Retro Sunday - July 6, 2014 - Wario Land

Somehow, it's Sunday again. So what sweet retro treat to we have on tap for today? How about a fat, garlic-obsessed turd head named Wario?

Back in the 90's, we began to see a number of appearances of a new character: Wario. He originated in Super Mario Land 2: The Six Golden Coins as the villain. He took over Mario's castle and flipped over the M symbol to turn it into a W. Fans liked the villain, so Nintendo gave him the lead role in the next game: Wario Land.

Wario Land sets a precedent for a number of games down the road. He's huge, he's mean, and he loves garlic. So instead of smashing enemies, you shoulder-charge them, or pick them up and throw them. Instead of mushrooms, you get garlic. There are a bunch of new enemies to beat and some cool new bosses to fight.

You can also collect various power-ups. For example, you can get the jet hat which lets you fly around in the air for a short amount of time. Or get the dragon hat, which breathes fire. If you get hit, you lose the item, and if you get hit again, you shrink to tiny Wario (oddly, tiny Wario has never returned. I think Wario had a say in this decision).

The game is quite similar to its predecessor, but it also introduces some cool new features. For example, there is a big focus on coins (Wario is greedy, as you should know). You must collect 10 coins in a level, then trade them for a big coin, which you can use to move on to the next level. The ending of the game even depends on how many coins you collect in total.

The first time I played this, I was instantly hooked. The gameplay is simple, but it's addictive. My family went to visit my cousins for a few hours and I played the game until we went home. Every time we went there, I tried to get my hands on it. When I finally got a job, Wario Land was one of the first games I bought. And I've bought every Wario Land game since.

I can't really explain it, but there's something about these games that's just super-entertaining. Maybe it's the unique, Wario-esque music, or the neat powers, or the fact that you plow through enemies like a freight train. They are never a let-down.

So, dear reader, please stop whatever it is you're doing (your kids can take care of themselves) and go pop in Wario Land and fire up the ol' Game Boy. You'll be glad you did.

(Wario Land is available on 3DS Virtual Console for $3.99)