Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

Wario Land
Box art of Wario Land 2 Box art of Wario Land 2
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Game Boy
Release	21 January 1994 February 1994 13 May 1994
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Single player

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo on the Game Boy in 1994. It is the first video game to feature Wario as both a playable character and the main character, as well as the first appearance of Captain Syrup and her Brown Sugar Pirates, a common villain of Wario's. Despite the Super Mario Land 3 subtitle, Mario has very little to do with this installment in the series.

Game overview

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 starts at the end of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Wario Land features a theme of greed remarkably different from almost all of Nintendo's other franchises- it is the first game Nintendo has made where the main character's cause is decidedly selfish. There are no princesses to save, no world in peril. There is only one goal- for Wario to earn as much money as possible, in an effort to buy his own massive castle and make Mario jealous. The larger the cash total Wario has collected at the end of the game, the better house (and ending) that Wario will receive.

The "Super Mario Land 3" subtitle links the game with the popular Super Mario Land 2; however, the rest of the games in the Wario Land series are not connected to the Super Mario Land series. The game also increases its replay value by including a large hidden treasure chest in some levels. The chests (which can only be accessed by finding a special key placed elsewhere in the level) contain special one-of-a-kind treasures, which would each add a considerable amount to Wario's coin total at the end of the game.

Gameplay

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Wario making a violent entrance, charging into the file menu room.

File:Super Mario Land 3 Wario Land GBC ScreenShot.jpg

Wario Land Game Screenshot

Despite being billed as Super Mario Land 3, Wario Land bears little resemblance to its predecessors, featuring a larger emphasis on "brute force" action and less on puzzle-solving. Wario Land borrows the system of themed Worlds from Super Mario Land 2, but arranges them in a linear route; this allows the game to feature a difficulty curve absent from its non-linear predecessor.

Wario's basic movements in this game reflect the considerable difference that he has from Mario. The most notable difference in gameplay is that Wario (being much tougher than any of the characters on Kitchen Island) doesn't take damage from merely touching an enemy; if he bumps against a foe he instead will knock it over and can carry it. Most enemies wield a weapon; if Wario wants to knock these enemies over, he will have to bump into them from a safe side, not touching their weapon. Indeed, in this game Wario can only be damaged or killed by spikes, projectiles, lava, bottomless pits, getting stuck in a scrolling level, or running out of time.

Movement is also noticeably different from prior Super Mario Land installments. Whereas Mario's jumps are light and precise, Wario's moves are more brutal and blunt. For example, Wario carries over his shoulder-charging body slam move from the prior game, wherein he smashes any nearby enemy clear off the playing field. Wario is also able to crouch, and slowly crawl in a crouching position. He can also jump while crouching, to reach small gaps above the ground. If Wario has at least 10 coins in his possession, he can pull a large coin from his pocket, and use it as a thrown weapon. Doing this costs 10 coins, but Wario can pick up the coin after throwing it.

In addition to his basic move list, the game features a variety of caps that act as powerups for Wario, giving him new abilities. In his "normal" form, he wears a pith helmet. The Jet Cap makes Wario almost twice as fast as usual and allows him to fly for short distances. The Dragon Cap shoots flames from its nose (and shoots a limited beam underwater). Finally, there is a Bull Cap that gives Wario even greater strength, a longer shoulder charge distance, the ability to hang on to the ceiling with the horns, and the ability to do a "butt stomp," which can smash blocks with his weight and shake buried objects out of the ground. Also, Wario can collect a Starman that makes Wario immune to damage from enemies. When Wario takes damage, he shrinks in size, does not wear a hat, and can't do his body slam move. If Wario takes damage while he is small, he'll lose a life.

Areas

Rice Beach - The game's first area, a large beach, as its name would suggest. Most of the area is strewn with various pirate property, such as crates and barrels with a skull stamped on them. After defeating the first boss and leaving this area, Wario will discover that high tide has come in if he returns, changing certain levels so that he can find new things in them. The boss is a Spiked Koopa Troopa.

Mt. Teapot - A giant, teapot-shaped mountain. Its insides are filled with lava, suggesting that it is a volcano. Its "lid" actually floats above it, apparently being a creation of the Syrup Gang and not a natural part of the mountain. The game's only secret area, Sherbet Land, is accessible through this area. The boss is The Big Bull.

Sherbet Land - An ice world, only accessible from a secret exit in Mt. Teapot. From the map screen, it appears as if this area is shaped like a monster's face. This area is notable for the enemy characters that have been permanently frozen into its walls and floors. The boss is a boxing penguin.

Stove Canyon - The game's lava area. Nearly all of the stages are filled with lava, making travel in these areas somewhat tricky. The boss is Big Head, who spits lava rocks.

SS Tea Cup - This area consists of not only the pirate's ship, the SS Tea Cup, but also the surrounding beaches and waters. As such, a good deal of it bears some similarity to the Rice Beach area. The boss is Bobo, a giant bird.

Parsley Woods - Misspelled "Parsely Woods" in-game. A large forest, with several train tracks running through it. Many of the stages take place in or around the area's very large trees. Others take place on moving trains. The boss is a big ghost.

Syrup Castle - The game's final area, and the headquarters of the Syrup Gang. Shaped more like a tower with a skull at the top than the more traditional castles seen elsewhere in the Mario universe. Beating each stage in this area will demolish a bit more of the castle, until the entire thing has been torn down, revealing the Princess' statue inside. The final boss is Captain Syrup and her genie.

Ending

After beating the final boss, Wario escapes the collapsing castle with the boss' magic lamp and finally discovers the statue he has sought after in the game's storyline, only to have it stolen back by Mario in a cameo appearance. However, Wario uses the lamp to conjure the genie he just defeated, who will give Wario a house based on how many coins and treasures the player has collected overall. In ascending order of how much treasure is required, the six houses that can be obtained are as follows:

• Birdhouse (300+ coins)
• Hollow tree trunk (10,072+ coins)
• Log cabin (40,008+ coins)
• Pagoda (70,008+ coins)
• Castle (90,008+ coins)
• Planet (99,999+ coins and all treasure collected)

• Note: Wario receives 300 coins upon beating Captain Syrup, thus this is the least amount of coins possible.

Success and sequels

Wario Land was an attempt to expand the appearance of Wario in Super Mario Land 2 to a starring role and was successful. Wario Land spawned three popular sequels: Wario Land II, Wario Land 3 and Wario Land 4. The popularity of Wario as a starring character stopped him from replacing Bowser as Mario's chief enemy, though he appeared in various Mario titles as a playable character, most notably Mario Party and Super Mario 64 DS. In 2003, Nintendo created Wario Ware, Inc., a new series of games for Wario that featured several very short and simple "microgames" in quick succession.

Credits

Director: Hiroji Kiyotake, Takehiko Hosokawa
Producer: Gunpei Yokoi
Music:Ryoji Yoshitomi, Kozue Ishikawa
Produced and copyrighted by: Nintendo
Graphics: Hizuki Karamuka

Trivia

• A microgame based on this game is featured in Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. It involves picking up an enemy and throwing it at either another enemy or blocks.
• Totaka's Song can be found in this game. The song has been found in the games soundtrack but the method for accessing it is yet unknown.

External links

• Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 at MobyGames