Wario Land (series)

“Wario was foiled in his attempt to take over Mario's castle in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Now he stars in an adventure of his very own. Will Nintendo ever let Wario be the keeper of his own castle?”

—Nintendo Power Issue #58, March 1994

The Wario Land series is a series of games featuring Wario as the playable protagonist. There is a total of six games in the series; however, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate additionally considers Wario: Master of Disguise to be part of the series.

Different Wario Land games

The Wario Land series can be split in three groups.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Virtual Boy Wario Land

The first two Wario Land games bear more similarities to Super Mario Bros. than do subsequent Wario Land games. These Wario Land games have floating blocks much like ? Blocks that contain coins, helmets, or hearts (collect 100 for a 1-Up). Helmets give Wario new abilities, such as the ability to fly or pound the ground. If Wario touches an enemy, he will take damage, lose his helmets, or shrink down in size. All levels have a Time Limit.

Title
Cover, original release and system	Synopsis
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Template:ReleasedGame Boy	In the game Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Wario finds himself on Kitchen Island, looking for a statue of Princess Peach. He finds out Captain Syrup and her pirates stole the statue and goes out to defeat her and take the statue. After beating the game, Mario steals the statue.
Virtual Boy Wario Land
Template:ReleasedVirtual Boy	In the Virtual Boy's short lifespan, Virtual Boy Wario Land managed to get released. In the game, Wario finds himself in the middle of the Awazon river basin. He spots three Mask-Guys carrying treasure, and follows them behind a waterfall, into a secret cavern. Wario is surprised by a trap door which sends him into an underground labyrinth. The game revolves around Wario seeking revenge and the treasure.

Wario Land II and Wario Land 3

“Everyone wants a piece of Wario. It seems that someone is always out to steal his treasure or just ruin his day. The temperamental hero is terrorized, transformed, and taken to the cleaners. Will he fight back or howl like a kicked dog?”

—Nintendo Power Issue #106, March 1998

Floating blocks are gone, as are level time limits. Wario has no hit points and cannot die, but touching an enemy stuns Wario, knocking him backward. Some enemies don't stun Wario but transform him in one of several ways, these transformations replacing the helmets of the first two games. For example, if he is crushed by something heavy, he will be flattened. Wario's transformations can help him complete the level. Puffy Wario, for example, can float through the air, providing access to areas previously out of reach.

Title
Cover, original release and system	Synopsis
Wario Land II
Template:ReleasedGame Boy Template:ReleasedGame Boy Color	Wario Land II continues the battle between Wario and Captain Syrup; in this installment, the Black Sugar Gang flood Wario Castle and steal his treasure. Wario chases after them to get his treasure back, and during the mission, also has to rescue his pet hen.
Wario Land 3
Template:ReleasedGame Boy Color	In Wario Land 3, Wario visits a cave and discovers a Music Box. Upon winding it, Wario gets teleported to a different world. Here, he meets an oracle who informs him that he has to save the world from hoards of monsters. After defeating these monsters, the oracle reveals himself to be Rudy. Wario defeats Rudy and all the monsters return to being citizens, who thank Wario for saving them. Wario is teleported back to the normal world.

Wario Land 4 and Wario Land: Shake It!

Wario now has hit points. If Wario touches an enemy, he will lose a heart. If all hearts are gone, Wario is kicked out of the level and he loses everything he collects in the level up to that point; however, Wario can't get a Game Over. Wario's transformations are still in the games, but are less prominent. Levels are still without time limits, though one commences after hitting a switch (in Wario Land 4) or shaking a Merfle Barrel (in Wario Land: Shake It!). If Wario returns to the start of the level in time, the level is cleared. In Wario Land 4, if the timer reaches zero, Wario loses the coins he has collected until none remain. When Wario has no coins left, he is sent back to the Golden Pyramid. In Wario Land: Shake it! if the timer reaches zero, Wario loses all of his coins and collected items. However, if Wario has reached a checkpoint block, he is sent back to it.

Title
Cover, original release and system	Synopsis
Wario Land 4
Template:ReleasedGame Boy Advance	In Wario Land 4, the story begins with Wario driving his car in the desert looking for a legendary treasure he read about in a newspaper. Deep within a jungle, Wario discovers the Golden Pyramid, where he encounters a black cat who leads him inside the pyramid. Throughout the game, Wario faces five bosses who guard the evil ruler of the pyramid, the Golden Diva. After defeating the Golden Diva, Wario learns that the cat, which led him inside the pyramid was in fact Princess Shokora, who was cursed by the Golden Diva. Princess Shokora, now with the Golden Diva defeated, turns back into her human self and thanks Wario.
Wario Land: Shake It!
Template:ReleasedWii	The latest Wario Land game, Wario Land: Shake It! is a 2D scroller, featuring interesting game mechanics, which involve using the Wii Remote to perform a variety of actions. The game sees the return of Captain Syrup, who tricks Wario into saving the Shake Dimension from the sinister Shake King, and retrieving the Bottomless Coin Sack, which Syrup desires for herself.