Wario Land 3

Description

What a difference two years make. Wario Land 2 was a high-quality platformer, but it didn't fully express the quirkiness or fun factor that Nintendo refined over the years with its Mario series. The concept of an invincible character, along with a somewhat short quest served to deliver a game steeped in gameplay but lacking longevity. Now, Nintendo is back with its third title in the series, Wario Land 3, aiming to remedy prior complaints while taking run-and-jump gameplay to new heights of enjoyment.

Right from the initial anime-style intro, you can tell Wario Land 3 is going to be a unique experience. Cartoon-quality animation leaps from the screen as Wario finds himself sucked into a dream world contained within a music box. His future is uncertain, until a hidden figure offers an escape. If Wario collects the five music boxes that will free this ghostly power from its prison, the hidden figure will return Wario to his physical self. Sure, Wario realizes that the old guy has his own agenda, but what does he care? Wario is greedy, happy-go-lucky, and quite fond of his freedom.

Upon exiting the master's cave, Wario finds himself at the first of the game's 20 initial levels. Throughout each rests four treasure boxes, each of which can either unlock a later level, transform prior levels, yield a sacred object, or reward Wario with a power-up. Making things interesting, some chests require power-ups from later levels to reach, while others remain inaccessible until an environmental disaster transforms the terrain. Because of this nonlinear quest, Wario is constantly traversing back and forth through the game's four main areas, with each level constantly offering something new to discover.

Trailer