Virtual Boy Wario Land

Virtual Boy Wario Land
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Nintendo R&D1
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Virtual Boy
Release date	Template:Release
Genre	Platformer
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Kids to Adults
Mode(s)	Single player
Input	Virtual Boy: Virtual Boy Controller

Virtual Boy Wario Land (also shortened as Wario Land), originally titled Wario Cruise, is a video game released by Nintendo for the Virtual Boy in 1995. It is the second installment in the Wario Land series, and the follow-up to Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. It is a side-scrolling platformer that shares several elements from its predecessor, such as hat-based power-ups and collectable treasure which can affect the game's ending. The game also incorporates several new elements that use the Virtual Boy's technology, such as the ability to jump between background and foreground areas, and enemies and obstacles which do the same. The game was well-received on release, and is generally considered by critics to be one of the Virtual Boy's better titles.

Story

Artwork of the prologue.

I, Wario, have an interesting story to tell. One day during my vacation in the Awazon river basin, I landed my trusty seaplane, Bulldog, and decide to relax in the shadow of the beautiful Aldegara Waterfall. While basking in the sun, I spied some strange creatures with masks entering the waterfall. This piqued my interest!

I hurried over and followed them into the waterfall. Behind the falls there was a large cave, and in the back of the cave ... there was a vault filled with a glorious mountain of treasure!!
Some of the masked creatures jumped me, but I quickly overcame them. "This treasure is all mine now!", I though to myself and rushed in to collect the loot. Suddenly, the floor collapsed and I fell!
I found myself deep within the Earth! I was quite angry and vowed revenge on these creatures, "I will get their treasure!!!"

– Story from the instruction booklet

After progressing through the game's thirteen stages including three boss stages, Wario faces the final boss Demon Head, a large genie which uses its claws and flames to attack. After defeating Demon Head, the ending the player receives depends on what the player collected during the game, how long it took them to complete the title, and the difficulty they played on.

If Wario did not obtain all ten of the stages' treasures, he will sigh with disappointment and leave the cavern with the coins he did acquire. He heads back to his plane, only to find that a family of beavers have vandalized it and leaving Wario stranded in the jungle. Wario chases and grabs one of the beavers, but before he could punish it, the beaver offers an alternative way of flying in exchange for all the coins he found in the cavern. Wario reluctantly agrees and takes his leave while the beaver takes the cash. The ending the player receives under these circumstances varies on the total amount of coins that they collected by the end of the game.

Description
< 5000 coins	Wario flies home by flapping two fans with his own arms, tiring him out.
≥ 5000 coins < 20 000 coins	Wario is given a bike attached to a miniature blimp that he pedals home.
≥ 20 000 coins < 50 000 coins	Wario is given a dragon-like creature which he rides home alongside its children.
≥ 50 000 coins	Wario is given a new plane which he rides atop of and pilots with a remote control.

If all ten treasures were collected, Wario will open the vault, receiving a heavy amount of coins along with a magic carpet which flies him home and a magic bottle. Under these circumstances, the ending differs based on the amount of time it took for the player to complete the game, and the difficult in which it was completed. The amount of coins collected have no impact on these endings.

Description
Complete on the normal difficulty, with over two hours of playtime	Wario will fly home on the magic carpet with the treasure and the bottle in tow.
Complete on the normal difficulty, with less than two hours of playtime	Similar to the previous ending, however Wario will be accompanied by a woman in a bunny suit sitting alongside him on the magic carpet as they fly home with fireworks in the background.
Complete on the hard difficulty, with more than two hours of playtime	Similar to the first ending, however Demon Head will appear from the bottle and row him back home on the magic carpet. A congratulatory message will be displayed saying "You are a master gamer! You rock!!"
Complete on hard difficulty, with less than two hours of playtime	The second ending will play without Demon Head, with the congratulatory message at the end.

Gameplay

File:VBWL - Underground Artwork.png

Artwork from the instruction manual, showing Wario about to fall into the trapdoor placed in front of the treasure room. The artwork demonstrates how the player gradually climbs their way out of the underground chasm by unlocking elevators, found at the end of stages.

Main targets

Upon falling down the precipice within the earth, Wario must find his way through fourteen underground stages, including four boss stages, in order to make his way out. An elevator is found at the end of each stage, allowing Wario to climb higher the more he progresses in the game. A gate key is hidden somewhere in each stage, in which obtaining it is vital as it grants access to the elevator. Before each boss, a guard must be defeated before gaining access to the boss of that stage. The power and difficulty of the guard increases with each boss stage.

Each of the ten stages contain a well-hidden treasure, with each one resembling a different real-life object (such as a pocket watch and fountain pen). Collecting all ten treasures will allow Wario to enter a treasure room at the end of the game.

Wario's health and forms

Wario's health system comes in three stages. He starts off in his ordinary form. Garlic bottles and Viking helmets are found throughout ? Blocks, which will transform Wario into Bull Wario. If Wario touches harmful enemies, spikes, lava, etc., he will be reduced to Small Wario. Collecting a garlic bottle as Small Wario will restore him to normal form. Taking damage as Small Wario or failing to clear a level within twenty minutes will result in a loss of a life, sending Wario back to the beginning of the stage.

Wario begins with three lives. More can be earned by either collecting one hundred hearts or a diamond. If Wario loses all his lives, he receives a Game Over and loses all hearts and coins. In a Game Over, one collected treasure will be lost (if any, and the deduction begin from the most recent stage and works backwards).

Wario has three additional forms which can't be reached through the garlic bottle power-up. They are Eagle Wario, Sea Dragon Wario and King Dragon Wario. Eagle Wario is reached by collecting an Eagle Statue, which can be found in ? Blocks. A Dragon Crystal can either transform Wario into Sea Dragon or King Dragon form, depending on the circumstances. If a Dragon Crystal is collected in any form but Eagle, Wario will transform into Sea Dragon. However if Eagle form is present when a Dragon Crystal is collected, he will transform into King Dragon Wario. It can also work the other way, where if an Eagle Statue is collected while in Sea Dragon form, King Dragon form will be reached. The King Dragon form has both the abilities of Eagle and Sea Dragon Wario, being able to fly and attack with flames respectively.

Items, blocks, and miscellaneous

Many coins and hearts are scattered throughout the ten main stages. There are two types of coins; one with a rhombus on it and other with a crown. The more common rhombus coin is worth a single coin towards the score, and the rarer crown coin is worth twenty. All coins collected in a stage are put towards a grand total, which is counted up after entering the elevator in the room before the next stage. There are two types of hearts; one smaller and one significantly larger. The larger heart is worth ten small hearts.

Coins and hearts can spent on playing mini-games between stages.

Many different types of blocks are found in the game. "? Blocks" hold objects or items which can be collected or used by Wario. These can only be struck once. A more common type of block looks like a square stone which can either be broken or cracked. Normal Wario can crack blocks by hitting them from below. Hitting again will break them. Small Wario can only break already cracked blocks, while Bull Wario can break them in one hit, cracked or not.

A much larger version of these blocks can only be broken by Bull Wario. Other methods of releasing an item or breaking a block can be performed through a Barge or Body Slam. Hidden Blocks can't be seen unless they are struck from below, which they will then release the object or item and become visible. Bonfire Blocks are the same size and shape as other blocks, but they have a flame symbol. These kinds of blocks can only be broken by the flames of Sea Dragon or King Dragon Wario. There are also areas of walls or flooring within stages which at first do not appear as breakable blocks. They are able to be broken using flames as aforementioned, and they usually lead to a hidden area.

Jump Boards are able to sling Wario to the background of the stage and vice versa. This is used when there is a separate area which is in the background that contains collectibles. Similar objects appear in the eleventh stage, where many of the Pan Platforms can send Wario into the background. In this stage also contains electric fans placed throughout areas. These fans will periodically turn on and off, and while rotating can send Wario flying in the direction of the wind. Warp Pipes also appear in the game: entering one will send Wario to a different area. Seen in the sixth stage are two secret switches, each with half a Phanto-esque mask shown on the front. Hitting both secret switches will destroy a wall to reveal a jump board that Wario can use to a hidden area.

Behavior and/or combat of enemies and hazards

Many different types of enemies are seen throughout the game, many being unique to a certain stage. Simply jumping on an enemy will not defeat it in most cases, it will usually temporarily stun them. Ground Pounding near an enemy may also stun it. When stunned, an enemy will become harmless and can be picked up and thrown. If a thrown enemy clashes with another enemy before bouncing twice, they will both be defeated. Usually, Wario would need to Barge, Ground Pound or Body Slam a weak spot of an individual enemy to defeat it. A stunned enemy can also be thrown into a coin cloud to redeem coins. An Angry Watermelon is seen blocking paths in Stage 9. Melons dropped by Honey-Bees can be placed on a Watermelon Spring, which will send it flying upwards into the background, possibly hitting the button which destroys the Angry Watermelon, thus clearing the way.

Stage design

The gameplay theme and terrain varies from stage to stage. Most of the terrain Wario will encounter is made up of solid flooring. Some stages are part or entirely made up of water, where Wario is able to swim in. Some areas contain water currents which are difficult to swim against. The sixth stage is the only one that contains a waterfall, which Wario is able to slowly climb. Shallow bodies of harmful lava are seen throughout the game. Stage 11 contains areas where the player must safely travel over flames along the ground, and sometimes on the ceiling. Conveyor belt flooring is seen in Stage 9, which will move Wario in a certain direction while he is not moving.

Stages

Boss stages (marked with an asterisk below) are marked with a skull symbol on the map screen.

• Stage 1
• Stage 2
• Stage 3
• Stage 4*
• Stage 5
• Stage 6
• Stage 7
• Stage 8*
• Stage 9
• Stage 10
• Stage 11
• Stage 12*
• Stage 13
• Stage 14*

Bosses

Image	Name	Stage	Description
	Guard	Before each boss	Wario must defeat a guard before gaining access to each of the four main bosses in the game. Each guard has a different method of attacking, such as shooting missiles or flames. They can be defeated by hitting their underside.
	Dinosaur Fish	Stage 4	Dinosaur Fish begins in the background of the level, repeatedly striking its ball and chain at Wario. It then hops to join Wario in the foreground and continues to swing its weapon. Wario must bounce on its head three times to defeat it.
	Sand Fish	Stage 8	Sand Fish dives in and out of the stage's sand and attempts to fall on Wario. While doing so, it gradually destroys the blocks along the ground and exposes a pit of quicksand. Wario must bounce on its head three times to defeat it.
	Tank and Operator	Stage 12	The Tank and Operator moves from the foreground to the background of the stage, throwing bombs and explosive discs at Wario. Wario must bounce on top of the tank, releasing the operator who runs along the ground. Jumping on top of the operator three times while it's exposed defeats it.
	Demon Head	Stage 14	The final boss of the game. The battle takes place on a giant trampoline where the aim is to hit the Demon Head's nose. It uses several different attacks, including swiping Wario with its claws and breathing fire. In the game's hard mode, it also sends out spiked balls. Hitting Demon Head five times will defeat it.

Enemies

Image	Name	Description
	Horned Toady	Weak, harmless enemies which will ram Wario with their alien-like antennas. They can easily be defeated by a Body Slam or a Barge.
	Bomb-Bat	Bat creatures who emerge from the background carrying a thorned bomb. As Wario walks by, they will drop this bomb and it will bounce in the direction of Wario.
	Upside-Downer	A creature with a skull as a head. They are found walking upside down along the ceiling, and will fall onto Wario with their fangs if he passes underneath.
	Metal-Head	Metal-Heads emerge from wooden doors when Wario approaches. They will then charge at Wario while pointing their spears.
	Mask-Guy	One of the most common enemies seen in the game. They will charge Wario if they catch sight of him, using their sharp spear on their nose as a weapon. When bumped from behind, their mask will fall off, revealing their true form.
	Chain-Saw Fish	A common underwater enemy that can swim at high speed. They use their chain-saw nose to harm Wario.
	Thorny Fish	A slow-moving fish that swims between the background and foreground of a stage, often being followed closely by a school of fish.
	Big Mouth	A large, underwater creature that hides within holes in the wall. When Wario is nearby, Big Mouth's will continuously emerge and snap their jaws
	Flying Fowl	Flying Fowls circle large tree trunks, and will at swoop with their sharp beaks if Wario is nearby.
	Chippy	A bear-like enemy that can behave in one of three different ways. Most Chippies can be found walking along the ground, throwing explosives at Wario. Others hide in trees and throw spears, whereas some float down to the ground on a leaf, carrying a spiked shield.
	Dark Tortoise	An enemy that throws shuriken-like objects, which can harm Wario.
	Waterfall Climber	These creatures sit on rocks, and are able to jump up high and climb the stage's waterfall. Their horns are able to harm Wario.
	Thorn Rocket	A spiky enemy that is found sitting on areas of quicksand. Thorn Rockets propel themselves upwards, making it more difficult for Wario to pass.
	Plant Chomper	Stationary creatures that resemble Munchers from the Super Mario series. They can be found in large groups forming the ground, and can harm Wario with their teeth if he tries to walk across them. The shadows of Plant Chompers can also be seen within areas of quicksand.
	Torny	Tornies are found moving over the top of Plant Chompers. Wario is able to sit on top of a Torny, in order to cross areas of Plant Chompers without being harmed.
	Big Blob	A mini-boss that blocks the entrance to a door, and is invincible to all of Wario's attacks. Wario must lure a Torny into the Big Blob, which causes it to shrink and disappear.
	Mastah Mosquito	A large mosquito that swoops at Wario whenever he approaches, aiming to harm him with its sharp proboscis.
	Mole Burrower	A mole creature who is found within walls underground. It emerges when Wario approaches, swinging it's arms and harming Wario if he is to come into contact.
	Pollen Plant	Pollen Plants are able to walk on their roots and open their flower to release spores, which harm Wario.
	Honey-Bee	Honey-Bees occupy conveyor belt areas, dropping watermelons and bombs on Wario if he comes near.
	Angry Watermelon	A large watermelon that either blocks Wario from accessing the next area, or hides a hidden door. Either Angry Watermelon may be defeated by correctly using the Watermelon Spring.
	Blade-Face	A creature with two cleavers protuding from either side of its body. Blade-Face will levitate and circle an area, harming Wario if he touches the blades.
	Coo-Coo	A featherless bird who resides within Coo-Coo Clocks. Coo-Coo will emerge from the clock and begin to rapidly lay eggs. These will hatch into birdlike bombs upon hitting the ground, and will quickly blow up.
	Bomb	A mechanical bird produced by Coo-Coo. They come from eggs which hatch as soon as they hit the ground. These bombs will chase after Wario, quickly exploding.
	Flame Mask-Guy	A creature resembling a regular Mask-Guy although they are covered in more spikes, and able to shoot flames from the nose of their mask. If Wario bumps off their mask, their revealed form is identical to a regular Mask-Guy.
	Face Ball	A large ball creature which looks similar to a Phanto mask. This mini-boss produces Little Face Balls, and a harmful substance which gushes from its mouth. Wario must defeat a Face Ball in order to leave certain areas.
	Little Face Ball	A smaller species of Face Ball which is produced in groups of three. They possess harmful spikes on their underside. Little Face Balls can be thrown at Face Ball to inflict damage.
	Vase	A decorated vase with eyes. This creature is immobile if left alone, but if Wario is to pick up and throw them, the effect which follows depends on which side the vase lands on.
	Vase-Based	Vase-Based is produced when a Vase is left on its side. This foe will slowly bounce around the room, aiming to harm Wario with its spears.
	Lightning Saucer	This piece of machinery horizontally patrols the upper area of the screen, always moving directly above Wario. Once positioned, they will send a bolt of lightning towards the ground, harming Wario.
	Magma Saucer	Magma Saucer can be seen as a counterpart to the Lightning Saucer. They patrol the upper area of the screen, releasing balls of magma when Wario is nearby.
	Fire Octopus	These creatures reside in certain areas where the floor is made up of flames. When Wario is nearby, Fire Octopus will leap into the air, breaking any blocks in their way and aiming to land on Wario. They also cause the floor to shake every time they land.
	Thorn-Ball	An enemy resembling a bee, which propels spiked balls high into the air. They appear in both the stage's foreground and background.

Critical reception

Compared to the other Mario games on the Virtual Boy, Virtual Boy Wario Land was well received.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Virtual Boy	Dave Frear, Nintendo Life	9/10	"The fantastic visual design and great audio enhance this top-notch platformer. It’s a game you will keep coming back to, either to try and get a different ending or just because it’s so much fun to play through. It’s unfortunate that there are not more levels but Virtual Boy Wario Land is thoroughly deserving of it's reputation and highly recommended."
Virtual Boy	Neal Ronaghan, Nintendo World Report	8/10	"All in all, Virtual Boy Wario Land is a satisfying adventure that is fun even in its brevity. If you ever come across a Virtual Boy, it is a must play, as it is far and away the best game on the system. However, Wario’s long-lost second adventure isn’t quite good enough to be worth the hassle and expense of acquiring a Virtual Boy. If this Wario adventure ambles his way to Virtual Console in the future, it’s a worthy purchase, but just know you’re not getting a transformative experience; you’re just getting a decent Wario platformer with some cool 3D effects."
Virtual Boy	Nike Halifax, Nerd Bacon	8/10	"Overall, Wario Land is a great game, and I’m glad that it got to evolve as a franchise beyond the Virtual Boy. At the same time, it’s a shame that so few people have ever gotten to play it. It more than holds its own–it’s charming, it’s whacky, it’s addictive, it has the perfect balance of challenge and accessibility, and it’s a game that (if it were on a system where such a feat is actually possible) you can pick up and play any time. And you should play it. I’ve encountered many a Virtual Boy dissenter in my time, and all it takes is fifteen minutes of Wario Land to make even the most stubborn curmudgeon at least admit that it’s not so bad. “Not so bad” is a hell of a lot better than “awful.” Hey, I’ll take it."

Staff

Main article: List of Virtual Boy Wario Land staff

The staff team involved in the development of Virtual Boy Wario Land was smaller in comparison to other Wario Land games in the series. Hiroji Kiyotake co-directed the game, while Kazumi Totaka developed the music and sound effects. If the player waits at the end screen for 1 minute and 15 seconds after beating the game, Totaka's Song will play.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Virtual Boy Wario Land.

• 

  Wario giving a thumbs up

• 

  Bull Wario

• 

  Eagle Wario

• 

  King Dragon Wario

• 

  Sea Dragon Wario

• 

  Small Wario

Media

Virtual Boy Wario Land - Title screen

File infoMedia:VBWL-Title Screen Theme.oga 0:39

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	バーチャルボーイワリオランド アワゾンの秘宝[?] Bācharu Bōi Wario Rando Awazon no Hihō	Virtual Boy Wario Land: Secret Treasure of the Awazon

Trivia

• This is the last Wario game produced by Gunpei Yokoi before he left Nintendo in 1996 and died in 1997.
• A sticker of Small Wario under the more recent name of Tiny Wario appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which makes Virtual Boy Wario Land the only Wario Land game that is also mentioned by name outside of the Chronicle in Brawl.
• This is the only Wario Land game not to be re-released on the Virtual Console in any form.