Charts Genres Community
Charts Genres Community Settings
Login

Wario Land 3

ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール

Developer / Publisher: Nintendo
21 March 2000
Wario Land 3 [ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール] - cover art
Glitchwave rating
3.73 / 5.0
0.5
5.0
 
 
249 Ratings / 3 Reviews
#658 All-time
#27 for 2000
Rate / catalog Rate / catalog another release
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Releases 5
2000 Nintendo  
Cartridge
US
Show all 5 releases
2012 Nintendo  
Download
2023 Nintendo  
Download
Write review
Title
Wario Land 3 might just be my favourite game of all time. I must confess that this game was indeed an integral part of my childhood, but hear me out.

I have not played any of the other Wario Land games up until recently, so this game was my only experience with Wario Land for the majority of my life. The core of the game is relatively simple, collect coloured keys to open its corresponding chests. Some treasure are mostly miscellaneous treasure that doesn't impact the game, but the ones that do, will grant you new abilities, and have an impact on future / past levels to be able to obtain new treasure.

I don't think players truly understand the genius of the latter. Playing through levels that you haven't played in a while, because of, let's say for example, massive leafs now start tumbling down allowing you to cross a high current river, is a really cool way to re-introduce the levels to keep the game flowing.

The controls are so responsive and intuitive too, in which the puzzles of the game relies on. Speedrunning this game using the charge carefully is exhilarating as heck. Even the golfing in this game is surprisingly effective, without it being too abundant for those who don't necessarily enjoy it.

The amount of different states Wario experiences is hilarious too. The best part is, for quite a few instances, getting "hurt" from the enemies in the game is a necessity to proceed. I can't tell you any other game where this is a requirement and it's super clever.

Furthermore, this game was definitely ahead of its time for the lack of a life counter and game overs. Some people might criticize it for being "too easy" for that, but what would losing a life and having a game over really accomplish, really? All it would do in this regard would just end you back to the main world, for you to simply re-enter the level about 2-3 minutes behind where you were. When the core of the game is puzzle solving using careful maneuvers, that's all you need.

To me, it's a near flawless game that I will never get tired of. The night theme for Above the Clouds might just be one of the best VGM songs I have ever heard. It's so endearing and nostalgic that it makes me pretty damn emotional. But if I were to be honest, the mere thought of this game makes me emotional. They truly nailed this game.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
PhrostByte 2019-08-27T23:03:11Z
2019-08-27T23:03:11Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
review
en
Expand review Hide
Title
Of the Wario Land GB/C trilogy, this one has the most going for it. The reduced level count, concentrated levels, non-linear progression and alternate routes are all very unique and good. However, the ideas that Wario Land 3 ditches from the previous entries leaves it in a catastrophically bad state.

Wario Land 3 has a penchant for wasting your time. The reaction abilities have no way of being easily canceled. Bosses will force you to replay portions of the level should you take a single hit. The enemy placement is cheap on many occasions, and the knockback from said enemies is obnoxiously far. The decision to punish you with monotony rather than the loss of coins like in Wario Land 2 is such a betrayal of what the series had built it's identity on - the necessity of stacking cash. Most egregious, however, is how heavily deadlocked the game is. Virtually all of the chests in this game are locked behind other chests as a form of prerequisite, which can easily become impossible to keep track of should you not consult the temple after each stage. Such deadlocking also extends to Wario's moveset, which is such an unbelievably shit decision. God damn it, Nintender.

For all that is abhorrent with this game, it didn't stop me from seeing Wario Land 3 through to completion like the sucker I am, which can't exactly be said about the other games. Next up on the agenda is Wario Land 4, which I've both already played and enjoyed greatly. It's honestly very on brand and in character for the fourth time to be the charm with this series. Wario's fashionably late, as always.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Pastellix 2023-07-12T14:27:28Z
2023-07-12T14:27:28Z
1.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
draft
en
Expand review Hide
Title
This is a really ambitious and unique game, especially as a spinoff of the Mario series. It's bigger and better than the previous game in almost every conceivable way, but I actually rated this one a bit lower, because there's a larger emphasis on annoying traps requiring you to replay sections of the level if you make one mistake. This is of course to compensate for the lack of a health meter, but still, it caused me a fair bit of frustration in certain courses, like the maddening Castle of Illusion with zombies constantly placed in your way to make you fall through platforms unless you react fast enough, or the boss battles which will often kick you out of the arena before you even have a chance to figure out how to fight them. When this happens, you have to walk all the way back to the boss, which usually doesn't take that long, but sometimes it can be a little trek.

Still, if you liked Wario Land 2, be sure to pick this one up, it expands upon the gameplay a great deal and is a good bit longer. Just keep in mind that it demands more attention and time.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
SemtexRevolution 2020-08-23T17:31:05Z
2020-08-23T17:31:05Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
review
en
Expand review Hide
Title
This is often looked at as a high point in the Wario Land series, some considering it the best game in the series, and its when Wario started finding its identity. The first game was essentially a Mario game except with you playing as Wario. Wario Land II was just too linear and frustrating with odd design choices and bland boss fights. Wario Land 3 fixes issues with the 2nd game, now you aren't forced on a linear path, levels are more open ended, you have an over World map again, and the game is way more focused on puzzle than combat. It does keep things though like the inability to die, the boss fights that knock you out of the arena when they hit you, the game revolves around finding coins and treasures. There isn't much story, the game is sort of an open World adventure, there are roughly 25 or so levels and each level has 4 chests you need to unlock which you use hidden keys in the levels to open, and as you unlock more chests, you get more abilities and items that unlock paths and allow you to discover new areas in the levels you've already been to. Once you've gotten all the treasures unlocked, you can face against the final boss.

For a Gameboy game Wario Land 3 is pretty long and took me over 10 hours to complete. The problem I had with 3 is its a bit too repetitive and some of the hidden keys and treasures are a bit cryptic. Maybe not as cryptic as some of the hidden things in the early Zelda games, but they come pretty damn close and its lame having to look up a guide to find something. On top of that, it got kind of boring having to go back to each level 3 times after you unlocked the first treasure, sure it was kind of cool unlocking new paths and undiscovered areas and bosses in the levels, but some of the levels in this game just were so annoying and drawn out. Its still annoying being hit by an enemy and they knock you super far back, and I only really found 5 or so of the 25 in this to really stand out. Plus the final boss in this wasn't really that great and for all the troubles of getting all the treasures, the game really doesn't reward you. I mean I guess back in 2000 playing this on Gameboy would have been alright since it feels like a game you'd play on and off for a few weeks or a month until you finally beat, but its definitely not a fun game to play and try to complete in a short time span.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
jweber14 2019-01-23T22:04:37Z
2019-01-23T22:04:37Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
review
en
Expand review Hide
Title
One of the best platformers ever, and easily the most unique one. This game is hard, the puzzles to unlock all the chests are very tricky and you will spend alot of time just analyzing the environment to figure out what you need to do to advance. Wario is the reverse image of Mario, and thats exactly how this game is. Wario Land is totally unlike any Mario game.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
poemzx 2018-03-03T20:02:03Z
2018-03-03T20:02:03Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
draft
en
Expand review Hide

Catalog

eliottstaten ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール 2024-03-11T05:01:45Z
2024-03-11T05:01:45Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Kremling98 ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール 2024-03-03T20:37:26Z
2024-03-03T20:37:26Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
lauracomfy ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール 2024-02-25T21:07:05Z
2024-02-25T21:07:05Z
7
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
b26o ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール 2024-02-24T10:02:28Z
2024-02-24T10:02:28Z
8
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
MiriamMendelsohn ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール 2024-02-19T23:20:41Z
2024-02-19T23:20:41Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Giann96 Wario Land 3 2024-01-21T23:41:38Z
GBC • US
2024-01-21T23:41:38Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
CEllis96 ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール 2024-01-13T18:14:10Z
2024-01-13T18:14:10Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
classwar Wario Land 3 2024-01-04T16:23:14Z
GBC • US
2024-01-04T16:23:14Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
hevykofe ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール 2024-01-04T06:57:29Z
GBC • JP
2024-01-04T06:57:29Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
MashedPotatoes ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール 2024-01-02T07:16:56Z
2024-01-02T07:16:56Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Giant___ Wario Land 3 2024-01-02T03:44:23Z
GBC • US
2024-01-02T03:44:23Z
2.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
GREATGOA1IE1 ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール 2023-12-25T16:22:58Z
2023-12-25T16:22:58Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Player modes
Single-player
Media
1x Cartridge
Franchises
Also known as
  • Wario Land 3: Fushigi na Orgel
  • Wario Land 3
  • View all [2] Hide

Comments

Rules for comments
  • Be respectful! All the community rules apply here.
  • Keep your comments focused on the game. Don't post randomness/off-topic comments. Jokes are fine, but don't post tactless/inappropriate ones.
  • Don't get in arguments with people here, or start long discussions. Use the boards for extended discussion.
  • Don't use this space to complain about the average rating, chart position, genre voting, others' reviews or ratings, or errors on the page.
  • Don't comment just to troll/provoke. Likewise, don't respond to trollish comments; just report them and ignore them.
  • Any spoilers should be placed in spoiler tags as such: [spoiler](spoiler goes here)[/spoiler]
Note: Unlike reviews, comments are considered temporary and may be deleted/purged without notice.
  • Previous comments (7) Loading...
  • _sawdustanddiamonds_ 2023-05-10 05:35:03.29829+00
    i kind of adore this so far
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • Pastellix 2023-07-09 05:48:24.744539+00
    Quite possibly the most annoying game I've ever played. There's so much about how this that I loathe
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • PhrostByte 2023-10-27 04:34:24.541176+00
    probably my favourite game oat
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • Jaxijin 2023-11-06 23:52:26.400432+00
    Awesome game, but yeah, playing this with save states is the only way to maintain your sanity. I don't even feel bad for constantly rewinding given I can't die anyway.
    reply
    • Jaxijin 2023-11-11 03:44:40.794005+00
      I finished the main story of this and just don't have it in me to 100% this, which is unfortunate given how I loved doing so in WL2. The thought of replaying every single level 4 times while often replaying the same parts and doing the same puzzles over and over was just too much repetition for me. Count me in the rare crowd I guess who thinks WL2 slays this game, although I appreciate its innovations.
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • JackDaladier 2023-12-24 01:40:44.166312+00
    man i love this game so much. one of the most unique and creative platformers i've ever played and without a doubt one of my favourite games of all time.
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • Sznapiak 2024-01-27 13:57:31.905909+00
    For sure a favorite game of my childhood and probably the only game I could say I would be able to somewhat reliably speedrun. The graphics, the music, the world and the variety of settings, the movement, simple ending that genuinely makes me tear up somehow - it's all top notch. I turn it on once a few years and each time have a total blast blasting through those levels that feel so good to be able to get through swiftly. I ADORE the notion of invincibility in a platformer and how it's pulled off here with hazards being tightly tied in with progression. There's some quite punishing stages by the end but honestly the difficulty curve is very smooth iirc and I give a pass to redoing the same thing again with just how much fun I have here to even replay the same section again. Also yeah final boss is a bit of a letdown, but at the same time I think it manages to be quite a shocker with how removed from everything else it is. And those Super Mario 64 comparisons totally make sense seeing how much I love that one too, for many of the same reasons.
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • More comments New comments (0) Loading...
Please login or sign up to comment.

Suggestions

ADVERTISEMENT
Examples
1980s-1996
23 mar 2015
8 apr - 12 may 2015
1998-05
Report
Download
Image 1 of 2