Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 Reviews

Super Mario Land 2 was a great Gameboy game, so where could they go from here? How about handing over the franchise to an entirely different character who plays pretty differently from Mario as well? The villain from the second game stars in his own game, with an entirely unique setting that will end up being the norm for a completely new franchise. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I absolutely love the unique themeing the Super Mario Land series has. In this case, an entire island designed after food and kitchen objects. I love it, and I love the good amount of unique stages as well. They are slightly more exploration-based, a gameplay style that will be the staple for the games that came after. They can also change depending on story progression, giving the same stage you played before an entirely new way to play through! There is still a good amount of platforming, but like Super Mario Land 2 the stages aren't just simple horizontal planes. Wario also brings his own moveset to the table, being able to charge into enemies, pick them up and throw them and use a variety of power-ups. Wario controls very well, and the power-ups especially are fun to mess around with. His hat can turn into a jet to fly ahead, or a dragon to spit fire which I used a lot personally due to how good it is. There are several pretty annoying enemies throughout the game, and I'm glad the Dragon Hat can take those out pretty easily. Those power-ups are also used in stages to discover secrets and alternate exits, for better or worse. I personally don't mind it, but I can understand the frustration that people may have if they can't proceed to an area they want to go without having the respective power-up equipped. Several stages have treasures hidden in them, which all lead to one of many endings you can achieve in this game. There are also a good amount of alternate exits leading to different stages. My favourite being that there is an entire world that is completely optional, only out there for the explorative people. Boss battles are for the most part also good. They do not change patterns throughout the entire fight which is a slight negative, but other than that they are fun. I don't really have any negatives to mention; Wario Land is just a really fun game and an absolute recommendation for your Gameboy collection!