Wario Land 4

Wario Land 4 Description

2D platform games and the Game Boy Advance are practically designed for each other. Wario Land 4 is the first original platform game designed for the Advance and it shines as a triple A title. Mario Advance was good, but this is even better. Nintendo's anti-hero is a joy to control, and that's one of the most important aspects of any videogame. He has several special moves that can be used to negotiate the levels. Wario's skills are numerous and the game adopts the intelligent viewpoint of gradually introducing them to you over the first few levels. In the backgrounds there are diagrams of the moves, such as dashing and jumping to destroy certain hard to reach blocks. Wario Land 4 makes good use of the Advance's capabilities: sprite scaling, sprite rotation and transparency are all used to good effect. The backgrounds are colourful and well drawn and the standard of level design is excellent. The multiple levels of parallax scrolling give a good impression of depth and the overall speed of the game is fast and smooth. Wario Land 4 is an enjoyable game to play. Not only is it full of quality platform action, it has several genuinely funny moments. Wario doesn't always receive damage from the baddies in the game, sometimes he just reacts to them. For example, if he gets stung by a bee, he will inflate like a balloon and float to the ceiling. Watch out for the spiky vines. The number of reasons to own an Advance grows with every new quality release. Wario Land 4 has it all: graphics, gameplay, and 'lastabilty'.