Mario & Wario

Mario & Wario is a puzzle-platformer game released for the Super Famicom in 1993. It was designed by Satoshi Tajiri and developed by Game Freak. It is one of the few Mario games to utilize the SNES Mouse accessory.

The game was initially planned to be localized for the North American market (as shown by it being previewed in the September 1993 issue of Nintendo Power and a Canadian ad for a Kelloggs contest, which featured a tentative box art), but ended up being a Japan-exclusive title.

Story
Translated from the instruction booklet

''This is Yōsei no Mori. Within these woods lives a sprite, and those who meet it find happiness, or so the tale goes. One day, Mario came to the woods to confirm the legend. Peach and Yoshi should have been together with Luigi......but alas, the visage of Luigi was missing. Mario's group of three have separated to find lost little Luigi.''

''At once, the suspicious sound of an engine was in the air. I wonder what it could be? It was Wario riding his personal plane, the Bulldog, and it dropped a bucket from the sky.''

"Whew, woosh!"

And suddenly, the bucket was a snug fit on Mario's head.

"Uwagh, I can't see in this thing!"

''The sprite of the woods, Wanda, witnessed it. The petite pixie did not have the strength to remove the bucket on her own, but she desired to help somehow. Thus, Wanda sends Mario a signal with her magic wand, determined to reunite him with Luigi......''

Gameplay
The main gameplay involves guiding Princess Peach, Mario, or Yoshi to the goal, where Luigi awaits. The player can select one of the original eight stages at the start. Once they are cleared, the final stages become available. At the beginning of every stage except EXTRA, Wario drops a random item on the character's head, making them unable to see where they're going.

The player uses the Super Famicom Mouse to control Wanda the sprite and alter the environment to make it safe for the character, making it somewhat similar to the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. The character will walk left and right on their own, so the obstacles must be manipulated accordingly to allow the character to safely navigate through the level. There is a time limit for each level, and bonus points are given for any excess time. Each character has a set speed; Peach is slow, Mario is medium, and Yoshi is fast. At the end of every stage, there's a bonus mini-game where Wanda can whack Wario with a hammer. Every time the player hits Wario on his plane, the player will earn one coin. After forty hits, the plane will malfunction in Wario's face, but he will also flee if enough time has passed.

LEVEL 1: Yōsei no Mori (Fairy's Forest)
The fairy's forest is the easiest stage of the ten, and a tutorial for the rest of the game. The world map for each course fits on one screen, making them the smallest of the game. One Girigiri is introduced in the last course.

LEVEL 2: Yosu Ko (Yosh Lake)
A world set next to a relaxing lake where Yoshis have holiday. It is still a standard stage, but slightly harder than the first.

LEVEL 3: Kumotori Yama (Cloud-Catching Mountain)
A mountain region. Timer Blocks are frequent, so sitting around is dangerous.

LEVEL 4: Kōri no Dōkutsu (Ice Cave)
An icy cavern with many frozen features. Nebaneba Blocks appear towards the end.

LEVEL 5: Honō no Dōkutsu (Blaze Cave)
A subterranean cave filled with magma. Pot-shaped enemies called Tsubōn are introduced here, and will breathe fire at the player.

LEVEL 6: Pukupuku Kai (Cheep Cheep Waters)
A large body of water infested with Unibō. Switch Blocks are frequent.

LEVEL 7: Balloon Bridge
An area in the sky. Fūsen Blocks are frequent.

LEVEL 8: Karakara Sabaku (Dry Dry Desert)
A vast desert location. Guriguri are frequent.

LEVEL 9: Wario no Niwa (Wario's Garden)
Wario's personal garden, which is playable once beating the previous eight stages.

LEVEL 10: Wario Tei (Wario Manor)
A big, untidy residence. Playable once LEVEL 9 is cleared.

EXTRA
An extra stage revealed once beating all ten stages. It is a very difficult world.

Trivia

 * There was a mention of this game in the Generation I Pokémon games and their remakes. When the player checks the Super Nintendo in the Copycat's House (at Saffron City, northwest of the Silph Co. building), it states that there is a game that shows Mario with a bucket on his head. The games are also made by Game Freak.
 * A reference to Mario & Wario is made in Mario and the Incredible Rescue, where Wario attacks with buckets.
 * The bucket Mario wore on his head is a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. It mentions that "the bucket's M looks like a W when turned upside down".
 * One of Junker's attacks in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is dropping a bucket on Mario or Luigi's heads and they walk back and forth, using a similar animation to the ones in this game.
 * Although a Japan-only release, the game itself contains no written Japanese whatsoever; it is entirely in English.