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Wario Land is the sequel to Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, and as such takes the successful formula of that game, switches in a new protagonist, improves upon the graphics and adds an extra layer of gameplay depth thanks to the inclusion of bizarre power-up hats. Wario's gameplay style is brute force mixed with elements of timing (namely jumps) and deductive reasoning. The Wario scheme of dealing with a problem is typically to barge it out of the picture in exchange for a few coins, in addition enemies can be picked up and thrown to take out other enemies or for accumulation of yet more coins.
The game's levels are spread throughout a large island which is divided into a number of smaller areas in a similar way to Mario Land 2 and within these areas the individual levels are arranged in a linear path with a boss fight lying at the end. While Mario Land allowed players to tackle its areas in any order Wario Land features a linear progression throughout, which, while being more constrictive than its predecessor means the game has a much more refined difficulty arc which spans its entirety as opposed to only each individual area.
Graphically, Wario Land is a drastic departure from the Mario titles available for the Game Boy and replaces the shiny and clean-looking sprites which are reminiscent of cartoon strips with grittier and darker ones in line with Wario’s character. The detail is also increased over previous games, with many more pixels dedicated to character models and locations giving the game increased clarity and overall graphical quality.
Once players defeat the boss of the each main area, some previous levels in that area will be slightly different. There will be new doors that require a key in the level that let players collect one of 15 Treasures. These treasures help determine the ending. When players finish the game, it counts up the money and treasures collected; this total determines what reward Wario is given at the end of the game. Wario can receive the following: