Wario Land 4 2001

Is it still worth playing?

Nintendo R&D1's 2001 platformer for the Game Boy Advance, the fourth Wario Land, in which Wario has to gather four treasures to unlock a pyramid and save Princess Shokora from the Golden Diva. After an entry passage that serves as a tutorial there are four main passages, the Emerald, Ruby, Topaz and Sapphire Passages, themed around nature, mechanics, toys and games, and horror. Each has four levels and ends in a boss fight, and the Golden Pyramid then recaps the four themes. Every level hides four jewel pieces in boxes, and finding all of them in a passage unlocks its boss. Wario starts each level by jumping through a Vortex that closes behind him, and it only reopens when you find the Switch, which starts a timer you have to beat on the way back. Even now, four distinct themes let you pick your own path.