Yeah you can tell Nintendo didn't have a clue what to do with this game. They knew they wanted to make it different from Mario but just couldn't tear itself away far enough to make the game actually stand on its own feet.
As a result you've got a rather clumsy and slow platformer that feels half-hearted and dull. There's both coin mechanics and heart collecting mechanics that don't complement each other at all. You've got an assortment of power hats as a replacement for Mario power-ups but none of them are that useful or interesting.
Sure, there's still the occasional moment of Nintendo magic around but its very occasional and limited. The rest of the time you're just throwing Wario around like a heavy sack of potatoes.
As a result you've got a rather clumsy and slow platformer that feels half-hearted and dull. There's both coin mechanics and heart collecting mechanics that don't complement each other at all. You've got an assortment of power hats as a replacement for Mario power-ups but none of them are that useful or interesting.
Sure, there's still the occasional moment of Nintendo magic around but its very occasional and limited. The rest of the time you're just throwing Wario around like a heavy sack of potatoes.