Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Encyclopedia
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, known in Japan as , is a platforming
video game developed by Nintendo
on the Game Boy
in 1994. It is the first video game to feature Wario
as both a playable character and the main character, as well as the first appearance of Captain Syrup and her Brown Sugar Pirates, recurring villains in the Wario Land series. Despite the Super Mario Land 3 subtitle, Mario
has very little to do with this installment in the series, but it is still considered a part of the Super Mario series of games.
. Wario Land features a theme of greed remarkably different from almost all of Nintendo's other franchises: It is the first game Nintendo has made where the main character's cause is decidedly selfish. There are no princesses to save, no world in peril. There is only one goal: for Wario to earn as much money as possible, in an effort to buy his own massive castle and make Mario jealous. The larger the cash total Wario has collected at the end of the game, the better house (and ending) that Wario will receive.
The Super Mario Land
3 subtitle links the game with the popular Super Mario Land 2. The game also increases its replay value by including a large hidden treasure chest in some levels. The chests (which can only be accessed by finding a special key placed elsewhere in the level) contain special one-of-a-kind treasures, which would each add a considerable amount to Wario's coin total at the end of the game.
Despite being billed as Super Mario Land 3, Wario Land bears little resemblance to its predecessors. Wario Land borrows the system of themed Worlds from Super Mario Land 2 (though this time, the game does not restrict secret levels to be re-entered via secret entrances nor disables any cleared level), but arranges them in a linear route; this allows the game to feature a difficulty curve absent from its non-linear predecessor.
Wario's basic movements in this game reflect the considerable difference that he has from Mario. The most notable difference in gameplay is that Wario (being much tougher than any of the characters on Kitchen Island) doesn't take damage from merely touching an enemy; if he bumps against a foe, he instead will knock it over and be able to carry it. Most enemies wield a weapon; if Wario wants to knock these enemies over, he will have to bump into them from a safe side, not touching their weapon.
Movement is also noticeably different from prior Super Mario Land
installments. Whereas Mario's jumps are light and precise, Wario's moves are more brutal and blunt. For example, Wario carries over his shoulder-charging body slam move from the prior game, wherein he smashes any nearby enemy clear off the playing field. Wario is also able to crouch, and slowly crawl in a crouching position. He can also jump while crouching, to reach small gaps above the ground. If Wario has at least 10 coins in his possession, he can pull a large coin from his pocket, and use it as a thrown weapon. Doing this costs 10 coins, but Wario can pick up the coin after throwing it. This is also used at the end of a course to unlock the exit with very few exceptions.
In addition to his basic move list, the game features a variety of caps that act as powerups for Wario, giving him new abilities. In his "normal" form, he wears a pith helmet
. The Jet Cap makes Wario almost twice as fast as usual and allows him to fly for short distances. The Dragon Cap shoots flames from its nose (and shoots a limited beam underwater). Finally, there is a Bull Cap that gives Wario even greater strength, a longer shoulder charge distance, the ability to hang on to the ceiling with the horns, and the ability to do a "butt stomp," which can smash blocks with his weight and shake buried objects out of the ground. Also, Wario can collect a Starman that makes him immune to damage from enemies. When Wario takes damage, he shrinks in size, does not wear a hat, and can't do his body slam move. If he takes damage while he is small, he loses a life.
, Wario Land II
, Wario Land 3
, Wario Land 4
, Wario World
, Wario: Master of Disguise
, and Wario Land: The Shake Dimension
.
's eShop
Virtual Console
download service and can be downloaded along with its predecessors, Super Mario Land
and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
, both of which are already available to download.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game developed by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
on the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
in 1994. It is the first video game to feature Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
as both a playable character and the main character, as well as the first appearance of Captain Syrup and her Brown Sugar Pirates, recurring villains in the Wario Land series. Despite the Super Mario Land 3 subtitle, Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
has very little to do with this installment in the series, but it is still considered a part of the Super Mario series of games.
Game overview
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 starts at the end of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden CoinsSuper Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
is a platforming video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1992, in North America on November 2, 1992, and in Europe on January 28, 1993...
. Wario Land features a theme of greed remarkably different from almost all of Nintendo's other franchises: It is the first game Nintendo has made where the main character's cause is decidedly selfish. There are no princesses to save, no world in peril. There is only one goal: for Wario to earn as much money as possible, in an effort to buy his own massive castle and make Mario jealous. The larger the cash total Wario has collected at the end of the game, the better house (and ending) that Wario will receive.
The Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land
is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld game console. It and the Game Boy debuted in Japan on April 21, 1989, in the United States on July 31, 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990...
3 subtitle links the game with the popular Super Mario Land 2. The game also increases its replay value by including a large hidden treasure chest in some levels. The chests (which can only be accessed by finding a special key placed elsewhere in the level) contain special one-of-a-kind treasures, which would each add a considerable amount to Wario's coin total at the end of the game.
Gameplay
Despite being billed as Super Mario Land 3, Wario Land bears little resemblance to its predecessors. Wario Land borrows the system of themed Worlds from Super Mario Land 2 (though this time, the game does not restrict secret levels to be re-entered via secret entrances nor disables any cleared level), but arranges them in a linear route; this allows the game to feature a difficulty curve absent from its non-linear predecessor.
Wario's basic movements in this game reflect the considerable difference that he has from Mario. The most notable difference in gameplay is that Wario (being much tougher than any of the characters on Kitchen Island) doesn't take damage from merely touching an enemy; if he bumps against a foe, he instead will knock it over and be able to carry it. Most enemies wield a weapon; if Wario wants to knock these enemies over, he will have to bump into them from a safe side, not touching their weapon.
Movement is also noticeably different from prior Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land
is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld game console. It and the Game Boy debuted in Japan on April 21, 1989, in the United States on July 31, 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990...
installments. Whereas Mario's jumps are light and precise, Wario's moves are more brutal and blunt. For example, Wario carries over his shoulder-charging body slam move from the prior game, wherein he smashes any nearby enemy clear off the playing field. Wario is also able to crouch, and slowly crawl in a crouching position. He can also jump while crouching, to reach small gaps above the ground. If Wario has at least 10 coins in his possession, he can pull a large coin from his pocket, and use it as a thrown weapon. Doing this costs 10 coins, but Wario can pick up the coin after throwing it. This is also used at the end of a course to unlock the exit with very few exceptions.
In addition to his basic move list, the game features a variety of caps that act as powerups for Wario, giving him new abilities. In his "normal" form, he wears a pith helmet
Pith helmet
The pith helmet is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith...
. The Jet Cap makes Wario almost twice as fast as usual and allows him to fly for short distances. The Dragon Cap shoots flames from its nose (and shoots a limited beam underwater). Finally, there is a Bull Cap that gives Wario even greater strength, a longer shoulder charge distance, the ability to hang on to the ceiling with the horns, and the ability to do a "butt stomp," which can smash blocks with his weight and shake buried objects out of the ground. Also, Wario can collect a Starman that makes him immune to damage from enemies. When Wario takes damage, he shrinks in size, does not wear a hat, and can't do his body slam move. If he takes damage while he is small, he loses a life.
Success and sequels
Wario Land was an attempt to expand the appearance of Wario in Super Mario Land 2 to a starring role and also to expand the Mario universe, which was successful. Wario Land spawned seven popular sequels: VB Wario LandVirtual Boy Wario Land
Virtual Boy Wario Land, known in Japan as , was released by Nintendo for its ill-fated Virtual Boy system in 1995. It stars Wario in a platforming adventure quite similar to most of his other starring roles....
, Wario Land II
Wario Land II
Wario Land II, known as in Japan, is a video game released for the Game Boy in 1998. It was the last first-party title made for the Game Boy and was later remade to take advantage of the Game Boy Color hardware...
, Wario Land 3
Wario Land 3
Wario Land 3 garnered tremendous critical acclaim upon release. GameSpot granted the game a score of 9.8/10 and stated, "As far as platformers go, Wario Land 3 is a game that fires on all cylinders." IGN gave it an outstanding rating of 9.0/10...
, Wario Land 4
Wario Land 4
Wario Land 4, known as in Japan, is a video game released for the Game Boy Advance system in 2001. In this game, Wario has to gather four treasures to unlock a pyramid and save Princess Shokora from The Golden Diva...
, Wario World
Wario World
is a platform game developed by Treasure and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Europe on June 20, 2003, in North America on June 23, 2003, in Australia on July 10, 2003, and in Japan on May 27, 2004. It marks Wario's first starring appearance on a home games console...
, Wario: Master of Disguise
Wario: Master of Disguise
Wario: Master of Disguise, known in Japan as , is a platforming video game developed by Suzak, and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. The game was released on January 18, 2007 in Japan, and was released on March 5 in North America. The game's Japanese title...
, and Wario Land: The Shake Dimension
Wario Land: The Shake Dimension
Wario Land: The Shake Dimension, known as Wario Land: Shake It! in North America and as in Japan, is a video game for the Wii video game console. It is the sixth game to be released in the Wario Land series. It is also the first home console Wario Land game and the first new Wario Land game in...
.
Reception
Wario Land was a huge success in both the NTSC (United States) and JAP (Japan) regions, as well as the PAL (Europe) region, with high sales and a considered "new standard" of platforming games for Nintendo.Virtual Console
The game will soon be released on the Nintendo 3DSNintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
's eShop
Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo eShop is an online service for the Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming system. Launched on June 6, 2011 in North America and June 7, 2011 in Europe and Japan, the eShop was enabled by the release of a system update that added the functionality to the 3DS' Home Menu...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
download service and can be downloaded along with its predecessors, Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land
is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld game console. It and the Game Boy debuted in Japan on April 21, 1989, in the United States on July 31, 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990...
and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
is a platforming video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1992, in North America on November 2, 1992, and in Europe on January 28, 1993...
, both of which are already available to download.