Poll What kind of Wario Land game do you prefer?

[CM30]

Do you prefer more linear levels with power ups, like in Wario Land 1 and Virtual Boy?

Games with levels like mazes, where you solve puzzles with transformations (like Wario Land II and 3)?

Games involving levels that have you race back to the start, like in Wario Land 4 and Shake It?

Personally, I'm not sure. I'm more of an action fan than puzzle solving one, so I guess the gameplay in the fourth game is more to my liking, but Wario Land II struck a fantastic balance between 'linearity' and 'exploration' regardless.

 

[Daniel Primed]

Aside from Wario Land 3 and Shake It!, every game is unique and well-executed, so they're all good. I like the organic continuity between levels and branching paths of Wario Land 2, but the folded level design in Wario Land 4 contributes a great deal to the diversity, variation, and depth of the gameplay challenges. It'd be nice if there were a way to combine the two.

 

[CM30]

^out of curiosity, what don't you like about the third game?

 

[Glowsquid]

folded level design

I've seen you use this term quite a bit. May I ask what it means? I'm curious .

 

[Daniel Primed]

^out of curiosity, what don't you like about the third game?

You're only shown which levels you're meant to do next once, and often you're shown several of these levels at once. Although the hidden figure drops hints, he's easy to overlook (you have to go back to the start area) and he only tells you the next level in the main story thread. So it's easy to get lost and, thanks to the hub design of the levels, waste hours trying to find your way back on track. I cover this in more detail in my upcoming zine.

I've seen you use this term quite a bit. May I ask what it means? I'm curious .

In terms of Wario Land 4, folded level design is the whole "get to the end of the level and then rush back to the start" thing. The design folds over itself, if you know what I mean.