Lingering Mario elements keeps Wario's own experimental adventure from truly shining
Story
Wario is the main star of this game (obviously) and his ambitions is purely greed. During the course of the game he will collect treasures and coins so that he could give them to the genie at the end to wish him up a castle. But to get to the genie he needs to go through a group of pirates.
Gameplay
Wario Land is first-and-foremost and platformer and a spin-off to the Super Mario Land series. It still retains several known Mario traits, but also mixes it up with its own gameplay elements. Yet these things feel as if they were tacked on to the already existing formula. Wario's bulkiness can be used to his advantage and disadvantage. He can bash enemies and throw them, but he moves slowly and his jumps aren't that impressive (yet if you hold up and jump he can almost reach the ceiling). There is a world-map with different level themes for each area. Yet it feels as if tacked on to only give a visual appeal of an overworld. The progression is extremely linear and gets progressively harder, which results in the forty levels of the game being beatable in four hours. Wario also gains power-up through caps that look like vases. There's a Bull-Horn cap which extends his smashing, allows him to butt-stomp, and make him hang onto the ceiling. A Fire hat, which snorts out fire, and a Jet cap that lets you fly by bashing. Your coins can also be used as a throwing weapon at the cost of ten of them. Coin's no longer give you an extra life, that is up to the hearts you collect along with the coins. You may also stock up on more coins or lives since you have the option of playing simplistic mini-games after every level to double-up or decrease your earnings. Yet if you are damaged you will revert back into a small mohawk sporting Wario, even if you are on your second power-up. The smaller Wario is at an extreme disadvantage and can only use the throw ability. Jumping on your enemies will only stun them leaving you the option to use them as projectiles. But they can only be knocked out if thrown at another enemy, which irks me because they should be able to knocked out if thrown into a wall. If Wario becomes small he will resort to jumping and throwing which won't really help that much, and since he can't run or even jump well (unless you hold up), this will force you to luck-it-out until your next power-up. This in turn makes the rest of the level into a slow-paced Mario game. When the new main element of the game is about bashing your opponent into the wall it is a bit confusing as to why you will lose that ability if you touch them, especially in the platforming genre where everything is trying to kill you. This requires you to play the game flawlessly to get the most out of the entertainment, which is not the way I envision enjoying this title.
Appeal
Wario Land is appealing to those who have played it on the Gameboy and would like to revisit those memories. But those who experienced gaming later, this would feel like an experimental game. In the graphics department this title is great for the Gameboy's capabilities and it certainly gives the game a cartoon-ish look. The music sounds similar to those in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, yet it they possess a more slow creepy emotion to them, which really don't go well with Wario's personality or adventure. To be honest, they just sound like computer generated beeps and boops. The level design in Wario Land is interestingly different than Mario's. Mario has a distinct wide open universe where basically everything looks like it's full of personality and the atmosphere feels lighthearted. Mario platformers have large areas for you to explore with many secrets. In this game the levels look as if they are taking place inside a small narrow corridor. Which actually fits perfectly well when you are in a small narrow corridor. Wario Land still has its own charm in nostalgia though.
Conclusion
Wario Land is a unique transitional phase where it tries to find its own identity between itself and its predecessors. You would think that combining the best of both worlds would create an even better product, yet the results gave me a mixed reaction (no pun intended). Maybe this game is an example of why opposites don't go together. This is Wario's first adventure and I can say that it sure is a bit short of expectations. I have yet to play other Wario Land titles, but I hope that it differentiates itself by then. Until then, try to enjoy this strange journey.