How should future Wario Land games do map screens?

[CM30]

Because over the years, there have been various answers from all manners of games in the series. Wario Land 1 had a map screen similar to that in Super Mario Land 2 or Super Mario World, complete with secret exits in levels and an optional world to find.

Wario Land 3 made the map a sort of Metroidvania deal with each treasure unlocking new levels or changing the map setup.

VB Wario Land and Wario Land 2 didn't even have a map, with the former just having connected levels and the latter having a story progression system (which is itself invisible in the first playthrough).

Whereas 4 had a very simple pyramid map and Shake It an equally simple (yet beautiful to look at) globe type map in their games.

And hey, let's not forget World with its hub system, or Master of Disguise with... whatever it did.

So what solution do you prefer here? Do you want future games to have a world map, a level select, a hub or something completely different?

 

[Just a Wario Fan]

A world map, but with shortcuts and secret levels. Something like Super Mario World, with a secret world that can only be accessed via certain points and also serves as shortcut would do great in a Wario Land game too, I think.

 

[Crow]

I really love the map screen in Wario Land 3, it really makes you feel like you're changing the whole world as you explore.

 

[The 3rd Wario Brother]

I think it should depend on what type of WarioLand we get. If we got a metroidvania style WL then i think interconnected levels work best, maybe a map screen when you reach a specific point where you can access the other main worlds. If we get a more platforming intensive game like WL4 then why not just have the usual like WL4 or WLSML3 with the map screen and tiny Wario.

My ideal map screen would be not to dissimilar to Wario World or Super Mario 3D World where the levels are in set locations and you can freely roam about, though I'd add puzzles and secret areas which lead to treasures and secret levels.

 

[Dangerous Duck]

I would personally like to see a real-deal treasure map, with Wario actively charting his journey by hand as he goes, marking his progress much like the classic fictional treasure hunters did (like Donald Duck, who used the one below in the classic QuackShot for Mega Drive).
Wario's map could also be enchanted and lively, with little details like grass and trees blowing, birds soaring across it, etc. despite being scrawled on old parchment. It doesn't have to be all shaded brown, either... A splash of faded colours would look really smart.

 

[LesTheTimeSweeper]

I would like a return to the Wario Land 3 style without the mandatory golf minigames and with a better indicator of where to go when you return to the game after not playing it for a while.

 

[Just a Wario Fan]

I would personally like to see a real-deal treasure map, with Wario actively charting his journey by hand as he goes, marking his progress much like the classic fictional treasure hunters did (like Donald Duck, who used the one below in the classic QuackShot for Mega Drive).
Wario's map could also be enchanted and lively, with little details like grass and trees blowing, birds soaring across it, etc. despite being scrawled on old parchment. It doesn't have to be all shaded brown, either... A splash of faded colours would look really smart.

Hey, that would be a really nice idea. It fits Wario's reputation as a treasure hunter, and it looks really decent too.

 

[Dangerous Duck]

Hey, that would be a really nice idea. It fits Wario's reputation as a treasure hunter, and it looks really decent too.

Right! Imagine Wario's grand castle at the centre of a grubby old map, acting as a sort of hub or base area between hunts. The game begins at his castle, before you travel off into the wide, surrounding world. The final chapter could have Wario returning to defend his palace and treasure from a massive siege of oncoming pirates and other forces.
It could take place on a stormy night, with Wario observing the surrounding landscape from his battlements (like a huge nod to his original role in SML2). Not only would it make for a brilliant game cover, but it would be a perfect finale for the series to end on...

 

[The 3rd Wario Brother]

Right! Imagine Wario's grand castle at the centre of a grubby old map, acting as a sort of hub or base area between hunts. The game begins at his castle, before you travel off into the wide, surrounding world. The final chapter could have Wario returning to defend his palace and treasure from a massive siege of oncoming pirates and other forces.
It could take place on a stormy night, with Wario observing the surrounding landscape from his battlements (like a huge nod to his original role in SML2). Not only would it make for a brilliant game cover, but it would be a perfect finale for the series to end on...

You should just make it a fan game at this point. You have a real vivid idea of what you want.

 

[Dangerous Duck]

You should just make it a fan game at this point. You have a real vivid idea of what you want.

Ha! If only I wasn't so bad with computers! It's sad, because I've been designing my own Wario Land and Donkey Kong Land games since 1997. I've cooked up hundreds of blueprints, enemy brainstorms, and other rigamarole over the years. I did the ones below when I was nine, between 1997-1998.

I was very shy to upload these, as my drawing skills are infinitely better today. I can't help but smile now at my little footnotes, like "moon follows Wario"...

When I doodled these awful make-believe covers below, Wario Land II did not yet exist, however Donkey Kong Land III did.
I was dreaming up sequels for both series, designing my own dream Wario Land 2 and Donkey Kong Land 4. I never did finish these... They're terribly sloppy and embarrassing to behold. I also loved Roman numerals, but didn't quite grasp how they worked back then... ("Wario Land Eleven" and "Donkey Kong Land IIII", anyone?)

 

[Magma]

In a bit of an opposite perspective, I personally would kind like to see if Wario Land could lend itelf to further pushing the Metroidvania type thing they had going in Wario Land 3 and maybe not have a map at all but just a massive overworld.

 

[Just a Wario Fan]

Wow @Angler of Lake Asparagus , these drawings are awesome! I'm glad you overcame your embarassment and decided to upload those; they are a sight to behold. I also used to design my own levels and such, especially boards for Mario Party games. But not to the extent that I designed courses from start to finish, or enemies. You sure are a creative mind. And about a possible fourth DK Land game, there is a GBC port of the first DKC game that shares many aspects with the Land games and could be considered a Donkey Kong Land IV of sorts. But this is because of system limitations, though.

 

[Dangerous Duck]

OFF TOPIC:
Oooo yeah! I was all over the GBC DKC when it came out in 2000! I remember smacking my lips at those screenshots in the magazines before it hit the store shelves.
It looked far more impressive as an 8-bit GBC game than the GBA ports did as 32-bit games. The environments were so vivid and lush. No wash-outs like the GBA versions. I also much preferred the extras on GBC like "Crosshair Cranky" compared to the GBA's Candy Kong dance minigame. Blech...

My only gripe was how they recycled HALF the Donkey Kong Land soundtrack! It still had some great exclusive tracks, mind you, including a beautiful new forest theme (which I love a ton more than the original SNES version).

[/SPOILER]

 

[ShyGuyXXL]

My favourite overworld maps are the ones that change due to your actions. Wario Land 1 and 3 did that very well. WL1 had a few changes, like the tide changing, the pot lid falling, the lake draining, but it was WL3 that REALLY went with it all the way. Some of the maps changed so much you could hardly recognize them afterwards.
Super Mario World did that a little bit but they were fairly minor changes. Mostly to form paths.

 

[CM30]

Ha! If only I wasn't so bad with computers! It's sad, because I've been designing my own Wario Land and Donkey Kong Land games since 1997. I've cooked up hundreds of blueprints, enemy brainstorms, and other rigamarole over the years. I did the ones below when I was nine, between 1997-1998.

I was very shy to upload these, as my drawing skills are infinitely better today. I can't help but smile now at my little footnotes, like "moon follows Wario"...

View attachment 6261

When I doodled these awful make-believe covers below, Wario Land II did not yet exist, however Donkey Kong Land III did.
I was dreaming up sequels for both series, designing my own dream Wario Land 2 and Donkey Kong Land 4. I never did finish these... They're terribly sloppy and embarrassing to behold. I also loved Roman numerals, but didn't quite grasp how they worked back then... ("Wario Land Eleven" and "Donkey Kong Land IIII", anyone?)

View attachment 6260

I always love it when people post their ideas for video game levels like this, and based on what I can see here, I definitely agree they'd be pretty fun levels to play if someone made an actual fan game based on these pictures.

My favourite overworld maps are the ones that change due to your actions. Wario Land 1 and 3 did that very well. WL1 had a few changes, like the tide changing, the pot lid falling, the lake draining, but it was WL3 that REALLY went with it all the way. Some of the maps changed so much you could hardly recognize them afterwards.
Super Mario World did that a little bit but they were fairly minor changes. Mostly to form paths.

Yeah, it's great when the overworld changes. That's why I've always been a bit disappointed by the NSMB titles and 3D World, they just don't do anything interesting with their map screens.

 

[ShyGuyXXL]

That's why I've always been a bit disappointed by the NSMB titles and 3D World, they just don't do anything interesting...

*...period.

 

[Nitwit]

Yup.

 

[Vampfox]

Something along the lines of Wario Land 1 & or 3 where the map screen changes depending on what happens in the levels like Mt Teapot's lid falling down, The water draining from Parsely Woods, Syrup's castle being destroyed. The map screen in Wl3 changing as you open up new paths, and levels.

 

[I.M.Gibbon]

I want DKC3 style map exploration. Not necessarily in a Wario game, just in general. But I really think Wario could benefit from it. For vehicles, you could start with the dingy from the intro to SML3 and work your way up to the Bulldog as you find parts to repair it and such while exploring whatever lost island kingdom you've crash landed on, trying to fix your way home while also amassing as much of the place's treasure as possible (before Syrup gets her hands on it, of course)

 

[CM30]

I want DKC3 style map exploration. Not necessarily in a Wario game, just in general. But I really think Wario could benefit from it. For vehicles, you could start with the dingy from the intro to SML3 and work your way up to the Bulldog as you find parts to repair it and such while exploring whatever lost island kingdom you've crash landed on, trying to fix your way home while also amassing as much of the place's treasure as possible (before Syrup gets her hands on it, of course)

As long as there are none of those Banana Bird caves with the Simon Says mini games, yeah that'd be quite cool.