Wario World! What a trip. Treasure and Wario are two names I usually associate with 2D platformers, but this 3D platformer really shines, despite some complaints.
I'm finishing this one just having beaten Wario Land 4 a few months ago. This has given me a chance to appreciate Wario as a character. I honestly find his character more interesting than Mario, in that being Mario's negative counterimage, he carries more of a presence to him. I say this because I feel as if, personality wise, Mario is a faceless entity in some ways. He is the faceless hero, who responds exactly as you expect him to respond (he shows the most personality in the Mario and Luigi series, I'd argue).
Wario on the other hand, has selfish intentions from the start. He is greedy and will do anything for jewels, treasure, moolah. He is not as lightweight or gentle as Mario, in manner or physical approach. He is a weighty, muscly beast, who beats the living crap out of enemies that look like they're from the drawings of a disturbed child. Everything is expected yet totally unexpected in his world.
This oddly, is what makes Wario lovable and funny. His physical manner is what lends to sections of physical comedy, online with Buster Keaton, and we recognize the folly of his greedy quest from the beginning, invoking a kind of loving pity despite Wario's brazenness and strength.
I mention all this, because what really stood out to me about this game is how Treasure really took all these aspects of Wario's identity and successfully integrated it into a 3D space. Honestly, this game I think perfects the surreal aspects of the Wario Land series, and goes even beyond that. The enemy design is extremely clever, and sometimes random and a little uncanny, which fits the mood of the game perfectly. Although most of the enemy types are recycled throughout the stages, each one is reskinned to fit the theme of each level, with amazing creativity. I can't even explain some of the enemy designs, but wow, what crazy fever dream did they come out of? This doesn't exclude bosses, that ice stage boss...
Level themes also fit Wario perfectly, circuses, shady forests, halls of mirrors, ancient ruins. You feel like you are going through these kind of shady and surreal, trickster or mystical places.
It's not all glowing, however. Many times in the game, there is precision platforming, which does not work well at all with the Gamecube controllers extremely sensitive control sticks. Also, a lot of the game is just finding the right camera angle so you can do said precision platforming. It's exasperated near the end of the game, with the obstacle courses you go through.
The puzzles too, most of the time they were clever, but in the last sand stage, boy were they hell. We all know how fun block puzzles are (groans).
It is kind of a frustrating and difficult game, but it is made up for in spades by being just an odd and oddly endearing game, one that defines Wario's identity as a brazen goofball more than any other Wario game I know of. If you have a Gamecube or Gamecube-compatible Wii, give this one a shot if you can afford it. Otherwise, let's just pray that this gets some sort of modern port.
I'm finishing this one just having beaten Wario Land 4 a few months ago. This has given me a chance to appreciate Wario as a character. I honestly find his character more interesting than Mario, in that being Mario's negative counterimage, he carries more of a presence to him. I say this because I feel as if, personality wise, Mario is a faceless entity in some ways. He is the faceless hero, who responds exactly as you expect him to respond (he shows the most personality in the Mario and Luigi series, I'd argue).
Wario on the other hand, has selfish intentions from the start. He is greedy and will do anything for jewels, treasure, moolah. He is not as lightweight or gentle as Mario, in manner or physical approach. He is a weighty, muscly beast, who beats the living crap out of enemies that look like they're from the drawings of a disturbed child. Everything is expected yet totally unexpected in his world.
This oddly, is what makes Wario lovable and funny. His physical manner is what lends to sections of physical comedy, online with Buster Keaton, and we recognize the folly of his greedy quest from the beginning, invoking a kind of loving pity despite Wario's brazenness and strength.
I mention all this, because what really stood out to me about this game is how Treasure really took all these aspects of Wario's identity and successfully integrated it into a 3D space. Honestly, this game I think perfects the surreal aspects of the Wario Land series, and goes even beyond that. The enemy design is extremely clever, and sometimes random and a little uncanny, which fits the mood of the game perfectly. Although most of the enemy types are recycled throughout the stages, each one is reskinned to fit the theme of each level, with amazing creativity. I can't even explain some of the enemy designs, but wow, what crazy fever dream did they come out of? This doesn't exclude bosses, that ice stage boss...
Level themes also fit Wario perfectly, circuses, shady forests, halls of mirrors, ancient ruins. You feel like you are going through these kind of shady and surreal, trickster or mystical places.
It's not all glowing, however. Many times in the game, there is precision platforming, which does not work well at all with the Gamecube controllers extremely sensitive control sticks. Also, a lot of the game is just finding the right camera angle so you can do said precision platforming. It's exasperated near the end of the game, with the obstacle courses you go through.
The puzzles too, most of the time they were clever, but in the last sand stage, boy were they hell. We all know how fun block puzzles are (groans).
It is kind of a frustrating and difficult game, but it is made up for in spades by being just an odd and oddly endearing game, one that defines Wario's identity as a brazen goofball more than any other Wario game I know of. If you have a Gamecube or Gamecube-compatible Wii, give this one a shot if you can afford it. Otherwise, let's just pray that this gets some sort of modern port.