Silicon Fusion >> Reviews >> Wario World

	All Platforms
	Xbox
	GameCube
	PlayStation 2
	PC
	Game Boy Advance

Site Sections:

	Updates
	News
	Games
	Publishers
	Developers
	Reviews
	Previews
	Release Dates
	Editorials
	Glossary
	Contact Us

Review:

4th July 2003:
Wario World
Mario's evil alter-ego finally gets his own next-generation game, but does it match the quality of Nintendo's other platformers?
Posted by Marc Hull - GameCube - UK and Europe

Wario was first introduced to the world in Mario's second Game Boy outing, Super Mario Land 2, and it didn't take long before he got his very own handheld title, Warioland. Since then, his gaming exposure has only gone up, with a fantastic sequel on the original Game Boy, followed by a GBA title and numerous cameos in N64 and GameCube games like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. So, it was almost inevitable that eventually he would get his own next-generation game, especially with Luigi starring in Luigi's mansion, however whereas that game got huge amounts of hype for being the GameCube's big launch title, Wario World's press exposure has been a little bit worrying. First appearing at E3 back in 2002, the game didn't debut with any big announcement or even a playable demo - it simply appeared as a short clip on a video reel. After missing its original 2002 release date, the game then appeared at this year's E3 show, again with little new information. So, having been released late last month with hardly any hype, what should we expect of Wario's first GameCube outing?

To begin with, things don't seem too impressive. The game starts up straight into the title screen with no big introduction, and then once you start a new game the story is revealed through nothing more than some scrolling text with a purple jewel spinning in the background - those disappointed with Mario's FMV will be shocked at this! Finally we get a hint of a cut-scene, but after literally five seconds it's straight into the game, and you'd be forgiven for not having a clue where you are or what you're meant to be doing. After a few minutes exploring (which probably includes taking the path ahead and then realising that's *not* the way you're meant to go), you'll locate the door for the game's first level, and begin the game properly.

Upon arriving in the primordial game world, any ideas you might have about this game being based on Mario's outings will go right out the window. Firstly, whereas the Mario games of late have centred around various 'missions' in each level, most of which are very different from one another, Wario World has just three basic goals for each of its stages; to beat the boss, to collect a heart fragment and to find all the treasure. The other most noticeable difference is the game's camera, which for the most part stays pointing in a fixed direction and can only be shifted slightly to the left or to the right. This makes the title's gameplay much more like a traditional, side-scrolling platformer than the action-adventure titles that have emerged from Nintendo recently.

Sticking close to his Game Boy adventures, Wario's main aim is to find as much treasure as possible. At the start of the game, his entire hoard of loot is converted into enemies by an evil jewel, so it's only fitting that beating up the enemies turns them back into various coins for the evil moustachioed one to collect. In fact, pummelling enemies into the ground is as much a part of this game as the platforming, with often Wario being surrounded by several baddies at once, not to mention some particularly nasty bosses to be fought. Fortunately, there's a wide variety of moves you can utilise to dispatch the creatures that lie in your path - aside from the usual punch move you can do a shoulder-barge into them, or butt-stomp on their heads. After an initial beating, some enemies will be knocked unconscious, which gives you an opportunity to pick them up and perform some of the game's more impressive moves. By rotating the control stick, Wario will swing the enemy around him and knock away any nearby objects, whilst jumping and pressing the R-button will cause him to slam them into the floor sending a shockwave along the ground. All-in-all, this can lead to some pretty impressive battles!

The levels themselves are large, fairly varied, and littered with little puzzles and interesting bits for you to work out. Often you'll be wandering around normally when all-of-a-sudden a one-minute battle arena will appear, where you have to defeat as many enemies as you can, or a little sub-boss will pop out of the ground for you to destroy. When you first play through the levels, your main aim will be to collect red crystals which are needed to unlock the boss door and, eventually, progress to the next world. Weirdly, these crystals are not lying around the level itself, but are in small sub-levels that are accessed through trap-doors. Most of these trap-doors can be opened by a simple butt-stomp, but others require the use of an enemy to open.

Wario World's sub-levels are mainly divided into two categories - some are set in small rooms with a puzzle to be solved, while the others are more akin to Mario Sunshine's platforming sub-levels. The puzzle ones are usually fairly simple to work out, and shouldn't pose much of a problem for the average gamer. The platforming ones, however, are slightly more interesting, with rotating platforms to contend with and, fortunately, infinite lives which make them much less frustrating than the ones Mario had to contend with.

In total, Wario World has four different game areas, each containing two large levels and a big boss encounter. Progress through the title is much more linear than most modern platformers, since the levels have to be completed in a set order, but then again it's not exactly a difficult game so you probably won't get stuck in a particular spot for very long. However, while initially playing through all the worlds won't take long, finishing all three tasks in each will probably take quite some time, especially with some of the maze-like later levels.

Graphically the game doesn't really push the power of the GameCube, especially when compared to other recent releases, however it does run very fast and feature some nice touches here and there. The levels are probably the weakest area, with low polygon counts and not particularly good texture work; they could easily have been nabbed from an N64 game. Fortunately, the characters are much smoother and pretty well animated; the enemies are especially varied, although most of their moves are alike and can be dealt with in a similar way. Probably the most impressive area of the game is the lighting, especially the shadows which each character and object cast. In one level, which is like a giant circus, a spot-light follows Wario's every move, and the shadows cast by every object react accordingly - gorgeous! Of course, the engine also has to cope with a large amount of enemies being on-screen at a time, which it does admirably, so maybe the low quality of the game world can be forgiven.

For sound, the background music is the usually chirpy stuff you'd expect from a game targetted at those of a lesser age (dare I say "kiddy"?), and Wario gives out the occasional sound bite, although all the game's speech is text-only. As for gameplay, those who are fed up of the recent move to make platformers more like 'action-adventure' games will probably welcome this title's more traditional style. However, despite the best efforts of the developers to keep the action varied, you may find that the constant running, jumping and battling gets a little repetitive after a while.

Overall, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how good Wario World is considering how little the world had seen of it beforehand. However, it's definitely a game that you have to play into a bit before you get to see its good side, and non-platformer fans should probably stay clear. It's certainly no Mario, but if you want something to plug the gap until Miyamoto's next masterpiece then this may well be right up your street.

Marc Hull

Latest Images:

Review Scores:

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Length:
Overall:
Click here for our Review Score Guidelines .

Review Summary:

Wario has finally got his own game, but those who are expecting a Mario-esque adventure might be disappointed. This is a very traditional platformer, but has plenty of nice touches to make it worth taking a look at.

Related Games:

Wario World
for GameCube

Screenshots

Review