Wario Land 3

Wario Land 3 is a video game for the Game Boy Color released in 2000, and the third installment in the Wario Land series (fourth counting Virtual Boy Wario Land). It was rereleased for the 3DS's Virtual Console in Japan on May 2, 2012, in Europe and Australia on December 6, 2012, and in the Americas on August 29, 2013; and later rereleased for the Nintendo Switch's Game Boy - Nintendo Switch Online service as one of its launch titles on February 8, 2023. To escape the world inside a music box, Wario must collect the five music boxes, with the help of treasures found along the way that include power-ups and ones that open up the world.

Story
One day, Wario is flying with his plane over the woods until it runs out of fuel and crashes. Unharmed, Wario then stumbles upon a mysterious cave. Inside the cave, he discovers a music box. He wants to take a closer look, and that suddenly causes him to be magically sucked into the music box. In the music box, a hidden figure informs Wario that he is a god who once protected the world inside the music box, until an evil being sealed away his magical powers in five music boxes. In exchange for freeing it, the figure promises to send Wario back to his own world and let him keep any treasure he finds. With his mind on the money and the fact he can return to his own world, Wario departs on his quest, in search of the music boxes and the many treasures of this mysterious land.

After collecting all the music boxes Wario returns to the temple. Once there, the music boxes play a melody together. The song frees the sealed being, who turns out to be an evil clown-like demon. The inhabitants of the music box locked his power up in five music boxes; but before he got imprisoned, he turned all of the music box's inhabitants into monsters. The figure had great plans about again ruling the music box world and then the one outside as well. After Wario defeats him, he is met by the inhabitants of the music box, now restored to their former selves. An old man explains that they thought Wario would help the being to return to his old form, and tried to stop Wario from causing that catastrophe; they never thought Wario would defeat him. They thank Wario and transport him back to his world, along with the treasures that he has collected, as promised before by the hidden figure.

Gameplay
The base mechanics in Wario Land 3 are very similar to that of its predecessor, Wario Land II. If Wario touches an enemy, he is simply stunned or transformed in one of his many transformations, known as reactions in the Wario Land series (one exception is in the final boss fight, where Wario can be "killed" and get a Game Over). Wario can crouch and walk using the direction pads, use a Dash Attack by pressing the button and jump using the  button.

The game has a more open structure than its predecessors. Wario starts the game with most of his powers from Wario Land II missing or toned down. To progress, the player has to collect treasures which grant him new abilities, open new levels or cause changes in the existing levels that allow one to reach previously inaccessible area. The world map is divided into levels, which the player can enter and leave as they please. Should the player not know where to go, they can go to the The Temple, which indicates where to go next. By holding in the overworld, the player can check the path that Wario can travel on the overworld, and if Wario moves to a different part of the map, he can press the same direction on the, he moves faster to the destination.

Each level contains a total of four color-coded treasure chests, and as such, the player may need to visit a level multiple times at different point of the game in order to obtain all treasures. To collect a treasure, the player must first find the chest's key. Most treasure chests require completing a puzzle to be collected, and some are guarded by a boss. Not all treasures are necessary to complete the game.

This Wario Land installment features a day and night system; after clearing a level, day turns in night or night turns in day. This system affects some levels, and some treasures can only be accessed at a specific time of the day.

Wario's reactions
The game includes reactions returning from Wario Land II, in addition to some new ones.

Power-ups
The nine power-ups that can be found during gameplay are as follows: After acquiring each treasure required for a power-up, a short tutorial will be played to demonstrate the new abilities that Wario just acquired. The first demonstration must be played in full and cannot be skipped. They can be viewed again if the player pauses the game while playing one of the levels and selecting the Action Help option, allowing one of the tutorials to be played (though they are now skippable), provided that they are not currently Vampire Wario, holding a zipline handle, or holding onto an owl, as in those three cases, they have unique Action Help demonstrations associated with them.
 * 1) Lead Overalls: By pressing the button in midair, Wario can perform a Smash Attack. He can destroy little enemies, damaged blocks and stun big enemies with these overalls. (Stunned enemies can be defeated when attacking them again)
 * 2) Swimming Flippers: Allows Wario to swim underwater. By tapping the button, he swims faster. However, he cannot swim against currents.
 * 3) Head Smash Helmet: Allows Wario to destroy not only damaged blocks, but also solid blocks by bumping into them from below.
 * 4) Grab Glove: Allows Wario to lift small enemies when walking towards them while they are toppled, or small objects. He can throw them forward by pressing the button, or upward when holding  after throwing. Charged throws can be done by holding the  button and then releasing it, causing enemies/objects to be thrown further and may be destroyed if thrown near a solid surface. Enemy Blocks can be broken by throwing an enemy or object against them.
 * 5) Super Smash: Allows Wario to break solid blocks with his Dash Attacks or when rolling. Damaged blocks can be broken without being stopped and large enemies can be defeated immediately.
 * 6) Super Jump Slam Overalls: Similar to the Super Smash, it allows Wario's Smash Attack to break solid blocks, break through damaged blocks unstopped, and defeat large enemies immediately. Additionally, using it on the ground causes the ground to shake, toppling small enemies and certain big enemies.
 * 7) High Jump Boots: Pressing while jumping allows Wario to jump higher. Enemies can also be used to perform high jumps when holding  while bouncing onto them, and holding  while doing so allows Wario to bounce higher.
 * 8) Prince Frog's Glove: Allows Wario to swim against strong currents while tapping the button.
 * 9) Super Grab Gloves: Allows Wario to lift big enemies as well as normal ones. His speed is reduced while carrying big enemies and they cannot be throw as far as smaller enemies.

Golf Minigame
In some levels, Wario will find a block with the word "Mini Game Clear" and an arrow pointing up written on it. Wario can get this block to lift and subsequently opening the way by playing a minigame of golf, which can be accessed by entering a door with a drawing of a Para-Goom at its top within the level. Several levels have one room to play the Golf minigame, while The Vast Plain has two: one underground and one in the sky, though it is only required to clear one of them to lift both blocks. To play the minigame, Wario must have enough money in his possession, where it is 10 coins at first, 30 coins later, and finally maxing at 50 coins per entry. The goal for this Golf minigame is to knock Para-Goom into the hole, which is achieved by using Wario's Dash Attack on a Para-Goom to knock it away towards the hole. If it falls into lava or water, another Para-Goom will fall on the closest spot of the lava/water, so that Wario will be able to continue. In order to hit the Para-Goom, the player must press the button to move the blue arrow in the power meter displayed at the bottom of the screen, then press it again to stop it. Then, a red arrow will appear; it must stop on the red or the blue space inside the meter, which affects the bounce of the Para-Goom; should Wario hit outside that range, he will stumble, but the shot will still count despite missing. The player can also use the direction pads (left and right) to get a further view of the hole and also where the Para-Goom will end up if hit with the maximum power. The game is completed if Wario scores par or below, but if Wario did not sink the Para-Goom within the number of shots indicated by the par, the game is over and requires playing again to lift the block.

The following levels contain Golf minigame rooms. The treasures listed require clearing them to procure, and some are required to clear to get all the Musical Coins (marked with asterisks): In the northern side of the music box world, there is an uncolored building which can be visited by going from north to west (and vice versa). After getting all seven crayons, the building will be fully colored and Wario can play Golf there by visiting it. There are four courses in the building, where three are available from the start and the fourth one only available after getting all of the Musical Coins in all levels. Every course has five holes each, for a total par of 20 each. Each time Wario initiates a course, he must pay 50 coins. Unlike the Golf minigame rooms in the individual levels, Wario can hit as many shots as is required per hole even if he scores above par, though he will be disappointed if that happens. After five holes are completed, the Best Score is recorded if it is achieved.
 * Out of the Woods: Red Chest
 * The Vast Plain* (2): Red Chest, Green Chest
 * Sea Turtle Rocks: Red Chest
 * Desert Ruins: Green Chest
 * The Volcano's Base: Green Chest
 * The West Crater*: Blue Chest
 * The Grasslands: Red Chest
 * The Big Bridge: Green Chest
 * The Steep Canyon*: Blue Chest
 * Above the Clouds: Green Chest
 * The Colossal Hole*: Red Chest

Bosses
Even though Wario cannot be defeated in most boss battles, each of them has a way to eject Wario from the area to force a restart through needing to reenter the area to battle them again. Once the boss battle initiates, pressing Start will cause a buzzing sound to be played, meaning that the boss battle cannot be paused. The pause functionality will only be resumed after the boss is defeated or Wario exits the area with the boss, meaning that being ejected from the arena won't reenable the pausing as long as Wario is still within the same area.

Treasures
There are 100 treasures in total Wario can collect, many of which alter the music box world and open new areas to Wario's exploration. However, not all of the treasures are needed to complete the game, as only 48 specific ones are necessary, which excludes any found in three levels: Above the Clouds, Forest of Fear, and The Warped Void. Of the required treasures, they include power-ups, music boxes, and ones guarded by bosses. Only both Out of the Woods and The Stagnant Swamp contain treasures where all four in those levels are required to beat the game. The locations for the required treasures will be suggested by a hidden figure if Wario visits the temple before obtaining the bare minimum.

Required treasures to beat the game are highlighted yellow.

Time Attack
Once Wario opened all 100 treasure chests and beaten the final boss, Time Attack mode is activated and overrides Start Game as the main way to play the game.

The following message will be displayed from now on when starting the game: Time Attack Thus, Wario has to try to collect all the four keys the fastest way possible and enter an exit doorway in this mode. The best time is saved for each level, though saving when playing a level is not possible. If Wario breaks his personal record, he will joyfully lift his thumb. Otherwise, he will react as if he entered an exit without opening a chest in the normal mode. On the other hand, it is still possible to collect Musical Coins to unlock the extra course for the Golf Minigame even if not every key is collected.
 * Compete for time taken to get all 4 keys and clear the course.
 * Press on the Map Screen to see the list of best times.

The save option in the pause interface is not available in Time Attack mode.

The Rolling Glitch
When crouching at the foot of a hill, Wario may get stuck in a tight spot while sliding before he starts rolling. The can be performed at The Stagnant Swamp and The Colossal Hole.

In this case, one will be able to walk as normal, but the game still treats Wario as if he is just rolling. Thus, he can break regular blocks and defeat enemies just by walking through them. Though there is a slight difference, as this state he will even stay if he walks on a hill, enters doors, crouches, climbs up a ladder, performs a normal attack or a Dash Attack.

It will end if Wario gets attacked by an enemy, enters a pipe or if he hits a wall with a regular attack. In the last case, the animation will occur that can normally be seen when rolling Wario smashes at a wall.

The Swamp Water Glitch
This glitch can be performed at The Stagnant Swamp. To do so, Wario must be floating in the muddy water and touching either edge of the pool. When is pressed at the correct time, Wario will briefly dive under the water and the camera will move up. This can be repeated until the camera reaches the top of the level and Wario can be seen floating in the air. Wario will still act like he is at the bottom of the swamp, and will appear to swim in invisible water, walk on invisible platforms, and enter an invisible door or pipe.

The ends when Wario uses a zip line, jumps through the top of the screen, or uses the aforementioned door or pipe.

The Ice Skatin' Glitch
To perform this glitch, Wario must travel to the Cave of Flames and enter the eastern pipe, in search of the green key and treasure chest. He must then proceed to the area obscured by Bonfire Blocks, after first destroying them with the Hot Wario form. On the bridge, he should be careful to avoid the Tadpoles that will leap out of the fire, as well as the Brrr Bear coming towards him. Wario has to jump on the Brrr Bear's head and give it a few pushes to the left. There should be a short distance between the Brrr Bear and a Tadpole's starting position. As it regains balance, Wario must let himself become frozen, but upon colliding with a leaping Tadpole, he will be sent rolling back to the previous area, preempting his transformation into Ice Skatin' Wario.

Though he may seem back to normal, Wario still acts as if he were in his Ice Skatin' Wario form. Thus, he can walk straight into enemies and knock them out. He also does not respond to the effects of flames, Mad Scienstein's potions, or even the Brrr Bear's ice breath. This glitch can be undone by walking into a Seeing-eye door, entering a pipe, or exiting the level via Save Menu. The player will have no choice but to undo it anyway, since the rest of the level cannot be beaten when stuck in the Ice Skatin' Wario reaction.

References to other games

 * Metroid: The High Jump Boots are from this game.

References in later games

 * Mario Tennis: The Wario & Waluigi Court's music is a cover of the Day in the Woods music.
 * Dr. Mario 64: The game's character roster is almost entirely made up of characters originating from Wario Land 3.
 * WarioWare: Twisted!: The music box can be seen on a shelf during Wario's storyline.
 * Fortune Street: When a computer-controlled Wario builds a tent on the board, his dialogue mentions Rudy the Clown.
 * WarioWare Gold: A microgame based on Wario Land 3 appears in 18-Volt's set.