What if they remade VB Wario Land from the ground up, similiar to Metroid Samus Returns?

JS Shantae

JS Shantae

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I was watching a thing about the upcoming (pretty cool-looking) Metroid II remake, Samus Returns, and it got me thinking about VB Wario Land. Wouldn't it be cool to have a Wario Land like this? 3D graphics, complete overhaul of content, etc. The first one that came to mind was of course VB Wario Land, as it's the most deserving of a "second chance", if you will.
Of course, any release of Virtual Boy Wario Land whatsoever is a damn good thing, but it's fun to think about.
 
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It's almost unanimous that we'd all want this. Not even gonna fully bring up the classic Wario fan pessimism in this post.
 
I think the issue is that most people don't know that they would want it since the original game is pretty obscure and inaccessible outside of emulation.
 
Yeah, for many it may as well be a brand new game, which has it's own perks mind you. For what it's worth VB Wario Land is one of, if not the only Virtual Boy game that's really talked about to any degree, even if most have never played it, so I'd say a remake would get some attention, especially thanks to the game's very favorable reputation.
 
I think most people would want it more because Wario Land has a good reputation as a series on its own. It'd basically be a new Wario Land game for much of the population, and that'd be great on its own.
 
So what would be the ideal way for it to be released? I could only really see it being on the 3DS for now. Would it be like a 3DS Eshop title? I can't really see it getting a physical release by today's standards.
 
Depends how fancy it is. Remember, a good Wario Land game does sell. Even Shake It (the worst selling in the series) sold over 1 million copies, so a fully remade one like Samus Returns could do well as a physical game. Hell, it'd sell better than a Metroid or F-Zero game at any rate.
 
CM30 said:
Depends how fancy it is. Remember, a good Wario Land game does sell. Even Shake It (the worst selling in the series) sold over 1 million copies, so a fully remade one like Samus Returns could do well as a physical game. Hell, it'd sell better than a Metroid or F-Zero game at any rate.
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I picture it fancy as hell, like Samus Returns. I think even non-Wario fans would take notice of that.
 
The notion that a remake of Virtual Boy Wario Land would do well on the market is one I wholeheartedly second, but, needless to say, the original game has braved the test of time very well (however, I'll spare you poor saps of Mr. Colonel's "VBWL is the Best Thing to Ever be Created and Here's Why" song and dance), and-- perhaps with one cosmetic enhancement, namely, a color palette that consists of more than merely four shades of red-- I believe VBWL would be a perfectly ripping success if re-released digitally, with hardly any alterations to speak of.
Even so, suppose a remake of the game blossoms someday, I'd still much like to see the Virtual Boy original formally re-released to the modern public in some fashion. It's unfair of Nintendo to keep such a horribly obscure and forgotten masterwork locked up in secrecy from those of whom that can't afford a Virtual Boy, nor want to bother with the inaccurate, unauthentic experience that is emulation.
 
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Well, Metroid II and VB Wario Land have an awful lot in common.... They shared the same developer (Nintendo R&D1), the same director (Hiroji Kiyotake), and also shared a lot of design/world traits, like both games taking place entirely in a shadowy underground world of caverns, forests and ancient buildings.
They're also highly atmospheric, due in no small part to their dark art styles (yeah, mostly owing to system limitations, but they definitely feel distinct aesthetically).

Just look at them. Dark, vague, and sinister-looking...

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"Samus Returns" should take art notes from its source. It's far too bright and unconcealed for modern players to immerse themselves in the same rich claustrophobic vibes of Metroid II. That chilling stillness and silent penetrating darkness through endless passages... Where's the feeling of uncertainty? It's like remaking VBWL with Wario World's graphics. The mood is killed. A remake should at least try to recapture the trademark style and feel of the original (and embellish upon it).

This is why I dislike remakes of dark old games. There's an obsession with over-detailing the environments to impress the audience. Superfluous details do NO favours to games like these - they need a more subtle approach, like abstract structures, plant life, vague figures, etc. creeping out from obscuring darkness. It's far more befitting of a vast underground world lost to time. If Metroid II taught me any design lessons as a kid, it's that a minimalistic touch gets the imagination soaring (and in this case, can evoke fear, dread, and uncertainty). Less can really become more.

metroid-screenshot-4.jpg
 
They could do it like Samus Returns and do a 3D Styled remake, using a similar graphic style to those of the NSMB series, or do like some revivals of some old game series (like blaster master zero on 3ds, megaman 9 and 10 on ps3, etc.) and keep the original graphic style (in VBWL colorize the graphics of course, or even probably remaster them).
Either way, they market it as a new game, but the fans will obviously know its a remake.
Concerning the other guy's statement about the similarities, just think about it, if Samus Returns has success, they could consider the VBWL remake! Who knows, I hope so, I'm kinda getting sick of seeing Wario only used as the mascot of minigame compilations.
 
Angler of Lake Asparagus said:
"Samus Returns" should take art notes from its source. It's far too bright and unconcealed for modern players to immerse themselves in the same rich claustrophobic vibes of Metroid II. That chilling stillness and silent penetrating darkness through endless passages... Where's the feeling of uncertainty? It's like remaking VBWL with Wario World's graphics. The mood is killed. A remake should at least try to recapture the trademark style and feel of the original (and embellish upon it).

This is why I dislike remakes of dark old games. There's an obsession with over-detailing the environments to impress the audience. Superfluous details do NO favours to games like these - they need a more subtle approach, like abstract structures, plant life, vague figures, etc. creeping out from obscuring darkness. It's far more befitting of a vast underground world lost to time. If Metroid II taught me any design lessons as a kid, it's that a minimalistic touch gets the imagination soaring (and in this case, can evoke fear, dread, and uncertainty). Less can really become more.

metroid-screenshot-4.jpg
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I definitely took notice of this myself. My best guess is that this is just one of the lighter areas of the game. I assume the lighting effects won't be uniform throughout the whole game, some areas will be brighter and some dimmer.

At least, I would certainly hope so.
 
Not to further draw out this Metroid discussion but the trailer really made it seem more of an action platformer than an exploration game so who knows what exactly they're doing...
 
Magma said:
Not to further draw out this Metroid discussion but the trailer really made it seem more of an action platformer than an exploration game so who knows what exactly they're doing...
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And there's the rub. Metroid II was all about atmosphere and steady exploration.
If the pace of this remake is constantly trying to thrill your pants off, and guide you everywhere like Zero Mission did, it'll lose that ambient loneliness and feel of isolation. You should feel like a lost explorer, tunneling into pitch-dark burrows and buildings that haven't seen light or life for centuries. Not a John Rambo mission with explosions aplenty.
 
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Release on 3DS e shoo 3D classics i say, and of course they better mention it in a Nintendo Direct.
But this is about a remake. Have the original leveps as well as many new levels so the game isn't super short. A total of 40 non- boss levels with several new levels. New mini games in between levels. a classic mode to play VBWL without new content and in red and black (adjusted for 3DS / Switch so as to prevent, headaches, seizures, etc.) New music to go with those new levels. More endings. More treasures.
Extras menu. For every new treasure i collect i wanna unlock concept art, maybe the old VBWL promotional material or something. Oh and a menu that has scans of the original manual and box art, cartridge sticker, etc.
that's all i got so far.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about that, they've kicked up the action a notch but I don't think it'll be anything to worry about. They purposely cut the trailer to make it look more 'action-y' to people who aren't interested in Metroid, seems like.

and I'm really giving them the benefit of the doubt with all this stuff so I hope I'm right. lol
 
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