Wario Land II, and it's a revolution: invincible Wario (no more lives to lose), multiple transformations by contact (fire, zombie, spring, etc.), non-linear structure. The gameplay becomes a puzzle where dying changes the environment. Inventive, charming, one of the greatest Game Boy games. Essential.
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Platformer1 player3+
Description
Wario Land sequel with Wario recovering his stolen treasure from Captain Syrup and her pirates across inventive new levels. Published by Nintendo, released in 1998 in Europe and North America. Invincible Wario with transformation states from attacks, many secret levels, multiple endings, and Game Boy Color support.
Western monochrome version released in the twilight of the original Game Boy's commercial life, just before the Color counterpart most fans associate with the title. The invulnerable hero conceit adopted here redefined agency in the sub franchise and foreshadowed Wario Land 4 and The Shake Dimension. PAL and US run was relatively short for a mono cart at that date, which raises the value of a clean cardboard box on a collector market often focused on the GBC version.
Is Wario Land II still worth playing in 2026?
Wario Land II quietly rewrites the platformer. Wario becomes invincible, lives are gone and each hit triggers a contextual transformation, fire, zombie, spring, flat, drunk and so on, which opens or closes parts of the level. The gameplay drifts toward puzzle territory: dying is no longer a punishment but a tool, and the non-linear structure rewards exploration. The idea has almost never been picked up since, and the result remains a fascinating object. Even now, it stands as one of the most inventive games on the Game Boy and deserves full discovery.
