Wario Land 3

"Best Wario game thus far"

Face it: Wario has to be one of the coolest Mario characters. He’s also a breakout video game star, and he’s never even seen with Mario anymore, save all the multiplayer games. Wario games tend to follow no apparent pattern, except Wario getting into an adventure as a result of his greed, but that’s what we love about them. Wario Land 3 is just as unorthodox as the others, leaving Wario stranded in a foreign land, scavenging the place in search of a means to get him home, and of course booty (treasure, that is). This time the game’s not that simple, though, forcing Wario to take not such a linear route through various stages in search of ways to advance. The treasures he encounters in his adventure help him to progress to new worlds, solve puzzles, and, of course, suppress his greed.

Gameplay: Ah, possibly the best part of the game. I’m sorry, there’s just nothing more entertaining to me than a fat guy dashing through worlds and turning into various alterations of himself. The gameplay of Wario Land 3 is wonderful…possibly the best gameplay out of all Game Boy Color platforming games. The added puzzle aspect to the original platforming one is sheer genius. Eventually, every level requires you to utilize everything, even minor details, you see to find all four treasures. There’s a significant number of bosses, for fans of that, but not too many. The controls are easy to handle and fast to react, but note that you don’t get all of Wario’s known basic moves at the beginning of this game. That frustrated me for like 2.5 seconds, then I got into the game and forgot about it. Bottom Line: 10/10

Story: Bah, it’s not that revolutionary, not even for a Wario game. Wario’s plane has troubles and he crash-lands outside a mysterious cave, without so much as a bruise. He examines a music box object, and is transported inside, where “A hidden figure” says he was the god of the land inside the music box, until a “wicked being” stripped him of his power and took control of the land. Wario is recruited to find the five music boxes that will break the seal and free the figure, in return for his liberation from the music box. Treasure is offered as well, so Wario of course takes the job and sets out to get the music boxes and his prizes. Some treasures that he finds help unlock new levels, and others give him new abilities. That’s basically the heart of the story, not much fleshy tissue left out. A good plot, but not anything to gawk about. Even the main plot twister is somewhat anticipated. Bottom Line: 8/10

Graphics and Sound: This game stands out graphic-wise in the world of GBC. The cut-scene animations aren’t really that profound, but for a GBC game, this game is really ahead of its time. It’s easy to tell this is one of those games that’s transitional from the GBC to GBA. The variety of colors is impressive and shading is nice and vivid. Sound-wise, this game passes my “tunes getting stuck in my head” test. The music is nice, catchy, and also advanced for a GBC game. Bottom Line: 9/10

Play Time and Replayablility: Unlike most other GBC games, this one takes a while to finish. You won’t buy this game and beat it the next day, possibly not even the next week. The myriad of keys and treasure chests to find fills each level with eight distinct puzzles, each taking more thought than the last. As for replayability, after the game is beaten for the first time, a time attack mode is unlocked. Contrary to some other games with this unlockable feature, this time attack is enjoyable and trying. There’s also the mini-game, Wario Golf, which is probably the biggest challenge of the entire game. Playing that over and over can entertain even after the story is done. Bottom Line: 9/10

Overall: This game is outdated right now, so it’s probably not available for rental anymore. Just as well too, seeing as you’d not be able to complete the game before the rental period was up. As for searching for it…Wario games aren’t that hard to find in used game stores, nor are they excessive prices. If you ever get more curious about Mario’s alter ego, I recommend picking this game up before any others. This is probably the best Wario game thus far. Bottom Line: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/03, Updated 01/23/03