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Wario Land 2

Last Updated: June 1st, 1999

Name: Wario Land II
System: Game Boy
Genre: Action
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release date: March 2nd, 1998
Age rating: E
Players: One

• Review by: Harnold.

• Wario Land 2 is a great improvement over WL1, which is to say it's excellent. It is, in my humble opinion, the best Game Boy game starring a Mario character to date. Just as in the original, you get treasure pieces from every stage, but there are also map pieces to get now. Even better, there are 52(!) stages in the game, and half of them are hidden; you must find the secret entrances to them. Once you find all 52 treasures and all 52 map pieces, you just might see something special happen....

Tips

• To beat the giant spear man robot in the "Kick 'em out" stage, avoid it until it had to reenergize, then ram into its face. Do it a second time. The third time, ram it and pick it up to throw at Captain Syrup's flying machine.
• In the game's very first stage, do not press a single button and you will get to hidden levels!
• Before playing a bonus game where you win treasure, press select and save the game. Then re-enter the level and play the game; if you lose, reset and try again!
• The blocks with a picture of an enemy on them can be destroyed by throwing enemies at them. Some blocks, walls, columns, etc. can also be destroyed that way, even if they look normal!
• Last of all: in the 'Final Battle' stage, jump on the little beetle guys that Syrup throws down at you, then throw them at Syrup's flying machine! After two hits, she'll throw bombs at you. Grab the bombs in mid-air, then throw them at a flaming column. Time it so the flame hits Syrup's machine as it flies above.

Rating

• Graphics: 5.0
  Wario Land 2's graphics are excellent for the Game Boy. Wario no longer looks funny, and the rest of the graphics are cartoony, yet detailed.

  Sound: 4.0
  Catchy music and good sound effects.

  Challenge: 4.5
  Although beating the stages is fairly simple, the puzzles and hidden stages can be very hard to find.

  Play Control: 4.0
  Even better than WL1; the play control is superb.

  Theme and Fun: 4.5
  This game is a LOT of fun.

  Overall: 4.5

• +
  Good graphics, sound, and play control. You just want to keep playing. The action and stage goals are varied, so there's always something new to do. Cool levels, lots of hidden stuff. Plenty of replay value.

  -
  Like I said, finding hidden exits and treasures is VERY hard. There should be a 'hint' menu for the tougher things to find, because otherwise you'll eventually go insane looking for the last hidden exit....

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