Wario Land (series)
| Wario Land | |
|---|---|
 Current logo used sinceWario Land 4 | |
| First installment | Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994) |
| Latest installment | Wario Land: Shake It! (2008) |
| Number of installments | 7 (5 main, one on theVirtual Boy, one spin-off) |
| Franchise | Wario |
| Key staff | Hiroji Kiyotake,Takehiko Hosokawa,Hirofumi Matsuoka |
- “Wario was foiled in his attempt to take overMario's castle inSuper Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Now he stars in an adventure of his very own. WillNintendo ever let Wario be the keeper of his own castle?”
- —Nintendo Power Issue #58, March 1994
TheWario Land series is a series of games featuringWario as the playable protagonist, taking place after the events ofSuper Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. There is a total of six games in the series; however,Super Smash Bros. Ultimate additionally considersWario: Master of Disguise to be part of the series.
List of games in the series
Main games
The following games are part of theWario Land series:
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Cover, original release and system | Synopsis |
| Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 | |
  January 21, 1994[?]Game Boy | In the gameWario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Wario finds himself onKitchen Island, looking for a statue ofPrincess Peach. He finds outCaptain Syrup and her pirates stole the statue and goes out to defeat her and take the statue. After beating the game,Mario steals the statue. The game was later released forNintendo 3DS throughVirtual Console, initially in 2011. |
| Virtual Boy Wario Land | |
  November 20, 1995[?]Virtual Boy | InVirtual Boy Wario Land, Wario finds himself in the middle of theAwazon river basin. He spots threeMask-Guys carrying treasure, and follows them behind a waterfall, into a secret cavern. Wario is surprised by a trap door which sends him into an underground labyrinth. The game revolves around Wario seeking revenge and the treasure. |
| Wario Land II | |
 March 1, 1998[?]Game Boy October 21, 1998[?]Game Boy Color | Wario Land II continues the battle between Wario and Captain Syrup; in this installment, theBlack Sugar Gang floodWario Castle and steal his treasure. Wario chases after them to get his treasure back, and during the mission, also has to rescue his pethen. The game was later released for Nintendo 3DS through Virtual Console, initially in 2012. |
| Wario Land 3 | |
 March 21, 2000[?]Game Boy Color | InWario Land 3, Wario visits a cave and discovers amusic box. Upon winding it, Wario gets teleported to adifferent world. Here, he meets an oracle who informs him that he has to save the world from hordes of monsters. After defeating these monsters, the oracle reveals himself to beRudy. Wario defeats Rudy and all the monsters return to being citizens, who thank Wario for saving them. Wario is teleported back to the normal world. The game was later released for Nintendo 3DS through Virtual Console, initially in 2013. It is also included inGame Boy - Nintendo Switch Online, released in 2023. |
| Wario Land 4 | |
 August 21, 2001[?]Game Boy Advance | InWario Land 4, the story begins with Wario driving his car in the desert looking for a legendary treasure he read about in a newspaper. Deep within a jungle, Wario discovers theGolden Pyramid, where he encounters ablack cat who leads him inside the pyramid. Throughout the game, Wario faces five bosses who guard the evil ruler of the pyramid, theGolden Diva. After defeating the Golden Diva, Wario learns that the cat, which led him inside the pyramid was in factPrincess Shokora, who was cursed by the Golden Diva. Princess Shokora, now with the Golden Diva defeated, turns back into her human self and thanks Wario. The game was later released for Nintendo 3DS andWii U through Virtual Console, though the former release is exclusive to theNintendo 3DS Ambassador Program. It was added toGame Boy Advance - Nintendo Switch Online in 2025. |
| Wario Land: Shake It! | |
 July 24, 2008[?]Wii | The latestWario Land game,Wario Land: Shake It! is a 2D scroller, featuring interesting game mechanics, which involve using theWii Remote to perform a variety of actions. The game sees the return of Captain Syrup, who tricks Wario into saving theShake Dimension from the sinisterShake King, and retrieving theBottomless Coin Sack, which Syrup desires for herself. The game was later released for Wii U throughNintendo eShop in 2016. |
Spin-off games
The following game is inspired by theWario Land series, but is not part of it.
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Cover, original release and system | Synopsis |
| Wario World | |
  June 20, 2003[?]Nintendo GameCube | Wario's 3D adventure isWario World, developed byTreasure for theNintendo GameCube. Wario is having a relaxing time at his castle, when an evil gem, called the "Black Jewel," suddenly awakens, destroys his castle, and turns all of his treasures into monsters. Wario travels through four strange worlds to defeat all of the enemies, claim back his treasures, and destroy the Black Jewel to regain control of his castle. In the process, he must also rescue theSpritelings, the creatures that had sealed the Black Jewel away in the past; during the ending, they rebuild the castle, with the quality thereof depending on how many Wario rescued during his adventure. |
Other related games
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Cover, original release, and system | Plot synopsis |
| Wario: Master of Disguise | |
 January 18, 2007[?]Nintendo DS | Wario: Master of Disguise, developed bySUZAK Inc. for the Nintendo DS, is another platformer starring Wario, in which he advances through levels by taking advantage of eight forms that he is able to switch between with the help of a disguise-changing wand,Goodstyle, which he steals from its previous owner, the master thiefCount Cannoli. While the game has never been directly stated to be part of theWario Land series, Count Cannoli'sspirit inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate is listed as originating from theWario Land series. Additionally, the game's director, Yukata Hirata, has stated in an interview that the game's structure was based on that seen in previously releasedWario Land games.[1] The game was later released for Wii U via Virtual Console, initially in 2015. |
Gameplay
- “Everyone wants a piece of Wario. It seems that someone is always out to steal his treasure or just ruin his day. The temperamental hero is terrorized, transformed, and taken to the cleaners. Will he fight back or howl like a kicked dog?”
- —Nintendo Power Issue #106, March 1998
The gameplay of theWario Land series can be split in three groups.
The gameplay of the first twoWario Land games,Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 andVirtual Boy Wario Land, bear more similarities toSuper Mario Bros. than do subsequentWario Land games. TheseWario Land games have floating blocks much like? Blocks that containcoins, helmets, or hearts (collecting 100 coins grants Wario a1-Up). Helmets give Wario new abilities, such asthe ability to fly orpound the ground. If Wario touches an enemy, he will take damage, lose his helmets, orshrink down in size. All levels have aTime Limit.
InWario Land II andWario Land 3, floating blocks are gone, as are level time limits. Wario has no hit points and cannot die, but touching an enemy stuns Wario, knocking him backward. Some enemies don't stun Wario but transform him in one of several ways, these transformations replacing the helmets of the first two games; for example, if he is crushed by something heavy, he will beflattened. Wario's transformations can help him complete the level.Puffy Wario, for example, can float through the air, allowing Wario to access areas that he is unable to reach.
InWario Land 4 andWario Land: Shake It!, Wario now has hit points and can die. If Wario takes damage, he will lose a heart. If Wario takes damage when he has only one heart left, he is kicked out of the level and he loses everything that he collects in the level up to that point. However, Wario can't get aGame Over. Wario's transformations are still in the games, but are less prominent. Levels are still without time limits, though one commences after hitting aswitch (inWario Land 4) or shaking aMerfle Barrel (inWario Land: Shake It!). If Wario returns to the start of the level in time, the level is cleared. InWario Land 4, if the timer reaches zero, Wario loses thecoins he has collected until none remain. When Wario has no coins left, he is sent back to theGolden Pyramid. InWario Land: Shake It! if the timer reaches zero, Wario loses all of his coins and collected items. However, if Wario has reached acheckpoint block, he is sent back to it.
Gallery
Logo used forWario Land: Super Mario Land 3 andVirtual Boy Wario Land
Logo used forWario Land II andWario Land 3
