Wario Land II[a] is a 1998 platformvideo game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color.[1] The player controls Wario as he attempts to recover his treasure from Captain Syrup. The gameplay is similar to its predecessor; players navigate Wario through a series of platforming levels with the goal of getting to the end of the game with as many coins as possible. Wario Land II introduces an invulnerability gameplay mechanic, which allows Wario to get hit by enemies without taking damage and instead causes the reaction of either a lose of coins or, depending on the enemy, a new form that Wario takes which allows the player to access previously inaccessible areas.
Wario Land II has received overwhelmingly positive critical reception, with praise for the game's large levels, secrets and gameplay mechanics. The Game Boy Color version was released for the Nintendo 3DSVirtual Console in 2012.[2][3]
Gameplay
Wario dashes through a thin wall to find a secret room full of coins.
Unlike in most video games of the time, the game's challenge comes mostly through impeding player progress by implementing physical obstacles, puzzle-solving or paths blocked by coin or treasure locks, or forcing Wario back to previously-visited areas. By finding hidden exits in some stages, the player can change the direction of the game's plot and uncover different endings, as well as find more treasure. In addition to the Really Final Chapter, five other endings can be unlocked by collecting all the treasures. An enemy-themed Simon Says minigame based on the Game & Watch game Flagman can be unlocked by collecting all the picture tiles. Wario does not have any life points and cannot die; some enemy attacks simply knock him backward and cause him to drop some coins. He can take advantage of certain enemy attacks however to undergo transformations which allow him to reach areas that he cannot normally get to. For example, exposure to fire makes Wario run around and later become entirely engulfed by flames, which allows him to defeat enemies on contact.[4] In contrast to its predecessor, the game does not have a time limit, which allows the player to explore the areas in unlimited time, a feature which is incorporated in subsequent installments.
Plot
Following the second-best ending in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, early one morning, Captain Syrup and a few of her soldiers, the Pirate Gooms, sneak into Wario's castle and cause havoc. They steal all his precious treasure, set off his giant alarm clock, and leave the tap running, flooding much of his castle. After Wario wakes up and figures out what's going on, he gives chase across the surrounding lands.[5][6]
At the end of the game, Captain Syrup is defeated and Wario regains his treasure, how much of which depending on how the player played the game.
Wario Land II received critical acclaim. Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it their "Game of the Month" award, with their four reviewers praising its vast size, numerous secrets, and varied gameplay. Dan Hsu especially enjoyed how the player character cannot die, only suffer a variety of comic misfortunes which can sometimes allow him to access secret areas, and remarked that "Wario Land II reminds me of so many old-school platformers, yet it's like nothing I've seen before."[9]
The Game Boy Color version held an aggregate score of 88.04% at GameRankings based on 14 reviews.[7]IGN insisted that "It's the perfect game to accompany you on a long road trip because of its lastability and replayability."[10]Allgame considered it a disappointment that it offered no improvements over the original Game Boy version apart from the addition of color, but said the game still held up at the time of its Game Boy Color release due to the well-thought-out puzzle elements and consistently outstanding platforming.[8]
Nintendo Life, reviewing the Virtual Console re-release, argued that "Big fans of the first game might lament Wario Land II's sudden significant change in gameplay, but if you give it a try, you'll find that it's actually quite good."[11] In 2019, PC Magazine included Wario Land II on their "The 10 Best Game Boy Games".[12]
Notes
^Known in Japan as Wario Land 2: The Stolen Treasure (Japanese: ワリオランド2 盗まれた財宝, Hepburn: Wario Rando Tsū: Nusumareta Zaihō)
