Highlights
- WarioWare: Twisted is a critically acclaimed Game Boy Advance title that revolutionized gameplay with its gyro sensor and is a must-play for fans of microgames.
- Wario Land 3 is a highly-rated platformer on Game Boy Color that offers colorful levels and a captivating story, with less emphasis on coin collection than its predecessor.
- WarioWare: Smooth Moves for the Wii is a party game that utilizes motion controls to create a fun and unpredictable experience, with a sequel set for release in November 2023.
Debuting as a nemesis and final boss to Mario in his second Game Boy entry in 1992, Wario has gone on to lead franchises and celebrated games ever since. While his debut and name placed him as a villainous character, his turn as anti-hero lead of the Wario Land and WarioWare games has created smash hits critically and commercially. This garlic-chomping, treasure-snagging Mario rival has seen success on handheld and home console Nintendo platforms, alongside appearances in Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart games.
Something of a darling to the Nintendo brand, Wario games have produced a high level of praise in the majority. Below are the very best Wario games ranked in order, that should not be missed.
6 WarioWare: Twisted
The last Wario title to be released on Game Boy systems was one of the very best. A stroke of ingenuity from Nintendo’s many creative gameplay designs, WarioWare: Twisted uses a gyro sensor within the game cartridge to revolutionize the gameplay. Taking the WarioWare microgames format, the player has just seconds to realize and complete each game. In a form of meta parody, the plot revolves around Game Boy Advance games redesigned to react to gravity, thanks to the intervention of Wario’s inventor friend Dr. Crygor.
A universally praised title, seen by many as one of the very best the Game Boy Advance has to offer, WarioWare: Twisted won several awards on its 2005 release. For those in search of the engrossing microgame formula, Twisted is one of the very best adaptations of it.
5 Wario Land 3
The third entry in the series, Wario Land 3 is an outstanding platform title and one of the highest rated on the Game Boy Color. The plot takes after its Japanese title of Wario Land 3: Mysterious Music Box, Wario stumbles upon a mystery box in a cave and must free the strange figure trapped inside. Wario Land 3 takes the winning formula from its predecessor and makes an even more colorful and expansive title. Affected by each of his enemies' attacks, the player must use Wario to find 4 keys across each stage and bring them to a corresponding chest.
Wario’s robust charge attack and emphatic jumping slam are still intact, yet this entry makes less of an emphasis on coin collection than the previous. The game would go on to be re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online service in 2022.
4 WarioWare: Smooth Moves
WarioWare as a franchise took the winning party game formula to new heights with its 2007 Wii entry Smooth Moves. One of the most successful launch titles for the Wii, Smooth Moves is a brilliant application of the microgames and Wii motion controls to a frenetic, fun-filled effect. This game arguably utilized the Wii’s motion controls as well as any game on the console. Each game takes advantage of every possible angle and position the Wii Remote can be held in to produce countless inventive microgames.
Praised for its unpredictability and irreverent tone and humor, WarioWare: Smooth Moves won earned multiple plaudits at the time. Its up to 12-player hot seat mode is raucous of a highlight and a Switch sequel is set for release in November 2023.
3 Wario Land 2
The first sequel in the Land series, the 1998 entry Wario Land 2 was the first mainstream stand-alone title for Wario and showcased the incredible depth of platformer the Game Boy could produce. Diverting the gameplay from its Mario Land origins, Wario Land 2 takes a more puzzle and obstacle-based formula to induce the game’s challenge. The title would be released on both the original Gameboy and the Gameboy Color, the latter of which would gain a Nintendo Virtual Console re-release in 2012. The game would also debut the comedic and subtle design choice of Wario transforming from the effects of enemy attacks, which in turn, can be used to explore stages.
A critically acclaimed entry and considered one of the Game Boy’s very best titles by many, Wario Land 2 is worth a player's time for its incredible design. The humor and deceptively simple design mask a surprisingly large explorative platformer that borders on a proto-Metroidvania in its scale.
2 Wario Land 4
A stand-out platformer for Game Boy Advance, Wario Land 4 brings the side-scrolling series to a fantastic finish on the handheld. This contender for many handheld Game of the Year awards is frequently attributed to showcasing some of the Game Boy Advance's very best visuals. The sound design stands out as well, with much of it being recycled for Mega Microgames. In this title, the player must control Wario through a series of themed passages to save Princess Shokora from the treasure-obsessed Golden Diva.
The Wario Land series never controlled this tightly or looked so good on a handheld, and the series staple of humor and imagination remains entirely intact. Wario Land 4 is a highlight among a series chocked full of them and a Game Boy Advance title not to be missed.
1 Warioware, Inc: Mega Micro Games!
Celebrated for its innovation and revolutionary ‘microgames’ design, WarioWare, Inc: Mega Microgames would go on to be considered one of the best video games ever made. The 2003 Game Boy Advance title would launch the WarioWare franchise with its successful debut of the seconds micro game formula. In total, the game hosts over 200 microgames, some entirely original, some gameplay snippets from older Nintendo titles. So successful was Mega Microgames, that it would be brought to the GameCube in the same year as a multiplayer party game title.
Consistently sighted as one of Nintendo’s greatest ever games, the short burst gameplay and steady climb of challenge give it endless replayability. This is one of Nintendo’s true originals rightly celebrated at the time, and held in high regard since.