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Wario gets his own home console game, but is it as good as Mario?
November 14, 2003 | 10:00 PM PSTby: Stef Chlapaty
Everyone’s favorite antihero finally gets a game on a system that is not Game Boy. After many successful outings on the Game Boy systems, Wario has made his way over to GameCube in his very own game, Wario World. The game can best be described as a unique and fun platformer that is hurt by its very short length along with the game’s unchallenging difficulty.
Graphics
Wario World is game full of colorful worlds and enemies that can be pleasing to the eyes. There is a wide range of different types of environments throughout the game. You got forest world, snow world, fire world, haunted house world, and even a weird circus world. You’ll soon notice the uneven balance of textures that are crisp and clean looking and those which come off looking sloppy. Also the fact that the enemies near the end of the game are using the same animations as the enemies at the beginning can give you that “been there, done that” feeling. The game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second and tends to only dip below that when you’re fighting a lot of enemies on the screen. The game also has progressive scan, so that’s a nice feature for you gamers with high definition TVs.
Gameplay
The unique thing about Wario World is the way it’s set up. Everything is in 3D but the camera is fixed so that the game moves and plays in 2D fashion. Of course you are able to go up and down, but most of the time you will be going right and left. This gives the game a very unique feel, and although it is linear, you still have to do some searching around to find all the hidden things in each level. The only point where the camera can become a problem is when the game requires Wario to come toward the television screen on a balcony or something similar.
The point of any platform game that has a side scrolling camera view is of course to get from point A to point B. In Wario World you do just that plus solving simplistic puzzles, beating up enemies, and picking up various items along the way. This may or may not sound like much fun to you, but it is fun and is especially when you use all the abilities available to Wario. The basics are A for jumping, B for punching, and R for a simple dash attack, which can also be used as a ground pound when hit while in the air. Wario also has the ability to pick up and throw, spin, or pile drive his enemies into the ground. While these are fun to do, they also play an important role in completing some of the game’s puzzles. For example, early on in the game you will have to pick up an enemy and pile drive them into a trap door on the floor to get through it. You can also perform a somersault attack called the “corkscrew conk” that has you spinning through the air destroying any enemy in your path.
What would a platformer be without jumping? Not a platformer of course, hence why Wario World has its fair share of jumping from platform to platform. Wario has the special talent of grappling around ball-like objects that shockingly just happens to be in most of the worlds; how convenient. These ball-like objects allow Wario to reach new heights, either by jumping from one to another or by riding one that is moving up to another platform. Also in the platforming mix of things are bonus levels. Just so happens that they resemble the ones in Super Mario Sunshine greatly. In these stages you are able to manipulate the camera to go in whatever direction you please using the C Stick. These bonus stages are noticeably easier and smaller then those found in Super Mario Sunshine, but they are still enjoyable. Also, you’ll notice that there are many of these bonus stages scattered throughout each levels. At the end of each level there is a boss waiting for you. They are big, but they are very easy to beat, which brings me to what brings the game down.
The game has 2 major faults. First is that the game is too easy. Once you memorize the patterns of enemies you should be able to them down with no problem. To add to this lack of difficulty, the coin system just makes the game easier. If you just so happen to get hit, you can go to these things that are placed frequently throughout the levels where you can get an onion (refills one heart of your life) for the cost of 20 coins. 20 coins is a very small price to pay considering the game practically throws hundreds of coins at you each level. This adds to game having no real consequences for dieing. Because when you die you have to pay just 100 coins, and you are put at the exact spot you died. You could be in the middle of a boss fight and die, and then come back to life with full health while the boss only has a few more hits to go. This makes the game very easy, and just the fact that when you die you start at the same spot you died at can bore some gamers. Now onto the second fault with this game: It’s a really short game. The average gamer should be able to go through Wario World and finish it in about 5 hours. Going through every level and collecting everything there is to collect doesn’t make the game that much longer. There are only 4 worlds containing 2 levels each and a boss area.
Sound
The music is just as you would expect in a game with the main character being this “off the wall” type of guy. Each level is full of odd music that just fits in with the game. But then you get to the one-liners that Wario uses throughout the game. There are only a few and while they are funny at first, they quickly become old and repetitive. You’re going to hear these one-liners a lot since Wario is the talkative obnoxious type of character. But maybe that’s all part of his evil master plan: To get you to get sick and tired of listening to him.
Replayability
This game is really short. Like I said, it can be beaten in less than 5 hours, even so if you go through it and collect every item within every level. If you are the type to go and collect everything then you’ll be able to download some sample mini games from Wario Ware Inc. on to your Game Boy Advance. This is, of course, done by Game Boy Advance to GameCube connectivity. Using this gimmick, I mean feature, is pretty much useless since you cannot save the games onto your Game Boy Advance. So given the game’s easy difficulty and short length, you’re probably not going to want to go through the game again. However, if you are the type of person who beat Lugi's Mansion and then decided to go through once more, you’ll likely play through this again.
Overall
I was never really looking forward to Wario World until I saw its video on the bonus disk that came with pre-ordering Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Since then, Wario World has been one of my most anticipated titles for GameCube. Luckily I wasn’t let down when I finally got my hands on it. It’s a fun platformer with a unique side scrolling style of gameplay. I had a lot of fun playing it and certainly recommend it as a rental to anyone who doesn’t have it yet. But buyer beware, this game is over very quickly and may not grab your interest to go and beat the game a few more times.
Graphics
Wario World is game full of colorful worlds and enemies that can be pleasing to the eyes. There is a wide range of different types of environments throughout the game. You got forest world, snow world, fire world, haunted house world, and even a weird circus world. You’ll soon notice the uneven balance of textures that are crisp and clean looking and those which come off looking sloppy. Also the fact that the enemies near the end of the game are using the same animations as the enemies at the beginning can give you that “been there, done that” feeling. The game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second and tends to only dip below that when you’re fighting a lot of enemies on the screen. The game also has progressive scan, so that’s a nice feature for you gamers with high definition TVs.
Gameplay
The unique thing about Wario World is the way it’s set up. Everything is in 3D but the camera is fixed so that the game moves and plays in 2D fashion. Of course you are able to go up and down, but most of the time you will be going right and left. This gives the game a very unique feel, and although it is linear, you still have to do some searching around to find all the hidden things in each level. The only point where the camera can become a problem is when the game requires Wario to come toward the television screen on a balcony or something similar.
The point of any platform game that has a side scrolling camera view is of course to get from point A to point B. In Wario World you do just that plus solving simplistic puzzles, beating up enemies, and picking up various items along the way. This may or may not sound like much fun to you, but it is fun and is especially when you use all the abilities available to Wario. The basics are A for jumping, B for punching, and R for a simple dash attack, which can also be used as a ground pound when hit while in the air. Wario also has the ability to pick up and throw, spin, or pile drive his enemies into the ground. While these are fun to do, they also play an important role in completing some of the game’s puzzles. For example, early on in the game you will have to pick up an enemy and pile drive them into a trap door on the floor to get through it. You can also perform a somersault attack called the “corkscrew conk” that has you spinning through the air destroying any enemy in your path.
What would a platformer be without jumping? Not a platformer of course, hence why Wario World has its fair share of jumping from platform to platform. Wario has the special talent of grappling around ball-like objects that shockingly just happens to be in most of the worlds; how convenient. These ball-like objects allow Wario to reach new heights, either by jumping from one to another or by riding one that is moving up to another platform. Also in the platforming mix of things are bonus levels. Just so happens that they resemble the ones in Super Mario Sunshine greatly. In these stages you are able to manipulate the camera to go in whatever direction you please using the C Stick. These bonus stages are noticeably easier and smaller then those found in Super Mario Sunshine, but they are still enjoyable. Also, you’ll notice that there are many of these bonus stages scattered throughout each levels. At the end of each level there is a boss waiting for you. They are big, but they are very easy to beat, which brings me to what brings the game down.
The game has 2 major faults. First is that the game is too easy. Once you memorize the patterns of enemies you should be able to them down with no problem. To add to this lack of difficulty, the coin system just makes the game easier. If you just so happen to get hit, you can go to these things that are placed frequently throughout the levels where you can get an onion (refills one heart of your life) for the cost of 20 coins. 20 coins is a very small price to pay considering the game practically throws hundreds of coins at you each level. This adds to game having no real consequences for dieing. Because when you die you have to pay just 100 coins, and you are put at the exact spot you died. You could be in the middle of a boss fight and die, and then come back to life with full health while the boss only has a few more hits to go. This makes the game very easy, and just the fact that when you die you start at the same spot you died at can bore some gamers. Now onto the second fault with this game: It’s a really short game. The average gamer should be able to go through Wario World and finish it in about 5 hours. Going through every level and collecting everything there is to collect doesn’t make the game that much longer. There are only 4 worlds containing 2 levels each and a boss area.
Sound
The music is just as you would expect in a game with the main character being this “off the wall” type of guy. Each level is full of odd music that just fits in with the game. But then you get to the one-liners that Wario uses throughout the game. There are only a few and while they are funny at first, they quickly become old and repetitive. You’re going to hear these one-liners a lot since Wario is the talkative obnoxious type of character. But maybe that’s all part of his evil master plan: To get you to get sick and tired of listening to him.
Replayability
This game is really short. Like I said, it can be beaten in less than 5 hours, even so if you go through it and collect every item within every level. If you are the type to go and collect everything then you’ll be able to download some sample mini games from Wario Ware Inc. on to your Game Boy Advance. This is, of course, done by Game Boy Advance to GameCube connectivity. Using this gimmick, I mean feature, is pretty much useless since you cannot save the games onto your Game Boy Advance. So given the game’s easy difficulty and short length, you’re probably not going to want to go through the game again. However, if you are the type of person who beat Lugi's Mansion and then decided to go through once more, you’ll likely play through this again.
Overall
I was never really looking forward to Wario World until I saw its video on the bonus disk that came with pre-ordering Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Since then, Wario World has been one of my most anticipated titles for GameCube. Luckily I wasn’t let down when I finally got my hands on it. It’s a fun platformer with a unique side scrolling style of gameplay. I had a lot of fun playing it and certainly recommend it as a rental to anyone who doesn’t have it yet. But buyer beware, this game is over very quickly and may not grab your interest to go and beat the game a few more times.
November 20, 2009
