A Virtual Diamond in the RoughOn November 27th, 1995, the sequel to the Gameboy classic Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land was released. That game's name is Virtual Boy Wario Land. (Wario Land II for the GBC was actually the 3rd game in the Wario Land series.) As the name suggests, it was created for the now infamous Virtual Boy, a system that promised virtual reality and 3D graphics, but failed to deliver in a huge way, becoming Nintendo's worst selling console. Despite being made for one of the worst consoles of all time, Virtual Boy Wario Land is one of, if not the best Wario game I've ever played. Why do I say this? I'll tell you by making this review.
Graphics: 10/10 One complaint that most people had with the Virtual Boy was the fact that the graphics are in red and black. With that being said, Virtual Boy Wario Land makes the most of the Virtual Boy's graphical limitations and offers the best visuals on the system. The character sprites are at the highest quality of any Virtual Boy title, and the level designs are equally as impressive. Another reason why the visuals are so impressive is because of the variety of levels this game offers, and how well they look compared to other games on the system. The levels vary from forests, to caves, and even a haunted house. Not other game on this system offers as much level variety, and none of the other games come close to showing what the Virtual Boy was capable of as well as Virtual Boy Wario Land. For these reasons, I'm giving the graphics a 10!
Sound: 9/10 As far as games for the Virtual Boy go, this game's soundtrack is the best you'll find on Virtual Boy. It has some very catchy music, including most of the level themes. There's only one track in the game that I found to be lackluster, and that's the boss theme. Other than that, the rest of the soundtrack is the perfect example of how great a soundtrack on the Virtual Boy can be. The sound effects are equally as impressive. Overall, the soundtrack for Virtual Boy Wario Land is the best that the Virtual Boy has to offer. Since the boss theme is kinda disappointing, I'm giving the sound a 9 instead of a 10.
Addictiveness: 10/10 Out of all the Virtual Boy titles, Virtual Boy Wario Land has by far the most replay value. The levels in the game are so diverse, and there's so many areas to explore throughout the levels as well. Another reason this game has such high replay value is because of the game's multiple endings. Depending on how many treasures and money you get throughout the game, you can get different endings. The biggest reason this game is so addicting is because of it's unique gameplay mechanics. In most of the levels, there are these springs that you can jump on that will allow you to jump into the background. This is a feature that not only allows further progression, but it also provides a very unique perspective on a side scrolling platformer. The feature is also used well during boss battles. Overall, the background feature, the multiple endings, and all the hidden goodies make Virtual Boy Wario Land one of the most addicting platformers I've ever played. For these reasons, I'm giving the addictiveness a 10.
Story: 7/10 The story for Virtual Boy Wario Land starts when Wario wakes up and sees these masked monsters. He follows them to a cave, he finds a treasure, and a trap is sprung, causing him to fall into an underground labyrinth. Can Wario escape the labyrinth? Will he be able to find all the treasure? That all depends on your actions as the player. There are multiple endings based on how much money and how many treasures you find in the game, which not only helps the story, but it also gives the game replay value. Overall, the story for this game is worthy of a 7 in my eyes.
Depth: 4/10 Virtual Boy Wario Land offers a decent amount of content. There are a total of 14 levels, 4 of which are boss stages. In each level, there's hidden treasures that come in handy at the end of the game, as well as coins and hearts that are helpful as well. As far as length goes, there are longer platformers out there. The game doesn't take long to complete, so I'm giving the depth a 4.
Difficulty: 4/10 Virtual Boy Wario Land can at times bring a decent amount of toughness, especially when it comes to finding all the hidden treasure in the game. They are well hidden throughout the levels, so making sure thoroughly look through each area is necessary in order to 100% this game. Other than that, the game isn't super tough. As long as you've got a power up, defeating enemies and progressing through the game is pretty easy. If you get hit by an enemy and get turned into Mini Wario, then it gets much tougher to get through the obstacles that stand in your way. There's a good amount of blocks that can give you powerups though, so overall, the levels aren't all that tough. The boss battles aren't super hard either. Overall, there are harder games out there, and for these reasons, I'm giving the difficulty a 4.
Overall Score: 9.2/10 While the Virtual Boy itself was a massive failure for Nintendo, they at least managed to make this one masterpiece for the system that should be played by all platforming fans. The graphics, though in red and black are very well detailed, there are many hidden treasures to find, and the multiple endings give the game massive replay value. The background feature is extremely unique, and is what separates this title from it's predecessor. Though it's a relatively short game, Virtual Boy Wario Land is without a doubt, the best Virtual Boy game ever, and it very well may be the best Wario game ever made. If you haven't played this game, then playing it right here on Vizzed is the perfect way to experience a wonderful Virtual Boy platformer without having to deal with the eye straining and headache inducing console. Overall, I'm proud to give Virtual Boy Wario Land a final score of 9.2/10.
Graphics
10 Sound
9 Addictive
10 Depth
4 Story
7 Difficulty
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