"Simply one of the best platform games you can get for the Game Boy"

What do you know! A new Gameboy game, and it's the long-awaited sequel to Warioland, no less! Enjoy it while it lasts, because this is probably the last we're getting for a while.

The story is simple. In Warioland, Wario stole Captain Syrup's treasures, sold them, and used the cash to build his own palacial estate. Now she's out for revenge. She's stolen Wario's treasures, and he's determined to get them back.

Warioland II takes the platform genre somewhere that it's never been before. For one, Wario is immortal. And this isn't a cheezy "infinite lives" kind of immortality -- this is the real thing. Nothing kills you, no matter how much damage you take. As for bottomless pits, there aren't any. So if you never die, where's the challenge? Well, whenever you take a hit from the enemy, you lose a couple coins and get flung backwards. Sometimes you lose a lot of height when an enemy knocks you off a cliff. In particular, the bosses will throw you through the roof or knock you into a pit, and it's often a long and frustrating trek back to the boss room. Then, of course, there are special conditions that the enemies inflict on you (discussed later).

Second, there are no power-ups. This isn't quite as unusual in platform games anymore, but in Warioland II, the absense is very. . . noticeable at first. There's no little cherries to grab, no cute little hearts to collect, no great big emeralds -- there's just Wario, the coins, and the enemies. Wario has all of the abilities he needs to make it through the game (his bullcharge and ground-breaker moves are still intact), so it quickly loses its affect on you.

Third, there are the special conditions. Various enemies have attacks that smash Wario flat as a pancake, turn him into a balloon, make him go insane, etc. Some transformations last for a certain period of time (like Fat Wario and Spring Wario) while others last until you find a cure (like Zombie Wario and Small Wario). These transformations can make it harder for Wario to reach his goal or they can give him abilities to reach places he otherwise couldn't.

The game plays a lot like a story. In addition to stages that you just have to clear by finding the door, there are stages where you have to perform a certain task like turning off Wario's giant alarm clock or pushing a lever to stop a train. Then there are the mini-bosses (the "giant spear guys") and the big bosses, including Syrup herself. If you follow the directions at the beginning of each stage, you'll go on a path that will take you to Syrup Castle. However, if you find the alternate exits, the storyline actually changes to fit where you go. For instance, if you don't hit anything when Wario's sleeping at the beginning of the first stage, Syrup's cronies will throw you out and claim the castle for themselves, forcing Wario to assail his own home! There are different endings depending on which paths you take through the game. There's even an ending where Wario has to save Syrup from a rather mean-spirited bubble!

Despite all these differences, the game still plays a lot like Warioland. You've still got some treasures to search for (50 to be exact, one for every stage in the game), and this time you have to play a challenging mini-game in order to retrieve them.

With lots of secrets, multiple paths, and just plain fun gameplay, Warioland II is going to keep you busy for a while.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99