''Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3'' is a 1994
platform game
A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
developed by
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
for the
Game Boy
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
. It is the first video game to feature
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' series, designed as an Arch rival, arch-rival to Mario. He first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy game ''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins'' as the main antagonist and final Bos ...
as both a playable character and the main character, as well as the first appearance of
Captain Syrup and her Brown Sugar Pirates, recurring villains in the ''Wario Land'' series.
The game was then later released for the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
's
Virtual Console service via the
Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was en ...
on which it gained positive reviews from critics.
Gameplay
''Wario Land'' features gameplay markedly different from the previous two games in the ''Super Mario Land'' series. The game takes place on a route through several themed areas, which are split into several courses culminating in a boss fight. Wario is able to jump on or bump into enemies to knock them over. Enemies thus stunned can be picked up and thrown at other enemies. When in his grown form, Wario is also able to perform a shoulder charge, which is used to attack enemies, break through blocks and open hidden treasure chests.
There are additionally three unique helmets that Wario can obtain, with their own abilities. The Bull Helmet increases Wario's strength and doubles the length of his shoulder charge attack, allowing him to smash through blocks more easily. It also gives Wario the abilities to stick onto ceilings and perform a "butt stomp" into the ground which stuns nearby enemies and breaks through blocks underneath him. The Jet Helmet increases Wario's running speed and lets him fly in purely horizontal directions in the air, as well as to shoulder charge underwater. Finally, the Dragon Helmet lets Wario shoot long-ranged bursts of flames both on land and underwater, which destroy enemies and blocks on contact. This attack replaces his shoulder charge so long as he wears the Dragon Helmet. Players can also collect a
Starman
''StarMan'' is a 1996 fantasy novel by Australian writer Sara Douglass. It follows the second book in the series, '' Enchanter'', with Axis marching north with his army to confront a formidable enemy.
Background
''StarMan'' was first published ...
to gain temporary invincibility. If Wario takes damage from an opponent or obstacle, he will shrink, losing his shoulder charge move, and will remain small until he collects a clove of garlic, a helmet, or reaches the end of the level. If Wario is hit while small, or is hit by an instant kill obstacle, such as pits or lava, he will lose a life and all the coins he had collected in that level.
Unlike the ''
Super Mario
(also known as and ) is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every m ...
'' series, in which coins are typically used to earn extra lives, coins in this game are instead used as currency. They can be earned by collecting them, finding them in blocks, or shoulder charging enemies. If Wario has acquired 10 or more coins in a level, he can pull out a 10-coin piece, which he can throw at enemies, and pick up again if desired. They can also be spent to open level exits, or activate
checkpoints
Checkpoint may refer to:
Places
* Border checkpoint, a place on the land border between two states where travellers and/or goods are inspected
* Security checkpoint, erected and enforced within contiguous areas under military or paramilitary cont ...
. Extra lives are earned by collecting heart points, which are earned by defeating enemies or collecting Hearts, with an extra life earned for every 100 points. At the end of each level, the player can choose to either gamble the coins they have collected in the level in a game of chance, or spend them to try and earn heart points.
Certain levels contain a locked treasure room, each of which contains a unique treasure. To acquire the treasure the player must find the key in the level, carry it to the treasure room (Wario cannot use helmet abilities or the shoulder charge while carrying the key), break open the treasure chest, take the treasure, and finish the level. Upon finishing the game, each treasure the player has acquired is traded in for a set amount of coins. Even the least valuable treasure is worth roughly as much coins as the player would normally acquire over the entire game. The game's ending varies according to how many total coins the player has.
Plot
After being ejected from
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
's castle in
the previous game, Wario resolves to get his own castle, one even bigger and more impressive than Mario's. To fund this extravagant dream, he travels to Kitchen Island, where the Brown Sugar Pirates have hidden many treasures and coins, including a golden statue of
Princess Peach
is a fictional character in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the 1985 original ''Super Mario Bros.'' installment. She is the princess regnant and ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, where she resides in ...
, stolen from the Mushroom Kingdom. Wario intends to retrieve this statue and sell it back to Mario for the price of a castle. After exploring the island, stealing the pirates' treasures, and infiltrating their Syrup Castle, Wario confronts the leader of the pirates, a female buccaneer named Captain Syrup. She summons a
genie
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic mytho ...
to destroy Wario, but he defeats the genie and Syrup destroys the castle with a large bomb as she escapes. In doing so, the pirates' biggest treasure is revealed: the giant gold statue of Princess Peach. However, Mario appears in a helicopter, thanks Wario and takes the statue away in front of his eyes.
Still holding the genie's lamp, Wario summons the genie and wishes for a castle. The genie tells him that he requires money to grant his wish, and so Wario gives him all the coins the player has collected over the course of the game, plus trades in all the found treasures for more coins. Exactly how well the genie grants Wario's wish depends on the final amount of coins he is given: Wario can get (from best to worst outcome) a castle, a Chinese pagoda, a log cabin, a treehouse, or a tiny birdhouse. If the player collects all the treasures and has enough coins to reach the 99,999 limit, the genie will give Wario an entire planet with his face etched on its surface.
Release
Originally released for the
Game Boy
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
on January 21, 1994 in Japan and from March 13 to May 13 in North America and Europe, the game was later re-released on the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
's
eShop
The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was ena ...
Virtual Console
A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
download service in Japan on December 14, 2011, Europe on February 16, 2012 and North America on July 26, 2012. The game can be downloaded along with its predecessors, ''
Super Mario Land
''Super Mario Land'' is a 1989 side-scrolling platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch game for its Game Boy handheld game console. It is the first ''Mario'' platform game to have been released for a handheld cons ...
'' and ''
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins''.
Reception
In the United States, it was the top-selling Game Boy game in
March 1994 and April 1994.
By 1997, units had been sold worldwide.
''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
''s Ben Reeves called it the 13th best Game Boy game and called it the most successful spin-off from the ''Mario'' series. In the United Kingdom, it was the top-selling Game Boy game for three months
in 1994, from May to July.
''
GamePro
Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' named it the best Game Boy game at the 1994
Consumer Electronics Show
CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typi ...
, praising the new
power-up
In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen ...
s and the multiple endings. In their later review, they deemed the game "faster, more challenging, and more fun than its hand-held predecessors." They particularly commented that the backgrounds were not as cluttered as in the previous games, making the action easier to follow, that the music was less obtrusive, and that the sprites were better detailed. The four reviewers of ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' gave it a unanimous 7 out of 10, criticizing that the game is too easy but praising the new power-ups and strong graphics.
Power Unlimited
''Power Unlimited'' is a Dutch multi-format video games magazine. It is the biggest gaming magazine in the Benelux. The first issue was released in June 1993.
History
''Power Unlimited'' started in June 1993 in Bjørn Bruinsma's basement as a n ...
gave the game a review score of 85% writing: "Super addictive, long and varied and therefore a worthy successor to the first two super successful parts of Super Mario Land."
''
Pocket Gamer
''Pocket Gamer'' is a video game website that focuses on mobile, portable and handheld games. The site launched in 2005 and is published and owned by UK company Steel Media Ltd. The site covers all major portable and mobile gaming formats, incl ...
'' awarded the Virtual Console re-release a 9 out of 10, insisting that "''this is a Nintendo classic that you must play – especially if you never have before.''" ''
Nintendo Life
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...
'' similarly awarded the game 9 out of 10, praising the game as being "some of the best platforming the Game Boy system has to offer."
Legacy
''Wario Land'', the sequel to ''
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins'', was designed to promote Wario to a starring role and expand the Mario universe. ''Wario Land'' spawned five popular sequels: ''
Virtual Boy Wario Land'', ''
Wario Land II'', ''
Wario Land 3
''Wario Land 3'' is a 2000 video game released for the Game Boy Color. In it, Mario's archrival Wario must free a mysterious figure who is trapped inside a music box. It was a critical and commercial success, and was followed by ''Wario Land 4'' ...
'', ''
Wario Land 4
''Wario Land 4'' is a 2001 platform game developed by Nintendo and released for the Game Boy Advance. Wario has to gather four treasures to unlock a pyramid and save Princess Shokora from the Golden Diva.
Gameplay
The gameplay of ''Wario Land ...
'', and ''
Wario Land: Shake It!''. Other ''Wario'' titles have been released following the success of ''Wario Land'', including ''
Wario World
''Wario World'' is a 3D platform game developed by Treasure and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. The game's plot centers on Wario and his quest to regain his treasure and his castle from the evil gem, Black Jewel.
The game was fairly w ...
'', ''
Wario: Master of Disguise'', and the
''WarioWare Inc.'' series.
Several ''Mario'' spin-off titles have referenced the original ''Wario Land''. In ''
Mario's Super Picross
is a Super Famicom sequel to '' Mario's Picross''. The game is compatible with the Super Famicom Mouse. Developed by Jupiter and Ape and published by Nintendo.
After the failure of '' Mario's Picross'' in North America, Nintendo decided not ...
'', Bull Wario, Dragon Wario, and Small Wario appear in the background of the Wario stage selection screens. Subsequently, in ''
Picross 2
''Mario's Picross'' is a 1995 puzzle video game for the Game Boy. Developed by Jupiter (company), Jupiter and Creatures (company), Ape and published by Nintendo, it is a compilation of nonogram logic puzzles. The game stars Mario who chisels awa ...
'', Wario is depicted wearing his
safari helmet that was introduced in this title. Similarly, Wario's
Amiibo
(, ; officially stylized as amiibo; plural: ''Amiibo'') is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Ninten ...
board map in ''
Mario Party 10
is a 2015 party video game. Developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, it is the tenth main installment in the ''Mario Party'' series and the first game in the series since ''Mario Party 4'' to have Donkey Kong as a playable c ...
'' features his safari helmet as a background element. And finally, in ''
Mario Kart 7
''Mario Kart 7'' is a kart racing video game developed by Nintendo EAD in cooperation with Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS in 2011.
As with the previous games in the ''Mario Kart'' series, players participate ...
'', Wario's bull transformation appears as a billboard on the Wario Shipyard racetrack. Additionally, the music track of this course is based on the main theme of ''Wario Land''.
Notes
References
External links
Official website
*
at NinDB
*
{{Portal bar, Video games, 1990s
1994 video games
Nintendo Research & Development 1 games
Game Boy games
Platform games
Super Mario Land
Video game sequels
Virtual Console games
Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS
Video games about genies
Video games about pirates
Video games developed in Japan
Video games produced by Gunpei Yokoi
Video games set on fictional islands
Wario Land
Single-player video games
Video games with alternate endings