History VideoGame / WarioLand

* BackgroundBoss: The genies in the first ''Wario Land'' and its Virtual Boy sequel, and Rudy the Clown in ''Wario Land 3''. The genie in VBWL is a minor subversion - Wario can jump behind it.
* BadassMustache: Wario.

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:Syrup]] pulls off a nice one at the end of ''Shake It!'', having manipulated Wario to save the Shake Dimension and gather treasure...but the Shake Dimension had to give her the endless coin sack for consolation, and took Wario's treasure with it.

* ''VideoGame/VirtualBoyWarioLand'' (UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy, 1995)[[note]]Notable for being one of the few well-received games ever produced for the system.[[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/WarioLandII'' (Game Boy, 1998)[[note]]Received a colorized {{updated rerelease}} on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor the following year.[[/note]]

** [[spoiler:Rudy the Clown in ''Wario Land 3'', and, for some reason, ''Dr. Mario 64'' (he's an AntiVillain in the latter game).]]

** Dr. Arewo Stein from the UsefulNotes/GameBoy game ''VideoGame/ForTheFrogTheBellTolls'' is a recurring character in ''Wario Land 4''.

** [[VideoGame/ForTheFrogTheBellTolls Dr. Arewo Stein]] in ''Wario Land 4''. He's harmless, and whenever he appears, you need to use him as ammo, a GoombaSpringboard, or a CraniumRide to get to a diamond.

** The Shake King to Wario (Well, eviller).

* ObviouslyEvil: Quite a few villains, but the Shake King pretty much defines this [[http://www.mariowiki.com/File:ShakeKing_WLS.jpg image for comparison]].

* AccidentalHero: Wario. Saving the world is just a fortunate side effect of his treasure-hunting. Of course, in ''Wario Land 3'' and ''Shake'', Wario is shown to be willing to lend folks a hand, as long as the price is good.
* AchievementSystem: ''Shake'' has multiple challenges for each level and boss battle that can be optionally completed. Once all are completed for a level/boss battle, the music for said level/boss is added to the SoundTest.
* {{Acrofatic}}: Wario is a far faster and more agile character than you'd expect from someone so overweight, being able to swing extremely high from bars and vines, jump rather high in normal and some other forms, and when shot from a machine in ''Shake'', run fast enough to glide across water. Although in ''Wario Land II'', ''3'', and ''4'', one enemy's StatusBuff is to make you [[UpToEleven even fatter]] so you can break certain blocks by jumping on them.

* AutoRevive: Recovery potions in ''Shake''.

* AutoScrollingLevel: The Subwarine levels in ''Shake'', and a few in the original game.

** [[spoiler:Captain Syrup]] manipulates Wario all through ''Shake'', and doesn't suffer any repercussions for it...unless unlimited wealth counts.

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:Syrup]] pulls off a nice one at the end of ''Shake'', having manipulated Wario to save the Shake Dimension and gather treasure...but the Shake Dimension had to give her the endless coin sack for consolation, and took Wario's treasure with it.

** The Shake King in ''Shake''.

** Bad Manor and Boogie Mansion from ''Shake''.

* BossOnlyLevel: The final boss of the third game has his own level, and every boss in ''4'' and ''Shake'' does this as well.

* CartoonBomb: Found a lot in ''Shake''. Found with wings in the first game, except these try to latch on to your head...

** Found in Boogie Mansion in ''Shake''.
** Also the arena for Chortlebot Challenge in ''Shake''.

* CoolBoat: The SS Tea Cup. Also the Shakedown Schooner in ''Shake'', although it's only shown in a boss battle.

* CreepyCircusMusic: The battle against Chortlebot in ''Shake'' has this. It also gets faster as the boss is more and more damaged.

* CutAndPasteEnvironments: Secret levels in ''Shake'' reuse normal level graphics.

* DecadeDissonance: In ''Shake'', there's Neon City/Glittertown right next to all this Wild West stuff, next to ancient Aztec type cities, medieval Japan type villages and who knows what else.
* DemBones: Skeleton ghosts in ''Wario Land 4'' and Recapitators in ''Shake''.

* EasyLevelsHardBosses: ''Wario Land 4'' and ''Shake'', who have fairly easy levels but rather difficult boss encounters at the end of each 'world'.

* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: The boss of Sherbet Land is a spiked hat and boxing gloves wearing penguin. There are also basic enemies called Pengoons in ''Shake'', and the Penkoons from the original were half penguin, half raccoon (or {{tanuki}}) hybrids.

* EvilChef: Large Fry from ''Shake''.

* ExtendedGameplay: Secret levels in ''Shake''.

** The Shake King, Wario's pirate captain EvilCounterpart in ''Shake''.

* FeedItABomb: You have to feed bombs to both the evil treasure chests and the boss Large Fry in ''Shake'' to defeat them.

* FlunkyBoss: Many bosses in ''Shake'' and some in ''Wario Land 4''. Maybe other games too.

* FrictionlessIce: In ''Shake'', ice blocks when punched on ice don't stop, but interestingly, many of the puzzles require you to stand in front of them and jump on them while they're moving to reach higher platforms.

* FryingPanOfDoom: Large FRY from ''Shake''.

* GimmickLevel: Many, doing the same thing twice in a row is rare, but Launchpad Labyrinth is pretty much THE example in ''Shake''.

* GroundPound: A standard move in many of the games in the series, with ''Wario Land 4'' and ''Shake'' also having a powered up version if you use the move from a higher enough place.

* HeartContainer: Purchasable in ''Shake''.

* HighSpeedBattle: Hot Roderick Race from ''Shake''.
* HubLevel: ''Wario Land 4'' has the Golden Pyramid, and ''Shake'' has Wario's... Garage.
* HumanCannonball: Cannons in ''Shake''.

* IdleAnimation: Found in ''Wario Land 4'' and ''Shake''.
* IndyEscape: Common in the first game and ''Shake''.

* JungleJapes: Monsoon Jungle and Mystic Lake in ''Wario Land 4'', the entire area of Jiggle Jungle in ''Shake''.

* LosingYourHead: The Recapitator enemies in ''Shake'' THROW their heads like a boomerang as an attack and the robots that throw their heads along the floor in ''Wario Land 4''.
* LuckBasedMission: Found in Glittertown and Neon City in ''Shake'', which require you to keep winning at a certain slot machine to meet the required coin amount for 100% completion.

** In ''Shake'', [[spoiler:Syrup swipes the Endless Money Bag literally out of Wario's hands after tricking him into diving in to find it.]]

* MalevolentMugshot: The Shake King's symbol from ''Shake'' is nearly everywhere, including the flag, the boat front, and the intruder alarm in each level.
* ManEatingPlant: Cractus from ''Wario Land 4'' and Bloomsday/Scumflower from ''Shake'' And a few plants in the levels of the latter game.
* ManOnFire: Required to solve puzzles throughout ''Wario Land II'', ''3'', ''4'', and ''Shake''.
* MascotMook: Downplayed. Pirate Gooms, Caprain Syrup's basic lackeys, went on to inspire the Spearheads of ''3'' and the Bandineros of ''Shake It.''

** Practically all the character, enemy and boss names, but the most glaringly obvious has to be Catbat from ''Wario Land 4''... which is pretty much a cat/bat hybrid. Or the ''Shake'' level called Mount Bighill.

* MiniGame: Found in all games bar ''Shake''.

* MonsterClown: Rudy the Clown from ''Wario Land 3'' is a literal Monster Clown. Chortlebot from ''Shake'' is a monster ''robot'' clown.
* MookMaker: Hoggus in ''Wario Land 4'' and some of the bosses in ''Shake''.

* MythologyGag: Wario sometimes uses an [[http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Ultra_Hand Ultra Hand]] as a special attack (in ''Shake'', ''Master of Disguise'', and ''VideoGame/MarioTennis'') because Nintendo engineer Gunpei Yokoi invented the device.

* NintendoHard: Gurgle Gulch and Launchpad Labyrinth in ''Shake'', among others.

* OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo: ''VB Wario Land'' and ''Shake'' are the only installments that aren't numbered.
* OminousLatinChanting: The escape music in Bad Manor and Boogie Mansion in ''Shake'' have some of this.
* OrcusOnHisThrone: Captain Syrup in the first game, although averted in ''Wario Land II'', as well as the Shake King in ''Shake'' They basically do a whole lot of evil stuff (sometimes off camera/in cut scenes), send hordes of minions after Wario, and personally just sit around in the darkness waiting for Wario to walk through the door for the final boss battle.

* OutsideRide: Train levels in the first game, ''II'', and ''Shake''.

* PaperThinDisguise: Treasure in ''Shake''.

* RedBoxingGloves: In ''Shake''.
* RedSkyTakeWarning: Boogie Mansion in ''Shake''.

* RespawningEnemies: In ''Shake'', averted in other games.

* RibcageRidge: Common in ''Shake''

** The goal of ''Shake'', though of course only because he's promised endless treasure at the end and quickly throws the princess out of his face.

* SequentialBoss: The Shake King in ''Shake''.

* ShiftingSandLand: Arabian Night in ''4'', Whoopsy Desert and Disturbing Tomb in ''Shake''

** Slipshod Slopes and Freezing Fields in ''Shake''.

** He would have received one in ''Shake'', but [[spoiler:instead he pushed the queen out of his way to grab the infinite coin bag.]]
* SpikesOfVillainy: The Shake King in ''Shake''.
* TheSpiny: There's literally an enemy almost exactly like the ''Mario'' series Spiny in ''4'' and ''Shake''. Interestingly enough, if you look closely, the ones in ''Wario Land 4'' look a lot like yellow VideoGame/{{Kirby}}s with spiky helmets.

** In ''Wario Land 4'' and ''Shake'', finishing a level required hitting a switch then running back to the level's start. ''4'' had a timer to get back, and if it ran out, your coins would be rapidly leeched away; if ''those'' ran out, the level ended in failure. ''Shake'' just gave you bonuses based on how quickly you got through the level.

* SteppingStoneSword: In ''Shake'', throwing a spork-headed Bandinero at a wall will [[TheBladeAlwaysLandsPointyEndIn conveniently]] provide a similar [[GoombaSpringboard boost]].
* StoryToGameplayRatio: Very low in most of the games. Heck, in ''Shake'', you don't have to see the intro or ending more than once, and after the first time it's just an optional extra to be viewed in a media room.

* TimeKeepsOnTicking: In the pre FinalBoss cut scene in the first game, and the cut scene in between both phases of the battle vs. the Shake King in ''Shake''.

* TraintopBattle: Various levels in the original and ''Shake''.

* ATwinkleInTheSky: Exactly what happens to the second boss, Hot Roderick in ''Shake''. Courtesy of a boxing glove to the face from Wario's unicycle.

** There's also Fiery Cavern in ''Wario Land 4'', various in ''Wario Land 3'', pretty much the entire Virtual Boy game and the aptly named Lowdown Depths in ''Shake''.

* UnnecessarilyCreepyRobot: Chortlebot in ''Shake''. Even for a robot clown (a pretty creepy concept in itself), this thing is way creepier than probably needed and has enough weapons to take down an army (like the flamethrower or circular saw). And laughs manically as it attempts to kill Wario.
* UnexpectedShmupLevel: In ''Shake'', the subwarine levels.

** [[spoiler:One of the possible missions in the levels of ''Shake'' is to clear the stage without killing any enemies. While ''directly'' killing them counts as a fail, the game has no problem with, say, knocking them out and leaving them on top of carnivorous plants.]]

* WalkOnWater: Wario can do this in ''Shake''.

** Rollanratl in ''Shake''.

* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Mentioned on a treasure in ''Shake''.

** The humor and atmosphere of ''Wario Land 4'' is slightly more dark and surreal compared to some of the other games in the series.

** ''Wario Land 3'' is this compared to the relatively light and happy ''Wario Land 2'', with a more ominous villain and a moodier atmosphere in some of the levels.

** ''Wario Land 4'' has slightly more dark and surreal humor to it compared to some of the other games.

** The series as whole, when compared to the [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario franchise]]. A lot of the bright and happy cuteness is replaced with things that are downright grotesque and weird, and the series itself is meant to be a twisted parody of the Mario games, much like Wario himself is to Mario.

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Wario Land 4'' has a noticeably darker tone than any of the other games.

* ''VideoGame/VirtualBoyWarioLand'' (UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy, 1995)[[/note]]Notable for being one of the few well-received games ever produced for the system.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy
* ''VideoGame/VirtualBoyWarioLand'' for the UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy (one of the few well-received games ever produced for the system)
* ''VideoGame/WarioLandII'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy, which got a colorized UpdatedRerelease on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor
* ''VideoGame/WarioLand3'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor
* ''VideoGame/WarioLand4'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance (given a limited rerelease in 2011 under the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS Ambassador Program)
* ''[[VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt Wario Land: Shake It! / The Shake Dimension]]'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Rudy to Wario in ''3''. Upon being freed by the music boxes, he no longer needs Wario, and attempts to "crush [him] like a bug." Subverted when Wario defeats him in self-defence.]]

* ''VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3'' for the GameBoy

** Dr. Arewo Stein from the GameBoy game ''VideoGame/ForTheFrogTheBellTolls'' is a recurring character in ''Wario Land 4''.

* NighInvulnerability: Wario is pretty much made of diamond in every aspect, amplified by ''Wario Land II'' & ''3'' which made him COMPLETELY invincible to damage or being killed. Most damage also won't do more than one heart of damage to him in the games with a health bar, instant kill obstacles are completely nonexistent after the first game, and hey, anything that transforms him, like being set on fire, frozen solid, squashed flat, or the like, is completely harmless to him. [[spoiler:Actually, it IS possible to die in ''Wario Land 3'', but you simply have to be caught by the hands of Rudy the Clown. But that just takes you back to the world map. It could freak you out to think it's a real game over, especially after it '''saves''' after the scene.]] Even in the first game, the only things that can actually hurt Wario are the sharp parts of the enemy (ie: if he bumps into a spear-wielding Goom from behind, he will stun it as opposed to taking damage), and fire/plamsa-based substances. In fact, 90% of all things that actually CAN hurt you in this series fall into either category. For a character in [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Mario's universe]], that's still ''very'' resilient.

** [[VillainProtagonist Wario]] ''himself'' in the first game.
** Captain Syrup in Wario Land 2.

[[quoteright:267:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wariolandlogo_1_786.png]]

* ''VideoGame/WarioLand4'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance (given a limited rerelease in 2011 under the Nintendo3DS Ambassador Program)

** Wario's name is meaningful as well, a portmanteau of the Japanese word ''warui'', meaning "bad", and Mario. The most approximate translation would be "Bad-io." (English gamers who aren't familiar with "warui" are more likely to think that Wario's name indicates a war-like nature.)

** Captain Syrup in the first two games.

->It's-a me, Wario!
-->--'''Wario''', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins'' Japanese commercial

* {{Badass}}: Wario himself.

->''UKURERE mitai na''
->''tabi wo shiyou''
->''Aruite ikou...''

->''Let's go on a trip''
->''Like a ukelele''
->''Let's go on foot...''
-->--'''MEDAMAYAKI''', ''VideoGame/WarioLand4''

* GiantHandsOfDoom / RaymanianLimbs: The genie in the Virtual Boy game, and Rudy the Clown in ''Wario Land 3''. [[spoiler:(Unlike everything else in ''3'', Rudy's hands ''can'' kill you.)]]

[[quoteright:299:~~VideoGame, PuzzlePlatformer~~]]

The ''Wario Land'' series centers on Mario's EvilCounterpart, Wario, in the search for treasure. The games play somewhat similarly to the ''Super Mario Bros.'' series, with a few notable exceptions. Wario is much stronger than the Mario Bros., so many of the games revolve around object manipulation and combat. Wario can pick up enemies and objects to attack and solve puzzles, and generally has butt-stomp and charge attacks to deal with enemies. While you can breeze through each level to reach the goal, usually every stage has a number of hidden treasures that must be found on alternate routes to reach 100% completion and the best ending. Instead of Mario, Wario's nemesis in these games is usually Captain Syrup, a FemmeFatale pirate captain and her army of goblin-like pirates.