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The History of Wario: Part 2
Everything you want to know about Wario. The final part of our in-depth series.
May 22, 2008 | 3:23 PM PSTDidn't read part one of our in-depth History of Wario series? Click here to get up to speed!
Battered, Beaten, Never Defeated
After enough fun (and spoiling others' fun), Wario rolled up his sleeves and got back to work doing what he does best: gathering treasure. With all his success up to this point, he surely must have felt invincible... which lead to a most interesting evolution in gameplay.
Rewinding things a little to 1998, before Nintendo became notorious for the frequent release of various Mario-branded offshoots such as those named above, Wario embarked on a new quest. Or rather, a new quest came to him, as Wario Land II for the Game Boy hit store shelves, with obnoxiously-loud box art and minus the Super Mario Land subtitle. On a small, familiarly-shaped island, day breaks on the castle Wario earned at the end of his first adventure, finding the anti-hero sound asleep in his bed. As he slumbers, a group of thieves known sneak into the castle, snatch Wario's treasure, and worst of all, leave the faucets running until the place is flooded. The thieves, known as the Black Sugar Gang (or alternately, the Black Sugar Pirates), lead by his old nemesis Captain Syrup make off with the goods while Wario has a wet awakening.
In the last first-party title released for Nintendo's legendary handheld (and re-released for the Game Boy Color in 1999), Wario's adventure bears a slightly new look (his shirt now being short-sleeved, revealing that Wario's as much muscle as fat) and new innovation as the titular anti-hero is now indestructible: Enemies no longer hurt him, but instead change Wario's status, be it for better or for worse. For example, being force-fed fruit by one foe could fatten Wario up even more than usual, allowing his weighty bulk to break through weak floors; conversely, that same bulk could also prohibit him from fitting through a small passage, which meant that Wario would sometimes have to be careful of what transformations he allowed to take place.
Instead of losing lives in this new system, Wario would instead lose coins when hurt, which would impede his progress should he find himself unable to afford to play the minigames which offer treasures and maps. Like its predecessor, Wario Land II had a relative non-linearity to it, and the first completion of the game allows Wario to find secret exits and hidden treasures on a map, all of which would contribute to a 100% score, different cut-scene progression, and finding "The Really Final Chapter." Upon its release, the game was highly praised for its inventiveness, its "fresh spin" on the platforming genre, and other attributes.
Wario's adventures continued in 2000's Wario Land 3 for the Game Boy Color, which brought more advanced graphics than WLII. It followed closely in the footsteps of Wario Land II's gameplay, most notably in the "indestructible" gameplay mechanic. However, this sequel differed in allowing a more free-roaming map for exploration, showing changes in day and night that would affect the levels, and allowing Wario to acquire more abilities as the game progressed; whereas he would start the game with fewer abilities than in Wario Land II, his arsenal would surpass it by the end.
In Wario Land 3, Wario's plane stalls and crash-lands as he's flying over some woods, leading to some exploration and the discovery of a music box within a cave. The box sucks Wario in, and the former ruler of that realm explains how an evil being sealed away his powers in the four different worlds of the music box, each containing numerous stages. He offers in exchange for his services to return Wario to his own world, and if that weren't incentive enough, he can keep any treasure he finds. And once again, Wario's outing would gain praise from the critics, making the franchise something of a Nintendo staple of the time.
Wario, Advanced
2001 saw the debut of Nintendo's newest handheld, the Game Boy Advance. Packing 32-bits of power (but no backlight), the new portable far surpassed Nintendo's previous pocket-sized game machines. Though it launched with a redefined version of Super Mario Bros. 2 known as Super Mario Advance, it wasn't long before Wario found himself back in action, seeking out a mysterious pyramid deep in the jungle. To get there, the game introduced the Wario Car, a classic-styled purple automobile with a twisted Wario aesthetic which has become associated with the character ever since. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, it's said that the Wario Car's top speed is 280 miles, but had to be tuned down to compete in the races.
Wario's quest in the pyramid once again has him seeking out more riches, and finds him engaged in battles throughout, occasionally aided bay character who resembles Mr. Game & Watch. After six areas with four levels apiece, he ultimately rescues a princess who had been locked away some thousands of years ago, before heading back home, treasure in tow.
The gameplay diverges from its two prequels by making Wario invincible no longer; while he can still be affected by enemy attacks to trigger transformations, he has to mind his hit points lest he finds himself knocked out of the stage. A new challenge is presented upon reaching the end of some stages, wherein a frog switch must be activated with a key, after which Wario must race back to the start of the stage, lest he starts to lose his hard-earned cash.
Wario Land 4, while not pushing the limits of Nintendo's then-new handheld, was still lauded by critics for well thought-out design and replayability. It also spawned a licensed choose-your-own-adventure type book by Scholastic, and is said to share the same engine with the later Game Boy Advance releases, Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission. The game was even referenced in an episode of Fox's "Grounded for Life" sitcom.
Wario, Where?
After four straight years of adventuring, Wario took something of a break from adventuring, and most of the gaming scene in general. With only odd appearances made in such games as Mario Party 4 for Nintendo's newly-released GameCube console, as well as a shot in the Game Boy Advance title Game & Watch Gallery 4, some wondered what was next for Mario's shattered reflection. But in 2003, Wario would find himself redesigned and redefined and a newer, more distinct entity.
The middle of the year would see fans of his greediness hit with a double-dose of Wario wackiness. The first game came for the Game Boy Advance, and was like no other Wario title to have come before it. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! follows the round one as he again attempts to make more money. But rather than risking life and limb for it, he sees how well video games are selling, and figures if they can do it... why not? However, making games isn't all fun and games; there's hard work involved, and for that part of it, Wario recruits a number of friends (wait, he has friends?) from around Diamond City to make as many games as possible, each influenced by their designer's own unique personality and tastes.
Of course, the longer a game is, the longer it takes to make, and the longer games take to make, the fewer of them are likely to be made. So in order to optimize production, WarioWare, Inc. opted to create the "Mega Microgames" of the title-- five seconds long each. Instructions? That takes money; "figure it out yourself," a mantra many gamers have upheld over the years becomes a chief game mechanic as players are given a very simple demand, usually consisting of a single verb, and they have to figure out what it means and perform the task before the five seconds is up. And perhaps in the interest of saving even more money, many of the sound effects for WarioWare come from Wario's previous romp in Wario Land 4.
Wario may be overweight and not particularly model-handsome, but apparently he still has enough brains to do what it takes to make money: WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! won numerous awards and high scores, and continues to be popular with many iterations, including a GameCube port of the original title called WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! in 2004.
As noted, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! saw the character very much redefined, and not just by genre. The new title also gave him new attire, wherein he dresses more like a biker, with goggles and a yellow helmet with his initial emblazoned upon it, a torn denim biker vest with a dark blue shirt underneath, some yellow fingerless gloves with yet more W's adorning them, a pair of pink pants strenuously held up by a belt, and blue shoes instead of green-- but still pointed, of course. "Biker Wario," as some refer to him in this outfit, was no longer a palette-swapped mockery of Mario, but appeared as a character in his own right.
In addition to a new look, Wario also gained a new ensemble of friends from across Diamond City. Among them are the disco dancing Jimmy T, love interest Mona, grade-school Nintendo fanatic 9-volt, taxi-driving dog and cat pair Dribble and Spitz, the kindergarten ninja twins Kat and Ana (how does Wario have so many gradeschool friends?), the alien Orbulon, and the mad scientist Dr. Crygor.
Speaking of Dr. Crygor, what is a biker without a bike? WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! introduced yet another vehicle to Wario's fleet, the Wario Bike, also referred to as the Wario Chopper, a special motorcycle created by the twisted scientist. In an interesting bit of continuity, Crygor is also the one who created the Wario Car seen in Wario Land 4, and this newest ride shares the same sense of power as its four-wheeled counterpart: 5,000cc, 4-stroke, and a 350HP engine, capable of going 217 miles per hour... but can only get 5 miles to the gallon, as it's such a gas guzzler.
With all this behind him, Wario finally, truly stepped out from Mario's shadow.
It's His World; You Just Play In It
Of course, that wouldn't be the last players would see of classic Wario. While R&D1 took their creation in a whole new direction, popular developer Treasure (creators of titles such as Gunstar Heroes and Astro Boy: The Omega Factor) had the opportunity to create a more traditional Wario title for the Nintendo GameCube.
Known as Wario World, the game was Wario's first starring role on a home console, rather than a heldheld system, and saw Wario back in his original duds (save for the short sleeves introduced in Wario Land II) and back in his castle, adding a newly-stolen Black Jewel to his pile of riches. Unfortunately for him, that latest acquisition was alive, a sentient jewel that was capable of bringing the rest of Wario's vast wealth to life, and splitting the castle into four worlds the greedy one would have to topple if he wanted his castle and treasure back the way it was.
The main fault found in the game by critics was for how brief it was, as each of the four worlds was divided into two levels, each with their own boss, a world boss battle, and the final boss battle with the Black Jewel. While a 3D platformer of sorts, Wario's main focus was on battling enemies through relatively linear levels which allowed 3D movement, with the occasional trapdoor leading to additional, optional treasures. Wario gained some new moves to supplant his usual transformations and power-ups, now able to spin enemies or piledrive them explosively into the ground, and suck up any resulting treasure into his massive jaws, which he would need if faced with death. No money = game over.
And for those players who would go above and beyond, an extra treat was available in the form of 10 WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! demos, though said player would also need a Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable.
Unfortunately, Wario World also heralded a new character development for Wario, as he moved from simply greedy and egotistical into the realm of disgusting, as promo art for the game depicted him picking his nose and bizarre cross-sections of his anatomy. It would become the start of a trend which would only escalate over the years.
Touching is Good, Greed is Good, It's All Good
Eight years after the Nintendo 64 launched with solo-Mario adventure Super Mario 64, Nintendo launched a new, equally-capable handheld known as the Nintendo DS. And with it came a revision of the game that helped launch the Nintendo 64, known now as Super Mario 64 DS.
More than a mere port of the nearly decade-old masterpiece, Super Mario 64 DS brought a lot more to the party. Enhanced graphics, minigames, a map screen, and multiplayer lead the new features, followed by 30 more Power Stars to acquire throughout the castle, which lead to new levels and bosses being included as well. All together, it might just be more than one heroic plumber can handle. And so with a little revisionist history, changes were made so that Mario wouldn't have to tackle this adventure alone.
The story starts out much as it did in the original, with Princess Peach inviting Mario to the castle for some cake. Or "cake," for all the paparazzo types out there. This time, however, Mario doesn't arrive by himself, as brother Luigi and of course, rival Wario tag along. The three head for the castle, where Yoshi is sleeping on the roof, just as he was in the N64 original. However, this time Yoshi finds himself waking up down on the ground to the voice of the Lakitu cameraman, who informs him that Mario and the others haven't been seen in some time, leaving it to the daring dino to rescue his friends, and together, find all the missing Power Stars, face Bowser, and free Princess Peach from her imprisonment.
Wario is the last of the overall-clad bunch to be found, and as it happens, he brings the most power to the party, although his movements are slower and his jumps weaker than the others. By gaining the new Power Flower power-up, which exhibits a different effect on each hero, Wario is able to become Metal Wario, an invincible powerhouse who is unaffected by the buoyant effects of watery areas. And in addition to intimidating the various Toads trapped in the walls of the castle whenever he speaks to them, he can make the Toad from Super Mario Bros. 2 blush with his enormous feats of strength, capable of lifting the Big Bob-omb on the opening course's mountaintop and hurling him across the valley below.
In addition to a playable Wario, Yoshi is capable of donning each of the other character's hats, which transforms him into that character, complete with abilities and attributes, which is key to the multiplayer battle mode. And as a minigame master, Wario also brings a number of his own unique minigames to the title, though fortunately, these last longer than five seconds.
Battered, Beaten, Never Defeated
After enough fun (and spoiling others' fun), Wario rolled up his sleeves and got back to work doing what he does best: gathering treasure. With all his success up to this point, he surely must have felt invincible... which lead to a most interesting evolution in gameplay.
Rewinding things a little to 1998, before Nintendo became notorious for the frequent release of various Mario-branded offshoots such as those named above, Wario embarked on a new quest. Or rather, a new quest came to him, as Wario Land II for the Game Boy hit store shelves, with obnoxiously-loud box art and minus the Super Mario Land subtitle. On a small, familiarly-shaped island, day breaks on the castle Wario earned at the end of his first adventure, finding the anti-hero sound asleep in his bed. As he slumbers, a group of thieves known sneak into the castle, snatch Wario's treasure, and worst of all, leave the faucets running until the place is flooded. The thieves, known as the Black Sugar Gang (or alternately, the Black Sugar Pirates), lead by his old nemesis Captain Syrup make off with the goods while Wario has a wet awakening.
In the last first-party title released for Nintendo's legendary handheld (and re-released for the Game Boy Color in 1999), Wario's adventure bears a slightly new look (his shirt now being short-sleeved, revealing that Wario's as much muscle as fat) and new innovation as the titular anti-hero is now indestructible: Enemies no longer hurt him, but instead change Wario's status, be it for better or for worse. For example, being force-fed fruit by one foe could fatten Wario up even more than usual, allowing his weighty bulk to break through weak floors; conversely, that same bulk could also prohibit him from fitting through a small passage, which meant that Wario would sometimes have to be careful of what transformations he allowed to take place.
Instead of losing lives in this new system, Wario would instead lose coins when hurt, which would impede his progress should he find himself unable to afford to play the minigames which offer treasures and maps. Like its predecessor, Wario Land II had a relative non-linearity to it, and the first completion of the game allows Wario to find secret exits and hidden treasures on a map, all of which would contribute to a 100% score, different cut-scene progression, and finding "The Really Final Chapter." Upon its release, the game was highly praised for its inventiveness, its "fresh spin" on the platforming genre, and other attributes.
Wario's adventures continued in 2000's Wario Land 3 for the Game Boy Color, which brought more advanced graphics than WLII. It followed closely in the footsteps of Wario Land II's gameplay, most notably in the "indestructible" gameplay mechanic. However, this sequel differed in allowing a more free-roaming map for exploration, showing changes in day and night that would affect the levels, and allowing Wario to acquire more abilities as the game progressed; whereas he would start the game with fewer abilities than in Wario Land II, his arsenal would surpass it by the end.
In Wario Land 3, Wario's plane stalls and crash-lands as he's flying over some woods, leading to some exploration and the discovery of a music box within a cave. The box sucks Wario in, and the former ruler of that realm explains how an evil being sealed away his powers in the four different worlds of the music box, each containing numerous stages. He offers in exchange for his services to return Wario to his own world, and if that weren't incentive enough, he can keep any treasure he finds. And once again, Wario's outing would gain praise from the critics, making the franchise something of a Nintendo staple of the time.
Wario, Advanced
2001 saw the debut of Nintendo's newest handheld, the Game Boy Advance. Packing 32-bits of power (but no backlight), the new portable far surpassed Nintendo's previous pocket-sized game machines. Though it launched with a redefined version of Super Mario Bros. 2 known as Super Mario Advance, it wasn't long before Wario found himself back in action, seeking out a mysterious pyramid deep in the jungle. To get there, the game introduced the Wario Car, a classic-styled purple automobile with a twisted Wario aesthetic which has become associated with the character ever since. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, it's said that the Wario Car's top speed is 280 miles, but had to be tuned down to compete in the races.
Wario's quest in the pyramid once again has him seeking out more riches, and finds him engaged in battles throughout, occasionally aided bay character who resembles Mr. Game & Watch. After six areas with four levels apiece, he ultimately rescues a princess who had been locked away some thousands of years ago, before heading back home, treasure in tow.
The gameplay diverges from its two prequels by making Wario invincible no longer; while he can still be affected by enemy attacks to trigger transformations, he has to mind his hit points lest he finds himself knocked out of the stage. A new challenge is presented upon reaching the end of some stages, wherein a frog switch must be activated with a key, after which Wario must race back to the start of the stage, lest he starts to lose his hard-earned cash.
Wario Land 4, while not pushing the limits of Nintendo's then-new handheld, was still lauded by critics for well thought-out design and replayability. It also spawned a licensed choose-your-own-adventure type book by Scholastic, and is said to share the same engine with the later Game Boy Advance releases, Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission. The game was even referenced in an episode of Fox's "Grounded for Life" sitcom.
Wario, Where?
After four straight years of adventuring, Wario took something of a break from adventuring, and most of the gaming scene in general. With only odd appearances made in such games as Mario Party 4 for Nintendo's newly-released GameCube console, as well as a shot in the Game Boy Advance title Game & Watch Gallery 4, some wondered what was next for Mario's shattered reflection. But in 2003, Wario would find himself redesigned and redefined and a newer, more distinct entity.
The middle of the year would see fans of his greediness hit with a double-dose of Wario wackiness. The first game came for the Game Boy Advance, and was like no other Wario title to have come before it. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! follows the round one as he again attempts to make more money. But rather than risking life and limb for it, he sees how well video games are selling, and figures if they can do it... why not? However, making games isn't all fun and games; there's hard work involved, and for that part of it, Wario recruits a number of friends (wait, he has friends?) from around Diamond City to make as many games as possible, each influenced by their designer's own unique personality and tastes.
Of course, the longer a game is, the longer it takes to make, and the longer games take to make, the fewer of them are likely to be made. So in order to optimize production, WarioWare, Inc. opted to create the "Mega Microgames" of the title-- five seconds long each. Instructions? That takes money; "figure it out yourself," a mantra many gamers have upheld over the years becomes a chief game mechanic as players are given a very simple demand, usually consisting of a single verb, and they have to figure out what it means and perform the task before the five seconds is up. And perhaps in the interest of saving even more money, many of the sound effects for WarioWare come from Wario's previous romp in Wario Land 4.
Wario may be overweight and not particularly model-handsome, but apparently he still has enough brains to do what it takes to make money: WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! won numerous awards and high scores, and continues to be popular with many iterations, including a GameCube port of the original title called WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! in 2004.
As noted, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! saw the character very much redefined, and not just by genre. The new title also gave him new attire, wherein he dresses more like a biker, with goggles and a yellow helmet with his initial emblazoned upon it, a torn denim biker vest with a dark blue shirt underneath, some yellow fingerless gloves with yet more W's adorning them, a pair of pink pants strenuously held up by a belt, and blue shoes instead of green-- but still pointed, of course. "Biker Wario," as some refer to him in this outfit, was no longer a palette-swapped mockery of Mario, but appeared as a character in his own right.
In addition to a new look, Wario also gained a new ensemble of friends from across Diamond City. Among them are the disco dancing Jimmy T, love interest Mona, grade-school Nintendo fanatic 9-volt, taxi-driving dog and cat pair Dribble and Spitz, the kindergarten ninja twins Kat and Ana (how does Wario have so many gradeschool friends?), the alien Orbulon, and the mad scientist Dr. Crygor.
Speaking of Dr. Crygor, what is a biker without a bike? WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! introduced yet another vehicle to Wario's fleet, the Wario Bike, also referred to as the Wario Chopper, a special motorcycle created by the twisted scientist. In an interesting bit of continuity, Crygor is also the one who created the Wario Car seen in Wario Land 4, and this newest ride shares the same sense of power as its four-wheeled counterpart: 5,000cc, 4-stroke, and a 350HP engine, capable of going 217 miles per hour... but can only get 5 miles to the gallon, as it's such a gas guzzler.
With all this behind him, Wario finally, truly stepped out from Mario's shadow.
It's His World; You Just Play In It
Of course, that wouldn't be the last players would see of classic Wario. While R&D1 took their creation in a whole new direction, popular developer Treasure (creators of titles such as Gunstar Heroes and Astro Boy: The Omega Factor) had the opportunity to create a more traditional Wario title for the Nintendo GameCube.
Known as Wario World, the game was Wario's first starring role on a home console, rather than a heldheld system, and saw Wario back in his original duds (save for the short sleeves introduced in Wario Land II) and back in his castle, adding a newly-stolen Black Jewel to his pile of riches. Unfortunately for him, that latest acquisition was alive, a sentient jewel that was capable of bringing the rest of Wario's vast wealth to life, and splitting the castle into four worlds the greedy one would have to topple if he wanted his castle and treasure back the way it was.
The main fault found in the game by critics was for how brief it was, as each of the four worlds was divided into two levels, each with their own boss, a world boss battle, and the final boss battle with the Black Jewel. While a 3D platformer of sorts, Wario's main focus was on battling enemies through relatively linear levels which allowed 3D movement, with the occasional trapdoor leading to additional, optional treasures. Wario gained some new moves to supplant his usual transformations and power-ups, now able to spin enemies or piledrive them explosively into the ground, and suck up any resulting treasure into his massive jaws, which he would need if faced with death. No money = game over.
And for those players who would go above and beyond, an extra treat was available in the form of 10 WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! demos, though said player would also need a Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable.
Unfortunately, Wario World also heralded a new character development for Wario, as he moved from simply greedy and egotistical into the realm of disgusting, as promo art for the game depicted him picking his nose and bizarre cross-sections of his anatomy. It would become the start of a trend which would only escalate over the years.
Touching is Good, Greed is Good, It's All Good
Eight years after the Nintendo 64 launched with solo-Mario adventure Super Mario 64, Nintendo launched a new, equally-capable handheld known as the Nintendo DS. And with it came a revision of the game that helped launch the Nintendo 64, known now as Super Mario 64 DS.
More than a mere port of the nearly decade-old masterpiece, Super Mario 64 DS brought a lot more to the party. Enhanced graphics, minigames, a map screen, and multiplayer lead the new features, followed by 30 more Power Stars to acquire throughout the castle, which lead to new levels and bosses being included as well. All together, it might just be more than one heroic plumber can handle. And so with a little revisionist history, changes were made so that Mario wouldn't have to tackle this adventure alone.
The story starts out much as it did in the original, with Princess Peach inviting Mario to the castle for some cake. Or "cake," for all the paparazzo types out there. This time, however, Mario doesn't arrive by himself, as brother Luigi and of course, rival Wario tag along. The three head for the castle, where Yoshi is sleeping on the roof, just as he was in the N64 original. However, this time Yoshi finds himself waking up down on the ground to the voice of the Lakitu cameraman, who informs him that Mario and the others haven't been seen in some time, leaving it to the daring dino to rescue his friends, and together, find all the missing Power Stars, face Bowser, and free Princess Peach from her imprisonment.
Wario is the last of the overall-clad bunch to be found, and as it happens, he brings the most power to the party, although his movements are slower and his jumps weaker than the others. By gaining the new Power Flower power-up, which exhibits a different effect on each hero, Wario is able to become Metal Wario, an invincible powerhouse who is unaffected by the buoyant effects of watery areas. And in addition to intimidating the various Toads trapped in the walls of the castle whenever he speaks to them, he can make the Toad from Super Mario Bros. 2 blush with his enormous feats of strength, capable of lifting the Big Bob-omb on the opening course's mountaintop and hurling him across the valley below.
In addition to a playable Wario, Yoshi is capable of donning each of the other character's hats, which transforms him into that character, complete with abilities and attributes, which is key to the multiplayer battle mode. And as a minigame master, Wario also brings a number of his own unique minigames to the title, though fortunately, these last longer than five seconds.
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December 2, 2009
