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Forgive me if this has been brought up before, but it may be worth reiterating...
The original Wario Land came off the heels of Mario's latest 2D platformer for 14 years, Super Mario Land 2, and in many regards it tries to subvert the expectations of what you'd expect in the red plumber's games. Level design is much less focused on momentum and more on discovery, finding hidden treasures and paying attention to how levels change over the course of the journey. Enemies usually brandish more brutal weaponry that would make the Hammer Bros. blush, but power-ups are also more plentiful to not only alleviate this violence, but to also play with the abilities they grant more often. And of course, Wario himself is practically inverted in terms of control from Mario: lacking a run button but packing a much higher jump and more physical methods of dealing with challenges in his way. Putting aside the gameplay however, there is one often overlooked detail in regards to the first game's efforts of contrast...
As shown (heard?) in the above post, the most common level theme in Wario Land, often cited as Rice Beach, starts with a seven-note jingle after the opening, forming a motif heard in other tracks as well. While not a 1-to-1 reversal, this tune is essentially a mirror of Super Mario Land 2's "Athletic" level theme jingle! Here are both of them for a direct comparison:
In short, even the music of Wario Land directly contrasts with what came before for Mario! Plus, how is the jingle formed? By flipping the notes vertically, much like how flipping an M creates a.... Well, y'know! Ain't that swell and grand? I think it's a lovely detail in the original Wario Land, showing the original developer's vision of contrast for the big guy's big breakthrough title; though I am glad the sequels moved away from such Mario circulation and let Wario become his own character.
The original Wario Land came off the heels of Mario's latest 2D platformer for 14 years, Super Mario Land 2, and in many regards it tries to subvert the expectations of what you'd expect in the red plumber's games. Level design is much less focused on momentum and more on discovery, finding hidden treasures and paying attention to how levels change over the course of the journey. Enemies usually brandish more brutal weaponry that would make the Hammer Bros. blush, but power-ups are also more plentiful to not only alleviate this violence, but to also play with the abilities they grant more often. And of course, Wario himself is practically inverted in terms of control from Mario: lacking a run button but packing a much higher jump and more physical methods of dealing with challenges in his way. Putting aside the gameplay however, there is one often overlooked detail in regards to the first game's efforts of contrast...
As shown (heard?) in the above post, the most common level theme in Wario Land, often cited as Rice Beach, starts with a seven-note jingle after the opening, forming a motif heard in other tracks as well. While not a 1-to-1 reversal, this tune is essentially a mirror of Super Mario Land 2's "Athletic" level theme jingle! Here are both of them for a direct comparison:
In short, even the music of Wario Land directly contrasts with what came before for Mario! Plus, how is the jingle formed? By flipping the notes vertically, much like how flipping an M creates a.... Well, y'know! Ain't that swell and grand? I think it's a lovely detail in the original Wario Land, showing the original developer's vision of contrast for the big guy's big breakthrough title; though I am glad the sequels moved away from such Mario circulation and let Wario become his own character.
