Wario Land II arrived on Game Boy in 1998 and later received a colorized release for the Game Boy Color, which launched alongside the new hardware in Japan.
In a break from nearly every platformer of its era, Wario cannot die. Rather than losing lives when things go wrong, he typically loses coins or gets transformed into a different state by enemy attacks.
The story kicks off when Captain Syrup and her band of pirates raid Wario’s castle while he sleeps, making off with his treasure. They also sabotage his enormous alarm clock on the way out, giving the game one of the more memorable openings in the series.
The game leans toward exploration and puzzle-solving rather than the kind of action-driven platforming that defined most of its contemporaries.
Many of the transformations enemies inflict on Wario are not simply inconveniences. Several are necessary tools for reaching hidden areas or clearing specific obstacles.
Hot Wario is among the most recognizable of these states, allowing him to burn through certain barriers while damaging anything in his path.
Other forms Wario can take on include Zombie Wario, Flat Wario, Puffy Wario, Tiny Wario, Frozen Wario, and Ball Wario, each suited to different situations.
The game has no time limits at all, giving players the freedom to comb through every corner of a level without any pressure.
Hidden exits exist throughout the game and can redirect the entire storyline, branching players off into routes they might otherwise never discover.
Multiple endings are available, rewarding players who invest time in thorough exploration.
Gathering every treasure in the game unlocks the “Really Final Chapter,” the route to the game’s true conclusion.
Fans often refer to the Game Boy Color version informally as Wario Land II DX, despite that not being its official Western title. The DX branding was used for other Game Boy Color re-releases, most notably Tetris DX and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX.
The original Game Boy cartridge supported the Super Game Boy accessory, which allowed the game to be played with color enhancements on a Super Nintendo.
Wario Land II introduced the look that has defined Wario ever since: a yellow shirt worn with purple overalls. Before this game, his overalls had been a bright fuchsia.
Players who collect every picture tile in the game can unlock a minigame modeled after the classic Game and Watch title Flagman.
One of the more interesting differences between regional versions involves a penguin enemy and its projectile of choice. In Western releases, the penguin throws bowling balls at Wario, which cause him to stagger, belch, and eventually shake it off with water. In the Japanese original, the penguin throws pints of beer, which explains why the animations look somewhat out of place in the localized version and why water is specifically the remedy. The alcohol was removed for Western markets, but the recovery animation was left essentially intact.