Collection essentials #541: Wario Land 4 (GBA)

And here we have the fifth (yes, fifth) Wario Land game, on (what was at the time) new and improved hardware. Wario returns with most of the same moves and gameplay elements from previous games, though that doesn’t mean it’s an uninspired sequel by any means. It departs a little from the last two games, which were unusual because Wario couldn’t die and was only hindered (or even helped) by getting hit by enemies. Now, Wario is back to having a normal health bar like you’d expect in your everyday platformer. 


But this ain’t no everyday platformer. The progression is much different, for example. The previous games had a big emphasis on gathering collectibles and encouraging players to try for 100% completion, and Wario Land 4 continues that trend. This time around, each level has four jewel pieces to collect, some which are well-hidden. Finding the jewel pieces is essential to progressing in the game, so if you play and finish the level like normal but fail to collect them, you’ll have to go back at some point and take care of unfinished business. You’ll need to utilize Wario’s abilities in various ways to uncover all of them, which includes getting hit by certain specific enemies to give Wario some kind of odd temporary ability.


The way Wario Land 4 ends its levels is interesting. Instead of a “goal” of some kind at the end, Wario finds a special switch. Upon hitting it, an ominous countdown begins. Wario then has a limited amount of time to escape back to the beginning of the stage, which changes a bit on the way back. It may be a stressful mechanic, but it’s pretty challenging and cool nonetheless.


Wario Land 4 is a fairly short game, but it has a lot of replay value via its multiple difficulties. There’s normal mode and hard mode, and the two modes each have different jewel piece locations so they’re quite a bit more different than your typical hard mode which simply increases things like enemy numbers and power and such.


I also just need to emphasize that this game is very well-made. The graphics, for example, take full advantage of the GBA’s power. The sprites are detailed and beautiful. The music has its own quirky style. The game’s worlds are all unique and interesting. Another fine classic platformer from Nintendo.


Wario Land 4 was one of my early GBA titles, as I got it for my 12th birthday. I played it a lot, though I don’t think I managed to beat it on hard mode. Perhaps surprisingly, I haven’t really revisited the game in adulthood yet. It would be interesting to see how much better I’d fare at hard mode now that I’m actually pretty good at solving video game secrets. Nowadays, it’s another one you can play on the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, and it’s definitely recommended. Possibly Wario’s finest adventure, and a definite collection essential.

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