The spiritual sequel to Mario Land flipped the platformer's moral compass: here you don't save princesses, you hoard treasure. Wario charges, crushes, and plunders with power hats, and the game keeps score — the ending changes depending on how many coins and treasures you collect, ranging from a birdhouse to an entire planet of your own. That greed-as-system approach defined the identity of the whole Wario Land series.
If you liked this one
The platformer that launched the console and was never topped on it.
1990 · Platformer
It defined how a 3D character moves and is seen.
1996 · Platformer
The ceiling of the 8-bit era: world maps, suits, and inexhaustible design.
1988 · Platformer
Pure speed, Tails, and the spin dash: SEGA at its peak.
1992 · Platformer
