Wario Land 4

"Wario: Bigger and better in his 4th adventure"

Wario returns for more mayhem and money grabbin' in his first adventure for GBA.

Gameplay: (9/10)
Classic Wario style gameplay. It brings back elements of the first Wario game along with the more recent ones and the result is simply fantastic. You now have a life bar with eight hearts, so Wario's no longer invincible like he was in 2 & 3. You collect money during each stage and you can spend it on mini-games and win medals. You can also use medals as money to buy weapons to help you in boss fights. Controls are top notch. Every button responds perfectly and Wario can now pull off special moves with ease. Wario can change into more different ''accident'' states now which adds some humor to the game. Most of the stages require puzzle solving and using the items around you to get to a different place or get special items. Each level goal is not reasonably hard. Find the 4 pieces of Gems (which make up a diamond) and find the key to return to the exit under a certain time limit. The game's not too hard compared to Wario 2 & 3, but it has some challenging stages. Did I mention frustrating as well? :)

Story (7/10)
Hmmm....not a great story but acceptable. Minor spoilers ahead
*One day when Wario was reading his newspaper he saw something which interested him. A Golden Pyramid was found and it contains lots and lots and lots of gold and treasure. Typical Wario jumps up, get to his car and head for the golden Pyramid*

Audio/Video (10/10)
Graphics are beautiful and excellent. Some of the best graphics GBA has seen. Every stage is colorful and filled with detail. Every stage has different atmosphere to it. Ranging from Rainy Jungles to Haunted Hotels to a giant Freezer. The Sound's great as well. In some stages there are songs being sung with lyrics! Otherwise the rest are still great. They fit nicely into the game.

Replayability (8/10)
After you clear the game on Normal Mode, it's the end. The game overall has 18 stages plus 6 boss fights. The mini games add a bit of replayability to the actual game. Unless you want to go back and collect the missing CD's in each stage or attempt the Hard and Super Hard Modes The replayability level is average.

To buy or rent?
If you are a fan of Wario, Get this ASAP. It's a great game with great features. If you are new to gaming, I suggest renting it first, since it's not like a typical Mario game.
Wario Land 4 is a excellent addition to your GBA library.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/19/01, Updated 12/19/01