my first review of this game was kinda ass so lemme give it another shot
I think there are two major aspects that make this game so perfect to me. One is the mechanical side, and the other are the vibes simply put.
I think Wario Land 4 is still the best execution of the basic idea of what I have dubbed an 'extraction platformer'. Y'know, games like this, Pizza Tower, Antonblast and so on. The core aspects of these games to me is that unlike regular platformers in which the goal is beating a level, the goal of extraction platformers is to enter a level, collect loot of some kind, and then get out. This means that the levels are like individualized versions of Metroidvanias, as the goal is not to reach an arbitrary conclusion to the level, but instead to explore. Wario Land 4 commits to this principle to an immense degree: every level has six individual collectibles and a score attached to it. Entering and leaving a level without collecting anything does exactly nothing for you, the level counts as 'cleared' but you have not progressed at all through the game, which is to say you haven't unlocked the next level. In order to unlock the next level the player is required to find a key and bring it to the exit of the level. However this isn't the end of it - every section of Wario Land 4 consists of four levels and one boss and only once the boss has been defeated does that section count as cleared and unlocking the boss isn't as easy as beating the four associated levels. In each level, next to the mandatory key for unlocking the next level, there are four more key shards necessary to unlock this sections boss. Across four levels this means you are forced to collect 16 key shards, along with four key birds that unlock the next level. That is five mandatory collectibles hidden in every level. Wario Land 4 doesn't just suggest you explore levels - it forces you to do so. Every level doesn't feel like a level as a result, it feels like its own game, a feeling only empowered by the large variety in themes, the unique music, and unique mechanics for each level. You keep everything you collected in a level each time you extract - that is to say end the level without dying, meaning you don't have to feel pressured about collecting everything in one go, the game truly feels designed around revisiting every level and checking out every corner. Of course you know at this point what the end of every level looks like. It's a run all the way back to the entrance of the level while a massive timer on screen counts down. The game is much more forgiving than other extraction platformers in this regard. Once time runs out you aren't being chased by something that will kill you in one attack, the only thing that happens is that the score you have achieved in the current run starts trickling down. You will get an instant game over once the points run out completely, but in my many runs of this game this has never happened to me even once. This might lead you to ask what the point is in that case - afterall, why threaten to punish the player if the punishment is not severe? But it makes perfect sense in the large scheme of both the gameplay and the story. You are Wario - you're a collector. A man who has only started this journey to become rich. Losing score - and therefore cash - might not bother you in a game sense but in the shoes of Wario it truly is a terrifying omen. That being said, your score isn't just a number for comparing yourself to other players and yourself. Getting more than 10,000 points in a level permanently marks that level with a gold crown. This doesn't do anything by itself but once again fits into the idea of playing as Wario and also has the added bonus of a cute little unlockable after obtaining all gold crowns in every level. It's also just plain fun. I seriously cannot replay this game without going for a gold crown in every level, it feels like such an essential part of the game design that it simply doesn't feel right to move on to the next level if I haven't done everything in the current one yet. This is a good time to mention that there is a 6th hidden collectible in each and every level. It is the only one that is 100% optional but the reward is truly something special. I will talk some more about it later but to wrap up the mechanics section I also want to stress that Wario is just such an immense joy to control. He feels truly powerful as a character, with a ground pound that knocks over all the enemies in the vicinity, the ability to pick enemies up and throw them at each other, and most importantly, the dash. I cannot begin to describe how good this dash is. The closest comparison would be the speed booster from Metroid with more of a platforming focus to it. You are still surprisingly vulnerable during it but I simply cannot help myself and use it whenever possible just for how satisfying it is. It also once again encourages getting to know each level - something you're already inclined to do as you're unlikely to find all the (mandatory) collectibles on your first go.
Then there's the vibes. The closest comparison I could make would be to the first No More Heroes game. It catches a similar punk rock attitude. I have no idea how WL4's creators came up with all the little touches this game has but it's truly incredible what they managed to achieve here. Wario as a character feels truly fleshed out in a way few other games are able to despite him not having any dialogue throughout the game. His animations are full of character but even more brilliant are the sounds he makes, many of which are played at different pitches and tempos seemingly at random. Even the sounds themselves seem to be random which leads to weird occurences like Wario laughing from getting hit. There's a weird, artificial quality to the sounds Wario makes, certainly enhanced by the GBA's limited sound quality. It often feels like Wario is commenting on what is happening rather than being the character making these sounds in the moment. It's a weird, alien kind of vibe that once again perfectly fits that punk attitude I mentioned earlier, being deliberately different from the rest of the pack. The game also beautifully manages a large quantity of different tones. There's a certain maturity to it. Wario doesn't just feel like a goofball who's just funny and nothing else, him and the world around him feel sincere and genuine. The music contributes greatly to this. The 6th, optional collectible each level has I mentioned earlier actually unlocks a song in what appears to be a spoof of classic game's sound tests. It's called the CD room and in complete opposition to actual sound tests, it only has music in it not found anywhere else in the game. This music is weird. There's some more regular tracks in there but a large portion of the songs presented are ambient noise tracks and sound collages. They can tell little stories using only various sound effects or make you feel things the main game doesn't. The truly bizarre two frame animations that play on loop during these tracks only enhance the eeriness felt by some of these pieces.
To wrap it up in a neat bow and make it simple: it plays real good, is truly innovative in terms of game structure, and has some of the freshest most out there vibes in any Nintendo game.
If you actually read all of this, thank you for your time. If not, that's okay too. I love you.
I think there are two major aspects that make this game so perfect to me. One is the mechanical side, and the other are the vibes simply put.
I think Wario Land 4 is still the best execution of the basic idea of what I have dubbed an 'extraction platformer'. Y'know, games like this, Pizza Tower, Antonblast and so on. The core aspects of these games to me is that unlike regular platformers in which the goal is beating a level, the goal of extraction platformers is to enter a level, collect loot of some kind, and then get out. This means that the levels are like individualized versions of Metroidvanias, as the goal is not to reach an arbitrary conclusion to the level, but instead to explore. Wario Land 4 commits to this principle to an immense degree: every level has six individual collectibles and a score attached to it. Entering and leaving a level without collecting anything does exactly nothing for you, the level counts as 'cleared' but you have not progressed at all through the game, which is to say you haven't unlocked the next level. In order to unlock the next level the player is required to find a key and bring it to the exit of the level. However this isn't the end of it - every section of Wario Land 4 consists of four levels and one boss and only once the boss has been defeated does that section count as cleared and unlocking the boss isn't as easy as beating the four associated levels. In each level, next to the mandatory key for unlocking the next level, there are four more key shards necessary to unlock this sections boss. Across four levels this means you are forced to collect 16 key shards, along with four key birds that unlock the next level. That is five mandatory collectibles hidden in every level. Wario Land 4 doesn't just suggest you explore levels - it forces you to do so. Every level doesn't feel like a level as a result, it feels like its own game, a feeling only empowered by the large variety in themes, the unique music, and unique mechanics for each level. You keep everything you collected in a level each time you extract - that is to say end the level without dying, meaning you don't have to feel pressured about collecting everything in one go, the game truly feels designed around revisiting every level and checking out every corner. Of course you know at this point what the end of every level looks like. It's a run all the way back to the entrance of the level while a massive timer on screen counts down. The game is much more forgiving than other extraction platformers in this regard. Once time runs out you aren't being chased by something that will kill you in one attack, the only thing that happens is that the score you have achieved in the current run starts trickling down. You will get an instant game over once the points run out completely, but in my many runs of this game this has never happened to me even once. This might lead you to ask what the point is in that case - afterall, why threaten to punish the player if the punishment is not severe? But it makes perfect sense in the large scheme of both the gameplay and the story. You are Wario - you're a collector. A man who has only started this journey to become rich. Losing score - and therefore cash - might not bother you in a game sense but in the shoes of Wario it truly is a terrifying omen. That being said, your score isn't just a number for comparing yourself to other players and yourself. Getting more than 10,000 points in a level permanently marks that level with a gold crown. This doesn't do anything by itself but once again fits into the idea of playing as Wario and also has the added bonus of a cute little unlockable after obtaining all gold crowns in every level. It's also just plain fun. I seriously cannot replay this game without going for a gold crown in every level, it feels like such an essential part of the game design that it simply doesn't feel right to move on to the next level if I haven't done everything in the current one yet. This is a good time to mention that there is a 6th hidden collectible in each and every level. It is the only one that is 100% optional but the reward is truly something special. I will talk some more about it later but to wrap up the mechanics section I also want to stress that Wario is just such an immense joy to control. He feels truly powerful as a character, with a ground pound that knocks over all the enemies in the vicinity, the ability to pick enemies up and throw them at each other, and most importantly, the dash. I cannot begin to describe how good this dash is. The closest comparison would be the speed booster from Metroid with more of a platforming focus to it. You are still surprisingly vulnerable during it but I simply cannot help myself and use it whenever possible just for how satisfying it is. It also once again encourages getting to know each level - something you're already inclined to do as you're unlikely to find all the (mandatory) collectibles on your first go.
Then there's the vibes. The closest comparison I could make would be to the first No More Heroes game. It catches a similar punk rock attitude. I have no idea how WL4's creators came up with all the little touches this game has but it's truly incredible what they managed to achieve here. Wario as a character feels truly fleshed out in a way few other games are able to despite him not having any dialogue throughout the game. His animations are full of character but even more brilliant are the sounds he makes, many of which are played at different pitches and tempos seemingly at random. Even the sounds themselves seem to be random which leads to weird occurences like Wario laughing from getting hit. There's a weird, artificial quality to the sounds Wario makes, certainly enhanced by the GBA's limited sound quality. It often feels like Wario is commenting on what is happening rather than being the character making these sounds in the moment. It's a weird, alien kind of vibe that once again perfectly fits that punk attitude I mentioned earlier, being deliberately different from the rest of the pack. The game also beautifully manages a large quantity of different tones. There's a certain maturity to it. Wario doesn't just feel like a goofball who's just funny and nothing else, him and the world around him feel sincere and genuine. The music contributes greatly to this. The 6th, optional collectible each level has I mentioned earlier actually unlocks a song in what appears to be a spoof of classic game's sound tests. It's called the CD room and in complete opposition to actual sound tests, it only has music in it not found anywhere else in the game. This music is weird. There's some more regular tracks in there but a large portion of the songs presented are ambient noise tracks and sound collages. They can tell little stories using only various sound effects or make you feel things the main game doesn't. The truly bizarre two frame animations that play on loop during these tracks only enhance the eeriness felt by some of these pieces.
To wrap it up in a neat bow and make it simple: it plays real good, is truly innovative in terms of game structure, and has some of the freshest most out there vibes in any Nintendo game.
If you actually read all of this, thank you for your time. If not, that's okay too. I love you.