Wario has had plenty of games where the greedy rival of Mario took a break from his shenanigans to hunt treasure. Wario Land 3 was one of the better GBA titles, introducing puzzle-solving and platforming that was to a greater degree than the games before it. However, a title that flies under the radar is Wario Land: Shake It. This game was released for the Wii in September 2008 but wasn’t heavily talked about. With Super Smash Bros. Brawl and other big titles, Wario’s game was shuffled to the side as a side title. However, this game was secretly one of the better games on the Wii, as well as one of the best Wario games in his long list of games. It can be compared to some of the better Wii titles such as Super Paper Mario or Super Smash Bros Brawl. While unable to be compared by genre, the game does at least ten things that let it stand as a good Wii game.
10 Gameplay
The levels of Wario Land: Shake It bring itself back to the roots of Wario Land games for Gameboy, even getting hints of Mario spiced in there. The game is a 2D platformer, with the levels moving left to right, and right to left.
Wario first heads to the right to reach one of the Merfles trapped by the Shake King, collecting treasure and opening paths along the way. After releasing them, he needs to make his way back to the entrance before time runs out, which is similar to Wario Land 4. He utilizes pipes that increase his speed and allow him to run on water and through enemies to reach the end and keep his money.
9 Level Design
The game not only has platformer levels but underwater ones that give players control of a submarine that they can use to destroy enemies and barriers to get where they needed to go. Wario has many more interactions with his environment, and uses his new abilities to cause crates to fall over, slot machines to stop and give him items, or snow to fall and give him his classic snowball abilities. Wario runs along the tops of trains and scales haunted houses to find as much gold as he can to line his pockets.
8 Music
One of the best and most underrated things about this game is the music. From upbeat plains music to graceful winter themes, Wario moves through music that well-defines his environment. While some tracks are reused in some stages, music for bosses and most stages are unique, fitting each theme of every stage. When Wario frees a Merfle, the music changes to a version of the original stage’s music that is even more catchy. Slipshod Slopes goes from calm, Christmas-time music when Wario is heading to the Merfle, to fast-paced, wintery escape music while running toward the exit.
7 Boss Battles
The game has six bosses, but the variety of which you fight them is unique. It’s not simply pressing the tackle button to beat bosses easily. They force Wario to platform, perform acrobatics, and even drive!
They are also not pushovers. This isn’t the classic Mario formula of three hits to finish the job. Bosses have health bars that will whittle down as Wario performs his duty, but they can be difficult, especially later in the game.
6 Missions
Each level has missions that serve to unlock the stage's music in the audio gallery. Easier stages have three, while some of the tougher stages have five or six. Most deal with collecting coins, reaching the entrance by a certain time when running back, or defeating a golden enemy. However, there are stage-specific missions such as not breaking any fossils, or not falling in the water. This helps the missions feel less repetitive, challenging players to utilize different skills for different situations. After beating the game, boss missions are unlocked as well.
5 The Look
Wario Land: Shake It reminds you of the classic Mario or Wario games on the Gameboy. The backgrounds are lively and interactable. When Wario uses his new Slam ability, things in the background shake and crumble. Even in boss battles, where background detail is usually not needed, the game successfully paints the world Wario is in, whether he is in a circus tent, or in a kitchen, fighting a giant chef. When fighting the Shake King, his throne is clearly visible, and changes with every room they go into. Visuals in the game were perfect for the 2D-style game.
4 Money
Money feels satisfying when found or collected in this game. Wario can simply run into coins, or shake golden enemies to take their coins away. They are not only used to complete missions, but they also are essential to collect in order to progress through the game. Captain Syrup, and ally of Wario, has a Pirate Shop where she sells Area Maps. It is not a tedious grind as long as you are making a small effort to collect the coins you can see. She also sells Recovery Potions, which give Wario an extra life if he falls in combat, and Heart Vessels, giving him an additional heart.
3 Controls
The controls resemble those of Super Paper Mario. It is played with the sideways Wiimote, using the 1 button to tackle and the 2 button to jump. This game is one of the few Wii games that do motion controls right. Shaking the controller will allow Wario to use his new Slam ability.
This can be used to discover secret maps in a stage, stun enemies or activate switches. There are vehicles in the game as well, controlled by tilting the Wiimote left or right. They are very beginner-friendly, and don't have too many crazy or convoluted movements.
2 Difficulty
While the main game is pretty easy in general, the secret levels in this game don’t mess around. Most have six missions to complete, forcing multiple attempts in each of the stages to complete them all. Money missions in these stages will require you to search every nook and cranny to find all the coins and diamonds. Missions that require you to not kill any enemies tend to be the hardest because Wario runs super-fast when he frees a Mertle. Any enemy you collide with that doesn’t have a spike on their front will be destroyed. So you’ll either have to make two trips in the level to complete it or have the reflexes of a god to not kill anything while moving at breakneck speeds.
1 Extra Content
As mentioned, the game contains secret maps that lead to additional challenges, being the perfect thing to do after completing the game. After beating the Shake King, missions will be unlocked for boss battles, allowing you to unlock their boss music. If there are some missions that hadn’t been completed, you are free to go to any level and redo it for the specific mission. After completing the game 100%, Wario’s hub world will be littered with gold, resembling the Treasure Room in the Shake King’s fortress, and being the icing on the cake on a completionist run.