Really Ilini
Gamer
I recently dusted off my 3DS and discovered, thank goodness, my save data for one particular Wario game I wanted to finish was still intact! I had some time to kill that day, so I finished the main story and tried the bonus levels... and what do you know, Ilini has some things to say about it!
It is evident that among Wario fans who even know of the game's existence, that the popular opinion of Wario: Master of Disguise is that it does not hold a candle to Wario's other platforming endeavors. There are a lot of reasons that factor into this: from being handed off to a developer that would only go on to make DSiware based on Domo before going bankrupt in 2012, to the minigames intersecting much of the regular platforming gameplay in a less-than elegant manner, to said minigames using imperfect touch screen controls that also bleed into the platforming gameplay... there are a lot of elements working against the title.
However, most bad games have at least some elements that aren't devoid of quality or passion, and I would say that is true of MoD as well. It most notably has a rather ambitious story for a Wario title, full of written dialogue, recurring characters and even a surprisingly dark twist at the end. The game takes ambitious swings with Wario himself, flinging him into identity of a phantom thief which, while coming with the usual aspects of that sort of role (mainly a rival character to butt heads with in the form of Count Cannoli), doesn't deter his character from being a stubborn lone wolf who's only out for the golden spoils.
That said... even if the MoD tries to be unique from the Lands, I find that it's biggest drawback is still being a Wario game, and still trying to invoke his trademarks while playing tug-of-war with an otherwise interesting concept. The game starts with some interesting locations for a thief to traverse: a couple of levels are spent on a luxury cruise ship, and the next level takes place in a museum during active hours, with security running amok. In another game where you play as a thief, these ideas could wring some interesting stealth gameplay out, but since this is a Wario platformer, there isn't much of a focus there. It is much easier to simply run past enemies, as they do not put up much of a fight at all. After these levels, the locations shift into much more traditional settings with less emphasis on the thief role our main character is in: a snowy mountain, overgrown ruins, a pyramid, a haunted castle... all with no legally opposing forces to contrast. (This is all without mentioning the entire game takes place in a fictional TV show that Wario reaches with a sci-fi helment, that is only shown to warp him back to the real world when he dies, so there's zero stakes but I consider that more a general story flaw.)
The hard truth is that Wario himself feels like the most out-of-place aspect of this game: despite his character remaining intact, he doesn't mesh well with the story trying to be told. Phantom thieves are known for their suave personalities, able to charm their way out of situations gone wrong; Wario is the last guy who is going to sweet-talk any cops from pointing their weapons away. His relationships with the existing characters tend to be one-note, often resorting to pettily name-calling his rivals and not having any skin in the romance game when faced with a supposed love interest later on. This role is also not reflected in the gameplay well: as previously mentioned, there are very weak elements of stealth (some enemies will summon more if they see you) in what is otherwise a puzzle-platformer with maze-like levels. His attacks also still retain his brutish strength he's known for: the dash attack, known for being a momentum-based attack in the Land games, is an awkward close-range melee hit that has him slide back into place after using it. When I look at Wario, I see less of a Sly Cooper and more of a "The Murray".
But these aspects of the game got me thinking: maybe if MoD were able to break away from Wario, it could try to be more of its own thing. It could axe the minigames, hone the platforming gameplay to include more stealth elements, and put somebody into the role it sets up who feels like a better fit. It didn't take me long to find the perfect candidate for this dream game...
Yes! I unironically think Wario: Master of Disguise would have benefitted from being Waluigi's first game. As a character with not much to his name even now, I can easily see a dev team focusing on creating a good game first, without feeling pressure to include elements from any preexisting series he doesn't have. I would say my idea of a more stealth-focused approach would benefit Waluigi greatly, making him stand apart from the other plumbers. If my Wario/Murray comparison is still ringing in your head, Waluigi to start with is much closer to Sly Cooper: being more nimble and delicate in his movement, and having a more passionate and romantic personality. Does the official render lie?
A lot of the elements of the game that are already present would also benefit from this protagonist change. While disguises feel a tad tacked on with Wario, who already went through multiple power-up phases, Waluigi gaining his abilities through playing dress up feels much more fitting for a character who values his self-image more. His relationships with the characters would also surely be improved, putting him on more equal footing with Cannoli as to who can out-vain the other, and possibly even having a more fleshed-out chemistry with Tiaramisu.
Now obviously, this is all hypothetical, and even if Waluigi were the star of MoD, the game likely would have still had other problems. It would still be released for the Nintendo DS in a time where all the marketing around it was the touch screen, so some frustrating gimmicks could have still wormed their way in. This is more of a wild, what-if idea about a rather peculiar game that's kept my thoughts fed for some time now. Do you think Waluigi being the Master of Disguise would have improved the game? Would it have made a difference? Will Waluigi ever get a game? I know the answer to at least one of those questions...
It is evident that among Wario fans who even know of the game's existence, that the popular opinion of Wario: Master of Disguise is that it does not hold a candle to Wario's other platforming endeavors. There are a lot of reasons that factor into this: from being handed off to a developer that would only go on to make DSiware based on Domo before going bankrupt in 2012, to the minigames intersecting much of the regular platforming gameplay in a less-than elegant manner, to said minigames using imperfect touch screen controls that also bleed into the platforming gameplay... there are a lot of elements working against the title.
However, most bad games have at least some elements that aren't devoid of quality or passion, and I would say that is true of MoD as well. It most notably has a rather ambitious story for a Wario title, full of written dialogue, recurring characters and even a surprisingly dark twist at the end. The game takes ambitious swings with Wario himself, flinging him into identity of a phantom thief which, while coming with the usual aspects of that sort of role (mainly a rival character to butt heads with in the form of Count Cannoli), doesn't deter his character from being a stubborn lone wolf who's only out for the golden spoils.
That said... even if the MoD tries to be unique from the Lands, I find that it's biggest drawback is still being a Wario game, and still trying to invoke his trademarks while playing tug-of-war with an otherwise interesting concept. The game starts with some interesting locations for a thief to traverse: a couple of levels are spent on a luxury cruise ship, and the next level takes place in a museum during active hours, with security running amok. In another game where you play as a thief, these ideas could wring some interesting stealth gameplay out, but since this is a Wario platformer, there isn't much of a focus there. It is much easier to simply run past enemies, as they do not put up much of a fight at all. After these levels, the locations shift into much more traditional settings with less emphasis on the thief role our main character is in: a snowy mountain, overgrown ruins, a pyramid, a haunted castle... all with no legally opposing forces to contrast. (This is all without mentioning the entire game takes place in a fictional TV show that Wario reaches with a sci-fi helment, that is only shown to warp him back to the real world when he dies, so there's zero stakes but I consider that more a general story flaw.)
The hard truth is that Wario himself feels like the most out-of-place aspect of this game: despite his character remaining intact, he doesn't mesh well with the story trying to be told. Phantom thieves are known for their suave personalities, able to charm their way out of situations gone wrong; Wario is the last guy who is going to sweet-talk any cops from pointing their weapons away. His relationships with the existing characters tend to be one-note, often resorting to pettily name-calling his rivals and not having any skin in the romance game when faced with a supposed love interest later on. This role is also not reflected in the gameplay well: as previously mentioned, there are very weak elements of stealth (some enemies will summon more if they see you) in what is otherwise a puzzle-platformer with maze-like levels. His attacks also still retain his brutish strength he's known for: the dash attack, known for being a momentum-based attack in the Land games, is an awkward close-range melee hit that has him slide back into place after using it. When I look at Wario, I see less of a Sly Cooper and more of a "The Murray".
But these aspects of the game got me thinking: maybe if MoD were able to break away from Wario, it could try to be more of its own thing. It could axe the minigames, hone the platforming gameplay to include more stealth elements, and put somebody into the role it sets up who feels like a better fit. It didn't take me long to find the perfect candidate for this dream game...
Yes! I unironically think Wario: Master of Disguise would have benefitted from being Waluigi's first game. As a character with not much to his name even now, I can easily see a dev team focusing on creating a good game first, without feeling pressure to include elements from any preexisting series he doesn't have. I would say my idea of a more stealth-focused approach would benefit Waluigi greatly, making him stand apart from the other plumbers. If my Wario/Murray comparison is still ringing in your head, Waluigi to start with is much closer to Sly Cooper: being more nimble and delicate in his movement, and having a more passionate and romantic personality. Does the official render lie?
A lot of the elements of the game that are already present would also benefit from this protagonist change. While disguises feel a tad tacked on with Wario, who already went through multiple power-up phases, Waluigi gaining his abilities through playing dress up feels much more fitting for a character who values his self-image more. His relationships with the characters would also surely be improved, putting him on more equal footing with Cannoli as to who can out-vain the other, and possibly even having a more fleshed-out chemistry with Tiaramisu.
Now obviously, this is all hypothetical, and even if Waluigi were the star of MoD, the game likely would have still had other problems. It would still be released for the Nintendo DS in a time where all the marketing around it was the touch screen, so some frustrating gimmicks could have still wormed their way in. This is more of a wild, what-if idea about a rather peculiar game that's kept my thoughts fed for some time now. Do you think Waluigi being the Master of Disguise would have improved the game? Would it have made a difference? Will Waluigi ever get a game? I know the answer to at least one of those questions...
