I'll start with negatives: The way coins were handled. The only use they have is to play that dumb golf minigame (That I'll get to). I had 999 coins, the max amount, for a majority of the playthrough. Also, the 8 big coins in each stage reset if you don't collect them all. What do you get if you collect them all? Our friend from about 4 sentences ago, that dumb golf minigame.
The golf minigame isn't particularly hard or detrimental, but it's undeniably poorly designed. The courses seem random; Sometimes they were extremely hard, the next would be extremely easy. Many times you'd have to make a blind shot due to the strict number of shots and the Gameboy's poor visibility. It rarely took me more than three times to beat, but it's a shame that the only minigame in here is bad.
Anyway, let's get into the goods: The game keeps a lot from Wario Land 2. The unconventional 'powerups' and general moveset are the same. However, the general design and structure is very different. In Wario Land 3, you don't lose coins for getting hit. Instead, getting hit is usually punished with one of the 'powerups' or just getting knocked down from a platforming section. Like I said, coins aren't really that valuable here, so I'm fine with that (Although coins COULD'VE been more valuable in a game about Wario). This also let the creators experiment more with the level design. Here's an example: The spring powerup makes Wario constantly jump around for a while. This is a positive for certain platforming sections. However, it can be a negative if put in a bossfight with several platforms above it, because Wario will jump out of the arena in spring form and can't return easily. As such, a button to undo this powerup isn't an option, as it could ruin a boss' difficulty. This could mean the player would have to wait for Wario to exit spring form in many cases, which could be annoying. HOWEVER, spikes knock Wario out of spring form, and they're often conveniently placed near the spring powerup. So now, just like the spring, the spikes can be beneficial or detrimental depending on context. In my opinion, this is brilliant game design that challenges the player to always think about their surroundings and current state.
This doesn't even touch the non-linear structure with powerups earned overtime. That's right, Wario Land 3 is a Castleroid of sorts. I'm not gonna lie, having to wait a good third of the game before being able to pick up stuff irked me a bit after playing WL 1 and 2, but Wario Land 3 did what it needed to do with most of its powerups: Something interesting. Some were pretty unimpressive, like an upgraded charge, but the high jump, throwing, ground pound, and others are all pushed in interesting directions. I imagine the structure of this game would make replays vastly different, as there's a fork in which stages you can tackle pretty early on.
Honestly, I'm almost tempted to give this game a 9/10. However, it has some clear flaws, so an 8/10 for now. Play this game. Play every Wario Land game. The series gets better with every entry (Note: I haven't played Shake It!! yet).
The golf minigame isn't particularly hard or detrimental, but it's undeniably poorly designed. The courses seem random; Sometimes they were extremely hard, the next would be extremely easy. Many times you'd have to make a blind shot due to the strict number of shots and the Gameboy's poor visibility. It rarely took me more than three times to beat, but it's a shame that the only minigame in here is bad.
Anyway, let's get into the goods: The game keeps a lot from Wario Land 2. The unconventional 'powerups' and general moveset are the same. However, the general design and structure is very different. In Wario Land 3, you don't lose coins for getting hit. Instead, getting hit is usually punished with one of the 'powerups' or just getting knocked down from a platforming section. Like I said, coins aren't really that valuable here, so I'm fine with that (Although coins COULD'VE been more valuable in a game about Wario). This also let the creators experiment more with the level design. Here's an example: The spring powerup makes Wario constantly jump around for a while. This is a positive for certain platforming sections. However, it can be a negative if put in a bossfight with several platforms above it, because Wario will jump out of the arena in spring form and can't return easily. As such, a button to undo this powerup isn't an option, as it could ruin a boss' difficulty. This could mean the player would have to wait for Wario to exit spring form in many cases, which could be annoying. HOWEVER, spikes knock Wario out of spring form, and they're often conveniently placed near the spring powerup. So now, just like the spring, the spikes can be beneficial or detrimental depending on context. In my opinion, this is brilliant game design that challenges the player to always think about their surroundings and current state.
This doesn't even touch the non-linear structure with powerups earned overtime. That's right, Wario Land 3 is a Castleroid of sorts. I'm not gonna lie, having to wait a good third of the game before being able to pick up stuff irked me a bit after playing WL 1 and 2, but Wario Land 3 did what it needed to do with most of its powerups: Something interesting. Some were pretty unimpressive, like an upgraded charge, but the high jump, throwing, ground pound, and others are all pushed in interesting directions. I imagine the structure of this game would make replays vastly different, as there's a fork in which stages you can tackle pretty early on.
Honestly, I'm almost tempted to give this game a 9/10. However, it has some clear flaws, so an 8/10 for now. Play this game. Play every Wario Land game. The series gets better with every entry (Note: I haven't played Shake It!! yet).