"A bit disappointed"

Wario Land 3 was easily one of the best surprises of last year. Its innovative gamestyle, based on transformations, rocked the gameboy color. At the beginning of the game, Wario didn't know much moves, but he acquired them later on as he was chasing treasures across the levels. Wario didn't need to get all the treasures to beat the game, but getting the 100 treasure chests sure was challenging.
Wario 3 was nice because it proved that even on the most common game type on gameboy, it was still possible to innovate big time.
I don't know what I really miss the most in Wario 4. Sure the graphics are nice and the music is good but something is lacking. All the features that made the previous Wario interesting and different are gone. The game is larger - the levels are obviously taking advantage of the 64 Mbits cartridge, but at the same time shorter. Whereas in Wario 3 each level had to be completed several times, as each new treasure found could possibly unlock more or less secret passageways, there is little interest in replaying Wario 4's levels.
Somehow, the designers managed to capture something of a Wario atmosphere which make the overall experience pleasant. Undoubtedly, Wario 4 is one of the most beautiful Game Boy Advance game to date. Moreover, the bright colors ensure an optimal gameplay anywhere, and do not require drastic lightning conditions to enjoy. The designers also tried to include something genuinely different on each level, which is no easy task, so each level has like a special mechanism or innovative enemy. Still, the difficulty level being fairly low, most levels are completed on the first try, so all of these efforts are pretty much in vain.

Anyway, here are the scores.
Graphics: 8/10. Arguably, these are the best on this platform, but the GBA is still young.
Sound & Music : 8/10. The music are truly excellent and let us hope great things for the future of the GBA.
Difficulty: 1/10. The game is just too easy.
Replayability: 4/10. See difficulty.
Gameplay: 5/10. They turned Wario into just another platform game.
Overall tilt: 6/10. Granted Wario looks nice, but it won't keep a seasoned player busy for too long. For platform fans it's still an interesting game, but for Wario addicts who were waiting for a truly innovative gamestyle, it's something of a disappointment.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/27/01, Updated 08/27/01