Wario's Woods

Overview

Wario's Woods, known in Japan as Wario no Mori, is a tile-matching puzzle-platformer developed by Nintendo R&D1 and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan on February 19, 1994, with a North American release on December 10, 1994 and a European release in 1995.

One of Nintendo's Mario-themed puzzle games, Wario's Woods follows the Mushroom Kingdom hero Toad as he ventures into the Peaceful Woods to clear it from an infestation of monsters led by the villain Wario. It features multiple references to Super Mario Bros. 2, including Toad as a playable character, the concept of picking up and dropping objects, and the inclusion of minor enemies Birdo and Pidgit.

Similar to other tile-matching puzzle games, such as Puyo Puyo, the game tasks players with forming lines of three-or-more monster pieces of the same color (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) to clear them from the board before the playfield becomes overwhelmed. Rather than directly controlling the pieces or moving a cursor, however, players move their character (Toad) around the playfield like a platformer, picking up and dropping groups of objects similar to Super Mario Bros. 2. In addition, players must form lines in specific sequences (with one of the pieces required to be a Bomb piece).

It is notable for being the last title released for the NES by Nintendo themselves in both Japan and North America, as well as the only game for the platform to be rated by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. The game was later included as an unlockable mini-game in the GameCube version of Animal Crossing, was digitally re-released as a Virtual Console title for the Wii (in 2006), Nintendo 3DS (in 2013), and Wii U (in 2013-2014), and was included in the Nintendo Switch Online service for the Nintendo Switch (on December 12, 2018).

It also received an updated Super Nintendo Entertainment System release in North America and Europe alongside their NES releases, updating the rules and game modes. In Japan, the SNES version was only released as broadcasts for the Satellaview add-on and includes some new differences (such replacing Birdo with different cameos and an Event mode where players are given passwords). These include Wario no Mori: Bakushō Version, Wario no Mori: Event Version, and Wario no Mori: Futatabi.

Gameplay

The game plays similarly to Puyo Puyo. Toad is the main hero, with Birdo providing encouragement and Wanda helping Toad by giving him bombs to destroy the monsters. Monsters must be lined up with at least three in a row of a color with at least one bomb to be removed. Toad can pick up and drop monsters and bombs one at a time, and he can also run up the walls of the tree.

If Toad takes too long to complete a level, Wario grabs Birdo and replaces Wanda with a Pidgit, both of whom throw more monsters at Toad.

Monsters

The game includes seven different types of monster pieces in multiple colors

• Fuzzes, Spuds, and Squeaks (Umauma, Veggie, and Toppo in the Japanese version) are the most common enemies and can be cleared in one bomb blast in any direction.

• Beakers and Scrams (Sorari and Bartholomew in the Japanese version) are trickier as they can only be cleared in diagonal lines.

• Spooks and Dovoes (Myconin and Hyuudou in the Japanese version) are tougher to defeat as they require two blasts to clear. Spooks require two blasts in a short time (as they regenerate), while Dovoes change color on their first blast.

Opponents

NES Version

In the NES version's "B Game", opponents appear as boss battle enemies at certain intervals, where they take up a portion of the playfield and require directed bomb blasts to defeat. Each of them also have their own special abilities, as well as the ability to summon monsters and teleport around the stage.

• Fauster (Akuman in the Japanes version) is a demon who appears in Round 9. He can harmlessly destroy all bombs on the screen at once.

• Boom (De Buu in the Japanese version) is a pig humanoid who appears in Rounds 19 and 79. He can summon a barrage of monsters around the board.

• Mad (Meidou in the Japanese version) is a mermaid who appears in Round 29. She can stun the fairy for a short time.

• Goro (Gora in the Japanese version) is a gorilla-like golem who appears in Round 39. He can drop the ceiling.

• Seizer (Shiisa in the Japanese version) is a robed skeleton who appears in Rounds 49 and 89. He can summon rows of the same colored monster from the top of the board.

• Drago is a dragon who appears in Round 59. He can transform all the bombs on the screen into monsters.

• Wario is the titular villain who appears in Round 69 (in his smaller form) and Round 99 (in his larger form). He can summon a multi-colored rows of monsters from the top of the board.

SNES Version

Rather than boss battles in Round Game, the SNES version has players facing off against different A.I. opponents one-by-one in Vs. COM mode, in a style similar to the Puyo Puyo series (with a similar pre-match banter and difficulty system).

These opponents are unnamed in the Japanese Futatabi version and do not appear in the other Japanese versions. All but Wario have not appeared in any Nintendo material since the game's release.

1. Katsini (dapper purple demon) - First opponent in Easy dificulty.
2. Galrog (hulking cyclops)
3. Harley Q (jester)
4. Sam Spook (jack-o'-lantern for a head) - First opponent in Medium difficulty.
5. Sven (hairy creature)
6. Parrotor (parrot with a raptor tail)
7. Mssr Boo (ghost with a beret) - First opponent in Hard difficulty.
8. Aqualea (mermaid)
9. Razor (blue fish creature)
10. Tad Rock (humanoid frog with punk clothes)
11. Thak (blue ogre)
12. Lizardon (chubby purple dinosaur)
13. Sarissa (young witch)
14. Mangylox (orange fuzzy creature)
15. Dedar (small green elf-like creature)
16. Carlton (armored knight)
17. Harry H (dapper hare)
18. Wario

Multiplayer

The game includes a two-player versus mode. Monster types, initial height, and drop speed can be adjusted before the match. The first player to clear the playing field of monsters or crush the opponent wins the round. A best-of-five system decides the overall winner. Wins and losses of the two players are tracked persistently with four save files available.

Tactics

• Clearing diagonal lines causes the big block to rise on the player's side. A line of three causes it to rise by one row, a line of four by two, etc.
• Clearing lines of four causes the opponent's block to drop by one row, five by two, etc.
• Clearing a line of five or more causes a crystal of a color (possibly the one with the least monsters on screen) to appear. Destroying the crystal causes all the monsters of its color to disappear.
• Chain reactions cause the big block to rise on the player's side and cause a column of monsters of a color to appear on the opponent's side.
• Clearing two (or more) lines simultaneously causes an egg (or more) to appear on the opponent's side. If the egg hatches, a row of monsters of a specific color will appear.