Was Virtual Boy Wario Land the most inspirational of all the Wario Lands?

[Boris Carloft's Car Loft]

After playing through VB Wario Land for the first time, I've noticed that the other games seem to take heavy inspiration from VB. Most notably is the key, which returned in WL4 in the form of Keyzer. There are other things too, like the fish that pop out of the holes in stage 3, many of the sprites, similar enemies and whatnot. Rudy the Clown in WL3 clearly took inspiration from the Demon Head final boss in VB, and the spearhead enemy is very similar to the Mask-Guys. Even WLII used the swimming mechanics introduced in VB!

Although WLII did take the series in a different direction, I think VB doesn't get enough credit for innovating and helping to turn WL into what it is today.

 

[Robin]

I think each Wario Land has its merit at being unique and inovative, but VB Wario Land was definitely the one that stood out. The only problem was it being born in red and black colors...

 

[Just a Wario Fan]

I have never played VB Wario Land, but I must say, the jumping between the foreground and background is really innovative.

 

[Glowsquid]

I have never played VB Wario Land, but I must say, the jumping between the foreground and background is really innovative.

if we limit it strictly to sidescrollers, Top Hunter has it beat by a year.

 

[Magma]

Pretty interesting but perhaps "most inspirational" is a bit too strong? While things would be carried over in later games it didn't really "mold" the series like Wario Land 2 did.

 

[Dangerous Duck]

I've said it many times before, but Wario Land 4 shares a LOT of blood with VB Wario Land.

*Both games begin with Wario going on a trip, falling into a chasm and landing in an ancient underground world.
*Both games are relatively short, highly polished, and have unlockable "Super Hard Modes" when beaten with all treasures.
*They each use big floating diamonds as secondary rewards, although they act as 1-ups in VB Wario Land.
*They share many enemy designs. For instance, both have clock-dwelling ugly, bald cuckoos armed with explosive eggs!
*Both have end credits where Wario uses different vehicles to get home (depending on completion).

I could name countless more.... I made a big list when I first beat the game. Many sound fx also originate here, like the little crawling sound in WL2 and WL3.

The coolest thing is that Wario is bigger, faster and meaner in this game than any other Wario Land. He can walk or run at will, barge over enemies of any size with his girth, and his shoulder ram/jumping tackle is supreme. In Level 2 there's a section where you can topple four Spear Mask enemies with a ground pound, then plow through all four in a row to earn a secret 1-up! I adore the entire series, but I wish they kept Wario at this level of brute force instead of making him less imposing/powerful.
Just watching him change expressions and move his eyes about whilst idle, walking, crawling etc. It shows the level of effort R&D1 put into the game.

This review is by far the best one available for the game....

 

[JS Shantae]

After playing through VB Wario Land for the first time, I've noticed that the other games seem to take heavy inspiration from VB. Most notably is the key, which returned in WL4 in the form of Keyzer. There are other things too, like the fish that pop out of the holes in stage 3, many of the sprites, similar enemies and whatnot. Rudy the Clown in WL3 clearly took inspiration from the Demon Head final boss in VB, and the spearhead enemy is very similar to the Mask-Guys. Even WLII used the swimming mechanics introduced in VB!

Although WLII did take the series in a different direction, I think VB doesn't get enough credit for innovating and helping to turn WL into what it is today.

Ah VB Wario Land. What a tragedy.

Such a brilliant game that had the extreme misfortune of appearing on the Virtual Boy. Because of this, no one played it and it seems doomed to never see the light of day again. Shame, it would be a perfect fit for the 3DS, too.

Maybe one day....