Wario Land Advance Youki no Otakara on GBA, original Japanese version of Wario Land 4. Same absolute excellence in its original version. Wario in all his grotesque and exhilarating glory in Japanese.
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Category
Platformer1 player3+
Description
Action-platform game developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo in Japan in August 2001. Wario explores pyramids, jungles and factories across four kingdoms to accumulate stolen treasures. Exploration levels with rich transformation mechanics, spectacular world-end bosses and high replayability in gem hunting. Japanese version known in the West as Wario Land 4, GBA launch title in Japan.
Wario Land Advance - Youki no Otakara review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Bold colours, angular shapes and delirious worlds: Wario's adventure overflows with an unabashed cartoon whimsy. Every zone flaunts a zany theme and expressive, humour-filled animation. This graphic exuberance, lively and inventive, gives the game an irresistible personality.
Zany and unclassifiable, the music of Wario Land 4 piles up oddball atmospheres, from lounge jazz to tribal rhythms and surreal jingles. Each level surprises with an unexpected sonic colour, perfectly in tune with Wario's offbeat spirit. This musical daring, funny and inventive, makes it a sonic object apart.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Bashing, charging and transforming to comb every level for treasure puts exploration and observation front and centre. Puzzles woven into the scenery and a final race against the clock break the routine of standard platforming. Inventive and generous, this stylish entry remains a surprisingly fresh delight today.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Original Japanese edition of Wario Land 4, distributed by Nintendo in August 2001 under the Wario Land Advance Youki no Otakara title, three months ahead of the Western release. Nintendo rigid case with a clean obi marked Youki no Otakara, cover in noticeably more saturated colours than the English version. Japan run was sized by market, complete with obi remains a central documentary object for Nintendo R&D1 completists attentive to the original Japanese version of the Wario platformer apex.
Is Wario Land Advance - Youki no Otakara still worth playing in 2026?
Wario Land 4 is probably the 2D peak of the subseries and one of the most finely chiseled Nintendo R&D1 platformers. The two pass level structure, namely a descent followed by a timed climb back triggered by a switch, turns every stage into both an observation puzzle and an execution challenge. Wario's transformations, the bestiary and the musical staging stay inventive right up to the final minute. An absolute classic to recommend to any fan of demanding, colorful 2D platforming.
