless selection
of abilities. Since Wario can't die, the difficulty level is
tempered by puzzles, lots of mind-numbing, near hair-pulling
puzzles. Thankfully though, cing into enemies no longer
causes Wario to lose the coins he's collected within a level,
removing one of the more aggravating elements of the prior Wario
title. Using these coins, Wario can access a Mario Golf-inspired
minigame, which yields even greater access to levels and the
secrets they hold. One would think that the constant traveling
back and forth would bring about monotony, but the constant
reward of finding new secrets and power-ups, coupled with a
number of hilarious boss characters, makes it all worthwhile.
While a standard-sized review is barely enough to do a
description of Wario 3's gameplay justice, it's even more
difficult to describe the game's visuals. Imagine the level of
animation that Nintendo delivered with Bionic Commando, then
double it. Now, add in a few more colors, amusingly detailed
characters, and vibrant backgrounds, and you might scratch the
surface of how great this game looks. Cutscenes leap from the
screen with hundreds of vibrant colors, in-game graphics are
cartoonlike in both appearance and quality, and little niceties
such as flowing water and glittering ice only help to further
bring across the game's beauty. When it comes to looks, Wario 3
is the first game to deliver SNES quality visuals within the
confines of a Game Boy Color game. Further keeping with the
game's overall quality, Nintendo has managed to execute a
near-flawless auditory experience. Sound effects are crisp and
clean, offering constant amusement while never sounding tinny.
Background music is both catchy and nonrepetitive, delivering
tunes that will remain etched in your minds for years to come.
Though some could say the game's sound quality isn't quite up to
par with Bionic Commando or Zelda DX, it's a pretty difficult
comparison to make. It's like comparing a fully topped pizza with
one with extra cheese. Both are great, and for some people, one's
a tad better. However, some people prefer their pizza with less
cheese, and as such, many will find Wario 3's sound quality equal
to, if not superior to, that of Nintendo's prior efforts. As far
as platformers go, Wario Land 3 is a game that fires on all
cylinders. Massive replay value rounds out perfect gameplay, a
battery save keeps your progress, and a plethora of cutscenes
further serves to delight one's senses past the point of
pleasure. Additionally, a variety of plot twists and gotchas
helps to make the story one of the more engrossing in recent
memory, with an end boss that simply has to be seen to be
believed. In many ways, it's as if Nintendo set out to make Wario
3 into a 2D RPG. Whatever the intent, Wario 3 raises the bar that
all other platformer titles must meet in terms of fun, eye-candy,
and replay value.--Frank Provo--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form
or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is
prohibited. -- GameSpot Review
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