Wario World

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Wario World
The boxart for Wario World.
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer Treasure
Publisher Nintendo
Platform(s) Nintendo GameCube
Release date Europe June 20, 2003[?]
USA June 23, 2003[?]
Australia July 10, 2003[?]
Japan May 27, 2004[?]
Language(s) English (United States)
French (France)
German
Spanish (Spain)
Italian
Japanese
Genre Platformer, Action-adventure
Rating(s)
ESRB:E - Everyone
PEGI:3 - Three years and older
CERO:A - All ages
ACB:G - General
USK:0 - All ages
Mode(s) 1 player
Format
Nintendo GameCube:
Optical disc
Input
Nintendo GameCube:
Serial code(s) USA DOL-GWWE-USA

Wario World is a 3D platformer for the Nintendo GameCube released in 2003. It is a spin-off of the Wario Land games and marked Wario's first appearance as a main protagonist in a home console game. In 2004, it was re-released as a Player's Choice title. It is the sixth platformer game starring Wario and the only 3D platformer game in the Wario franchise.

Plot[edit]

A Spriteling
The Spritelings are helpers of Wario throughout the game.

The game's story is described in the enclosed instruction booklet:

Story: From Riches to Rags

"Ah, ha ha! I've finally done it!" Wario chuckles to himself as he does some exploring up his nose. Why does he chuckle, you ask? Because he's finally completed construction of his beloved castle! "So, whatddya think? Pretty sweet, eh? The sparkling golden walls, the luxurious chandeliers... And how about these marble floors? It's a wonderfully gorgeous castle for wonderful and gorgeous me. Hey, by the way- and this is a secret- the lower chambers are brimming with jewels and treasures that I've pilfered from all around the world! What? You wanna take a peek? No way! They're mine, all mine! ... As if I'd actually let you put a single grubby finger on any of my fine treasures! Please! I'm not even gonna let you look at any of them!" Yes, Wario is feeling pretty fine. However, unbeknownst to him, something terrible has happened to his jewels. Sleeping buried under all of his treasures is a powerful black jewel that all but wiped out civilization long ago. And now, on an evening where a red moon rises, the evil black jewel awakens. "Huh? What's all that noise downstairs?! I was just getting ready to floss the gunk out of my toes! Gah! I HATE distractions!"

When Wario finally notices that something strange is happening, it's already too late. The evil black jewel downstairs has managed to engulf many of the other treasures and is rapidly growing larger and larger! And not only that--it's churning out monsters as well! Yes, that's right! It seems that the curse that this jewel carries lets it turn treasures into monsters. To make matters worse, the black jewel has decided that it wants to build a kingdom of its own and is changing Wario's world into quite a weird place.

"Whoa! What the heck's going on here?! My castle's going nuts! Who did all this? Who are all these weirdos? WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING TO MY CASTLE?!"

After yelling this, Wario begins angrily stomping his feet. He's come completely unglued! But then, somehow, he subdues his anger and while thoughtfully prospecting his nostril, he gets ahold of himself.

"Using my brilliant brainpower, I think... Wait! That must be it! This is the work of that weird, black-colored jewel! I thought there was something off about that thing the first time I laid eyes on it! Why, that arrogant little PUNK! It actually thinks it can outwit the great Wario! Somehow, someway, I'm gonna take back every last treasure it stole from me! Then I'll smack that thing 100 times!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!"

Once Wario gets angry, absolutely nothing scares him. And so, after stuffing four full heads of garlic into his mouth, he stamps out in a furious rage to meet the monsters!

Black Jewel destroys the Treasure Square.
The black jewel destroys the Treasure Square

The game begins with Wario sitting on his throne and laughing in his completed treasure-covered castle. On the lower floor of the castle, below the throne room lies an evil black jewel, who, thousands of years before, had corrupted any and all who owned it, causing chaos and destruction. To put a stop to this, Spritelings encased the jewel and put it asleep for all eternity. However, when Wario stole the jewel thousands of years later, it reawakened.

Wario, still drooling over his treasures and laughing in his throne room, soon sees his castle rumble. Suddenly, the black jewel turns the castle into a brand new location. This new location is separated into four sections called worlds (each containing a boss battle): Excitement Central, Spooktastic World, Thrillsville, and Sparkle Land. The worlds are reached from a main hub area, which also leads to the Treasure Square where the huge treasure box containing the black jewel is placed. Wario must travel through each world, optionally rescuing the forty imprisoned Spritelings, before defeating the black jewel and locking it back in its chest. After defeating the jewel, he regains his castle and riches with the help of the Spritelings, with his castle being larger and higher-quality the more Spritelings he rescued.

Endings[edit]

The quality of Wario Castle at the end of the game depends on how many Spritelings the player saved throughout. The castle takes on one of six forms: plant, wood, stone, silver, gold, or full of treasures.[1]

Ending Number of Spritelings Description
"Plant ending"
Wario ends up next to a tent within a dark forest in Wario World
1 Wario is next to a tent in an ominous dark forest, much to his shock and disappointment.
"Wooden ending"
Wario is given a wooden castle by the Spritelings in Wario World
2-10 Wario is in a medieval wooden castle, at which he becomes angry at the Spritelings.
"Stone ending"
Wario is given a stone castle by the Spritelings in Wario World
11-20 Wario is in a drab stone castle and shows resentment for the Spritelings.
"Silver ending"
Wario is given a silver castle by the Spritelings in Wario World
21-30 Wario is in a silver castle, but is ungratefully disappointed at the Spritelings.
"Golden ending"
Wario is given a golden castle by the Spritelings in Wario World
31-39 Wario is in a golden castle nearly identical to his last one. Wario is satisfied by the result.
"Treasure ending"
In the best ending of Wario World, Wario is given a golden, treasure-laded castle by the Spritelings
All 40 Wario is in a golden castle filled with treasure, surpassing his original castle in terms of wealth. Wario is ecstatic at his new castle.

Gameplay[edit]

To-Do List

Wario World is a 3D platforming game. The player controls the titular character, whose basic moveset includes jumps and punches, as well as their respective advanced forms, the Ground Pound and the Dash Attack. Wario's endurance is represented by hearts; he begins the game with four hearts, but his maximum health can be increased as he retrieves Gold Statues. Wario replenishes one heart when he eats a head of garlic, which are sold by Garlic Dispensers for coins, and sometimes found in wooden chests. Were the player to lose all health and trigger a Game Over, there is the option to pay 200 coins to continue from the same point. Coins spawn from defeated enemies and bosses, and also from some wooden chests.

The game is split into four worlds, each one containing two levels. Every level ends in a boss battle, and after both levels are cleared the boss stage of the world is unlocked. The gameplay places much emphasis on collection, with each level featuring four categories of items for the player to find via exploration. In order to 100% clear a level, the player must:

  • Rescue five Spritelings. Each time a Spriteling is rescued, he will give Wario tips and pieces of information.
  • Find eight treasures. For a treasure chest to appear, Wario must first activate a treasure button elsewhere, causing the chest to appear on the pad of the same color.
  • Find eight red diamonds. These are found in sub-levels accessible via trapdoors. A certain number of red diamonds, which varies depending on the world, must be inserted into the Stone Doohickey at the end of the level to open the path to the boss.
  • Collect the aforementioned Gold Statues scattered throughout the levels and in many bonus areas. Collecting all of them in both levels of the same world adds a heart to Wario's life meter.

Wario World also prominently features combat. Wario will encounter hordes of aggressive enemies throughout the levels. Larger enemies require more hits to go down, and also allow Wario to perform more devastating moves by using their bodies to attack other enemies. Most levels include unskippable fights in the form of Crystal Entities and Battle Rings.

By contrast, trapdoor sub-levels (of which there are eight in every level) are entirely focused on platforming and puzzles in the form of obstacle courses. They are self-contained and more unrealistic in design, featuring elements such as floating blocks. A punitive sub-level, Unithorn's Lair, is accessed whenever Wario falls off the stage in the main level; here, Wario has to avoid the coin-stealing Unithorns as he tries to find the crate with the Escape Spring that takes him back to the surface.

Moves[edit]

Wario uses Dash Attack in Wario World.
The Dash Attack, one of Wario's normal moves.

Wario has many moves in this game, some of which return from the Wario Land series.

  • Regular moves:
    • Jump
    • Punch: A new move introduced in this game, it helps Wario beat up enemies and crush objects.
    • Dash Attack: One of Wario's signature moves, he rushes forward and uses his shoulder to ram into anyone or anything.
    • Hyper Suction: Wario can open his mouth to suck in nearby coins and garlic.
    • Ground Pound: A move that appears in many platformers in some way, Wario can pound enemies with the weight of his body.
    • Corkscrew Conk: Wario can turn into a rampaging, spinning yellow ball and hit high-flying enemies.
  • Mad Moves, Wario's three most powerful moves, which can only be used after picking up an enemy. Using them is the only way to damage many of the game's bosses.
    • Mega Toss: After stunning and picking up an enemy, Wario can throw it with all his might.
    • Piledriver: After stunning an enemy, he can also use them to slam, hard, into the ground, destroying that enemy and damaging any others nearby. Wario can also use this move to drill through special Trapdoors.
    • Wild Swing-Ding: Wario can also swing an enemy around at a very fast speed, taking out groups of other enemies, or use them to open special doors that require him to spin the enemy in front of a switch.

Controls[edit]

  • Control Stick: Move / Wild Swing-Ding (rotate while holding enemy)
  • A Button: Jump / Corkscrew Conk (while in a Dash Attack)
  • B Button: Punch / Dash Attack (hold down) / Mega Toss (hold down while holding enemy)
  • Z Button: Hyper Suction
  • R Button: Dash Attack / Ground Pound (in midair)

Worlds and levels[edit]

Wario World is divided into 4 worlds linked by the Treasure Square Courtyard, the hub. From the Courtyard, there are 4 worlds with two levels in each.

World Name Description Impediment Boss
Excitement Central
Wario facing the exterior of Excitement Central
Excitement Central.png
Greenhorn Forest
Wario in Greenhorn Forest
Greenhorn Forest is the first level of the game. It takes place in a forest with tall trees and waterfalls. As the first area in the game, this level is relatively easy and the objects are easier to find, making of this level some kind of tutorial. Magons, Clubosaurs, Cractyls and one Ankiron are the enemies from this level. No impediment Greenfist
Greenfist's appearance in Wario World
Greenhorn Ruins
Greenhorn Ruins
Greenhorn Ruins is the second level of the game. It is set in an area in an ancient temple ruins the middle of the forest. The level features more puzzles than the previous area. The main enemies in this level are Magons, Cractyls, Clubosaurs, and Ankirons. Old Red-Mug is the only area-specific enemy in the level. Crystal Entity
Wario fighting a Crystal Entity from Wario World.
Sandworm
The Sandworm in Wario World
Spooktastic World
Spooktastic World
Spooktastic World.png
Horror Manor
Wario in Horror Manor
Horror Manor is the third level of the game. It is located in a horror area, containing two outdoor areas, both a courtyard and a graveyard, and two indoors area, the haunted mansion and its basement. Enemies here include Zombie Magons, Skelosaurs, Bone Cractyls, and Skeletal Ankirons. The area-specific enemies are Door Spirits, Silver Door Spirits and Swordfish. Big Bone-Fist
A Big Bone-Fist from Wario World.

Crystal Entity
Wario facing a yellow Crystal Entity in Horror Manor in Wario World.
Brawl Doll
Wario in a boss fight against Brawl Doll in Wario World.
Wonky Circus
WonkyCircus.png
Wonky Circus is the fourth level of the game. It is set in a massive circus area and contains some puzzles. The enemies in this level are Clowns, Gatorbabies, Pigeons and Circus Ankirons. Cobras, Cage Beasts and Elephants are the area-specific enemies. Electric Clown Fence
Wario World Electric Clown Fence.png

Crystal Entity
Wario battling a Crystal Entity
Clown-a-Round
A screenshot of Clown-a-Round from Wario World
Thrillsville
Thrillsville
Thrillsville.png
Shivering Mountains
Shivering Mountains from Wario World.
Shivering Mountains is the fifth level of the game. It is set in a mountain range covered with snow and ice, with deep snowdrifts, pine trees and igloos. The enemies here are Snowmen, Polar Bears, Snow Bombers and Ice Ankirons. Area-specific enemies are Freeze Cannons, Sled Creatures, Turtles, Fattingtons and Icicle Mites. Angler Mangler
Wario and the Angler Mangler

Crystal Entity
Wario battling a Crystal Entity
Winter Windster
The strangest, creepiest boss in Mario history, Winter Windster from Wario World
Beanstalk Way
Beanstalk Way
Beanstalk Way is the sixth level of the game. It is set in a forest full of giant beanstalks made of three areas: a mainland area, an underground area and a grassland area. The enemies from this level are Wolves, Grizzlies, Hawks and Rhino Ankirons. The area-specific enemies are Stingrays, Monstrous Magnets, Rams and Wind Winders. Tree Freak
A Tree Freak from Wario World.

Crystal Entity
Wario fighting a blue Crystal Entity in Beanstalk Way
Spideraticus
Spideraticus
Sparkle Land
Sparkle Land Exterior.png
Sparkle Land
Mirror Mansion
Mirror Mansion from Wario World.
The Mirror Mansion is the seventh level of the game. It takes place in a giant House of Mirrors and is one of the most puzzled levels in Wario World. Some parts of the level contain giant mirrors that reveal objects and enemies that are not visible in the real scene. The main enemies here are monster dolls, Masked Clubbers, Haipō and Stuffed Ankirons. Magicians, Ninja Crows, mice, and Witches are the area-specific enemies. Terrible Portrait
A Terrible Portrait with Wario in Mirror Mansion of Wario World.
Mean Emcee
A screenshot of Mean Emcee from Wario World
Pecan Sands
Pecan Sands from Wario World.
Pecan Sands is the eighth and last level of the game. It is located in a desert castle and contains many puzzles and rewards. Pecan Sands is divided into two locations, the exterior desert and the temple interior. The enemies here are Mummies, Club Mummies, Hōhō and Mummy Ankirons. The area-specific enemies are Big Scorpers, Flying Spades and Laser Jigglefish. Stone-Cold Statue
Wario near a Stone-Cold Statue from Wario World.

Crystal Entity
Wario battling a Crystal Entity
Ironsider
Wario battling the Ironsider, with two stone hands.

Items and objects[edit]

Blocks[edit]

Collectibles[edit]

Objects[edit]

Enemies[edit]

A Magon in Wario World.
Magons are some basic enemies featured in the game.

Generic enemies[edit]

These are the enemies that will appear in every level of the game. However, their appearance will change depending on their environment. For example: They will appear as dinosaurs throughout Excitement Central, but then turn into skeletons in Horror Manor, snowmen in Shivering Mountains, and then mummies in Pecan Sands.

Greenhorn Forest/Ruins[edit]

Horror Manor[edit]

Wonky Circus[edit]

Shivering Mountains[edit]

Beanstalk Way[edit]

Mirror Mansion[edit]

Pecan Sands[edit]

Other enemies[edit]

These enemies appear in only specific areas in each level.

Unique enemies[edit]

These enemies only appear in certain levels.

Greenhorn Ruins[edit]

Horror Manor[edit]

Wonky Circus[edit]

Shivering Mountains[edit]

Beanstalk Way[edit]

Mirror Mansion[edit]

Pecan Sands[edit]

Mini-bosses[edit]

In every level but Greenhorn Forest, certain enemies will attack Wario, and not let him pass until he defeats them, essentially making themselves midlevel mini-bosses. Wario will not re-fight them when returning to the level after completing it once.

Bosses[edit]

Greenfist's appearance in Wario World
Greenfist, the game's first boss.

Wario has to battle numerous Boss characters throughout the game. Each world has up to three bosses: two that must be fought in order to clear each of the first two levels, and the world's boss that carries the key needed to open the Huge Treasure Chest.

Excitement Central[edit]

Spooktastic World[edit]

Thrillsville[edit]

Sparkle Land[edit]

Final boss[edit]

When Wario defeats a world's boss, he receives a Huge Treasure Chest Key to unlock the treasure chest where the final boss, the Black Jewel waits.

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!! demo[edit]

Each time the player collects all treasures in a level, a demo set of microgames from WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! is unlocked. These games can only be played by transfering them to a Game Boy Advance via Link Cable. After a set of games is downloaded, the Game Boy Advance can be disconnected from the Nintendo GameCube and will retain the microgames until it is turned off.

Icons for sets of microgames found in Wario World
Icons for sets of microgames found in Wario World
Each set of microgames can be accessed from the Treasure Square.

There are eight total sets of microgames, which can be played infinitely and do not feature boss stages. Despite each set's icon depicting a different character, all sets use the Introduction intermission from WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!

Icon/Name Microgames included
Wario's icon from the WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! found in Wario World
WarioWare, Inc. trial ver. 1
Crazy Cars, Saving Face, Wario Whirled, Repellion, Dodge Balls, The Maze That Pays, Mug Shot
Jimmy T's icon from the WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! found in Wario World
WarioWare, Inc. trial ver. 2
Log Chop, Ski Jump, Jumpin' Rope, Snowboard Slalom, Heads Up, Boing!, Batter Up
9-Volt's icon from the WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! found in Wario World
WarioWare, Inc. trial ver. 3
Butterfingers, Chicken Pinch, Gold Digger, Paper Plane, Tilt-n-Tumble, Right in the Eye, Dry Eye
Mona's icon from the WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! found in Wario World
WarioWare, Inc. trial ver. 4
Manic Mechanic, Space Fighter, Hover for Cover, Space Escape, Munch a Bunch, Veggie Might, Lickety-Split
Dribble's icon from the WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! found in Wario World
WarioWare, Inc. selected 1
An infinite version of Dodge Balls, with the number of boulders increasing by one for each level, up to a maximum of seven
Orbulon's icon from the WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! found in Wario World
WarioWare, Inc. selected 2
An infinite version of Jumpin' Rope, alternating between levels of difficulty for each level
Dr. Crygor's icon from the WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! found in Wario World
WarioWare, Inc. selected 3
An infinite version of Repellion, with the number of UFOs increasing by one for each level
Kat's icon from the WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! found in Wario World
WarioWare, Inc. selected 4
An infinite version of Munch a Bunch, with the number of shapes increasing for each level

Staff[edit]

Main article: List of Wario World staff

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Wario World.

Media[edit]

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Wario World media.
Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

Critical reception[edit]

The game received fairly positive reviews, being praised by critics for its gameplay, but was also criticized by many for its short length. GameSpy commented that "the game offers a little beyond of what the regular tridimensional games offers, however, what is offered is short and repetitive". GameSpot stated that its length and simplicity cannot hold the player's attention for more than a day. The Play magazine gave the game a perfect score, stating that "Wario World pays off every second the player holding the controller, and that is greatness". Game Informer praised the game's boss battles. IGN's reviewer, Matt Casamassina, stated that "the game is fine, but not as fine as a Super Mario game".[2]

Reviews
Release Reviewer, Publication Score Comment
Nintendo GameCube Matt Casamassina,
IGN
7.1/10 Like Luigi's Mansion, what's there is good. I just wish there was more of it. I can definitely recommend Wario World as a great rental. But anybody interested in buying it should consider just how quickly it's all over.
Nintendo GameCube Tom Bramwell,
Eurogamer
7/10 Wario will inevitably be back, and we do hope Treasure is at the helm once again, but what this game needed more than anything was variety and more inspiration than Mario and Wario titles. As it is, priceless moments of its own making are too few and too far between, and although it gets so much right - controls, perspective, distribution of collectibles and level design - all it represents is a good rental or something to buy on Player's Choice in six months' time.
Nintendo GameCube Jeff Gerstmann,
GameSpot
6.4/10 There are some pretty cool things going on in Wario World--let's face it, any game with a spinning pile driver already has at least one strong point in its favor--but the game's mechanics are shallow, there aren't enough levels, and the game is easy enough to complete in an afternoon. There are some things to like here, but nothing that can't be experienced to the fullest by merely renting the game.
Aggregators
Compiler Platform / Score
Metacritic 71
GameRankings 71.24%

Sales[edit]

Wario World was a commercial success, selling over 256,000 copies in the United States of America, and over 142,000 copies in Japan. The game was re-released as part of the Player's Choice label in 2004, along with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.[3]

Pre-release and unused content[edit]

Main article: List of Wario World pre-release and unused content

References to other games[edit]

  • Mario Golf - Some of Wario's voice clips are reused from this game.
  • Mario Tennis - Some of Wario's voice clips are reused from this game.
  • Wario Land 4 - Some of Wario's voice clips from this game are used.

References in later games[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ワリオワールド[?]
Wario Wārudo
Wario World

Trivia[edit]

  • If the player waits around 50 minutes on the pause screen, Wario's chanting will stop, and after a brief pause, he will glumly say "Sorry" and will no longer chant.[4]
  • Some of Wario's voice clips are modified versions of his voice clips from Wario Land 4.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ending for WarioWare (Nintendo Gamecube). The Video Game Museum (English).
  2. ^ Casamassina, Matt (June 19, 2003). Wario World. IGN (English). Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  3. ^ IGN Staff (March 16, 2004). Mario Golf, F-Zero Go Bargain-Priced. IGN (English). Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  4. ^ GameXplain (August 3, 2013). Cool Bits - Wario World's Obnoxious Pause Screen Secret. YouTube (English). Retrieved June 28, 2024.

External links[edit]