Virtual Boy Wario Land

Virtual Boy Wario Land
Developer	Nintendo R&D1
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Virtual Boy
Release Date	US November 1, 1995 JP December 1, 1995
Gallery	GH Gallery
Rating	ESRB: K-A

Virtual Boy Wario Land is the the first follow-up game to Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land, although the game's obscurity has caused it to largely be overshadowed by Wario Land II, the alternative follow-up game. The game was originally titled Wario Cruise that appeared on the Virtual Boy box, but the name was changed prior to release.

Story

The story begins with Wario taking a nap in the jungle when he happens to spy a group of masked monsters. When he tracks them down into a cave behind a waterfall, he discovers a vast treasure. When Wario tries to steal it, he activates a trap and he plummets into a underground passage. The game follows Wario then as he tries to escape, but not without trying to grab as much treasure as possible.

Gameplay

The game follows a similar style of play as the original Wario Land. Wario is again limited by a health meter and can gain different forms to give him a variety of powers. These powers can be stacked to give Wario the ultimate powerup, King Dragon Wario. In each stage Wario has to grab as much treasure as he can. Occasionally he will get opportunities to play in minigames where he can gamble his earnings and try to get more gold.

The game made some use of the Virtual Boy's unique 3D abilities by showing a additional parts of the level in the background. Wario could use a special block to access these background areas and access different parts of the level, giving an unusual visual effect due to the 3D abilities.

Legacy

Virtual Boy Wario Land had limited popularity due to the Virtual Boy's failure to sell many units. Although the game was considered to be the best of the Virtual Boy's library, it ended up sinking into obscurity.

Sequels

The game was followed up on handheld systems with Wario Land II and Wario Land 3, both of which featured a new gameplay style that feature an immortal Wario.