Software:Wario Land II

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Short description: 1998 video game

Wario Land II
North American Game Boy Color box art
Developer(s)Nintendo R&D1
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Takehiko Hosokawa
Producer(s)Takehiro Izushi
Designer(s)Masani Ueda
Programmer(s)Masaru Yamanaka
Katsuya Yamano
Nobuhiro Ozaki
Artist(s)Hiroji Kiyotake
Composer(s)Kozue Ishikawa
SeriesWario
Platform(s)Game Boy, Game Boy Color
ReleaseGame Boy
  • NA: March 9, 1998
  • EU: March 26, 1998
  • AU: May 15, 1998
Game Boy Color
  • JP: October 21, 1998
  • AU: December 23, 1998[1]
  • NA: February 10, 1999
  • EU: February 25, 1999
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Wario Land II, known in Japan as Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). is a 1998 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy.[2] Players control Wario as he sets out to recover his stolen treasure from Captain Syrup.

The gameplay retains the side-scrolling platforming of Software:Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, with the player guiding Wario through various levels with the goal of finishing with as many coins as possible. Wario Land II introduces an immortality game mechanic in which enemies cannot inflict damage, but instead cause Wario to lose coins or transform into forms with abilities that allow players to access new areas.

The original version was released for the Game Boy in North America and Europe in March 1998. A colorized version, sometimes called Wario Land II DX, was released in Japan in October 1998 as a launch game for the Game Boy Color, and later in other regions. It received positive reviews. The Game Boy Color version was rereleased as a Virtual Console game for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012.[3][4]

Gameplay

Wario dashes through a thin wall to find a secret room full of coins.

Wario Land II differs from many platformers of its era by emphasizing exploration and puzzle-solving over traditional mechanics like timers, health points, or limited lives. The game's challenge lies in navigating obstacles, solving environmental puzzles, and unlocking paths blocked by coins or treasure locks. Some levels feature hidden exits that can alter the storyline, unlock additional stages, and lead to different endings. A total of five alternate endings can be unlocked by collecting all treasures, in addition to the "Really Final Chapter".

Unlike most platformers, Wario is invincible, he cannot die. Instead, enemy attacks cause him to lose coins or undergo transformations. Certain transformations grant him new abilities that allow access to previously unreachable areas. For example, touching fire turns him into Hot Wario, enabling him to defeat enemies on contact and burn through obstacles.[5]

The game also features a minigame based on the Game & Watch game Flagman, which becomes available after collecting all picture tiles. Unlike its predecessor, Software:Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Wario Land II imposes no time limits, allowing players to explore levels at their own pace, a feature retained in later entries of the series.

Plot

Following the events of the second-best ending in Software:Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Captain Syrup and her minions, the Black Sugar Pirates, infiltrate Wario's castle early one morning. They steal his treasure, set off his giant alarm clock, and leave the tap running, flooding parts of the castle. After waking up and discovering the chaos, Wario sets off in pursuit across the surrounding lands to reclaim his hoard.[6][7]

Depending on the player's progress and choices, the game can conclude with one of several endings. In the final chapter, Captain Syrup is defeated and Wario recovers his treasure, the amount of which varies based on the player's performance.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankingsGB: 80%[8]
GBC: 88%[9]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameGBC: 4/5[10]
EGMGB: 8.5/10[11]
IGNGBC: 9/10[12]
Nintendo LifeGBC: 9/10[9]
3DS: 9/10[13]
Nintendo PowerGB: 7.5/10[8]
GBC: 8.1/10[9]
Nintendo World ReportGBC: 9/10[9]
ONMGBC: 90/100[9]
Awards
PublicationAward
PC Magazine10 Best Game Boy Games[14]
Electronic Gaming MonthlyGame of the Month (May 1998)[11]

Wario Land II received acclaim. Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded it "Game of the Month," with reviewers praising its large scope, hidden secrets, and inventive gameplay. Dan Hsu highlighted the unconventional mechanic in which the player cannot die, noting that it leads to humorous outcomes that sometimes unlock new areas: "Wario Land II reminds me of so many old-school platformers, yet it's like nothing I've seen before."[11]

The Game Boy Color version holds an aggregate score of 88% on GameRankings, based on 14 reviews.[9] Writing for IGN, Alec Matias called it "the perfect game to accompany you on a long road trip because of its lastability and replayability".[12] AllGame criticized the Game Boy Color version for lacking significant improvements beyond the addition of color, but praised its strong puzzle design and consistently solid platforming.[10] Reviewing the Virtual Console re-release, Nintendo Life acknowledged the shift in gameplay from earlier entries but concluded that it is good once players adapt.[13] In 2019, PC Magazine named Wario Land II one of the 10 best Game Boy games.[14]

Notes

References

  1. ↑ "Australian Releases". December 23, 1998. http://gbstation.com/archives/dec98.html. 
  2. ↑ Wario Land II for GBC – Wario Land II Game Boy Color – Wario Land
  3. ↑ "Nintendo Virtual Console eShop: Wario Land II". Nintendo of Europe. https://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/games/nintendo_3ds_virtual_console/wario_land_ii_52375.html. 
  4. ↑ "Nintendo Games – Wario Land II". http://www.nintendo.com.au/catalogue/wario-land-ii. 
  5. ↑ Wario Land II (Manual) (Game Boy Color ed.). Nintendo. 1999. https://archive.org/embed/wario-land-2-game-boy-color-manual. 
  6. ↑ "Wario Land II". http://www.giantbomb.com/wario-land-ii/3030-13721/. 
  7. ↑ Nintendo Co., Ltd. Wario Land 2 Game Boy Color Manual. https://archive.org/details/wario-land-2-game-boy-color-manual/Wario_Land_2_-_1999_-_Nintendo/page/n1/mode/2up. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Wario Land II (Game Boy)". CBS Interactive. http://www.gamerankings.com/gameboy/562638-wario-land-ii/index.html. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 "Wario Land II (Game Boy Color)". CBS Interactive. http://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/199270-wario-land-ii/index.html. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Williamson, Colin. "Wario Land II". AllGame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16164&tab=review. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Review Crew: Wario Land II". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (106): 103. May 1998. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Matias, Alec (February 15, 2000). "Wario Land 2". http://ign.com/articles/2000/02/16/wario-land-2. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 van Duyn, Marcel (July 20, 2012). "Wario Land II Review". http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/eshop/wario_land_ii_gameboy. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Edwards, Benji (October 17, 2022). "The 10 Best Game Boy Games". PCMag. https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-10-best-game-boy-games. 

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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