In a world where 3-D reigns, Shake It reminds us why we like 2-D
Positive:
+ 2-D cartoon graphics look very sharp
+ solid gameplay with some great elements new to the series
+ smooth controls that also don't over use motion capabilities
+ tons of treasures and missions add a lot of replay value
+ full of that funny, weird Wario personality and style
Negative:
- main adventure is pretty easy
Wario Land was my favorite game from the original GameBoy, and I don't think I've ever enjoyed a 2-D platformer as much as I enjoyed it. When I heard the series was going to Wii as a full retail game, though, I had my doubts about how worthwhile it would be at full price. 2-D games have been very overshadowed by 3-D in this generation, and now gamers (myself included) are starting to feel that 2-D games are inferior to those in the third dimension. Does Wario Land: Shake It only further push those assumptions or does it prove us wrong?
Wario Land has a funny story, but it doesn't show up very often. Basically the Shake King has taken over the Shake Dimension, imprisoning all the cute little residents, kidnapping the princess, and taking the great treasure: a coin bag that always gives you coins when you shake it. The only one to escape this horrible occurrence (named Merfle) somehow finds Wario in his own dimension, going on with his normal daily life. Captain Syrup and Merfle enlist Wario's help in getting back the land, the princess, and most importantly the coin bag, and that's the last you hear about the story until you defeat the Shake King. Both the beginning and end cutscenes have the sheer comedy you would expect from a Wario game, and the greedy hero takes nothing seriously and always loses out in the end.
The game progresses over the course of five areas, each with four levels and one boss. You have to beat one level to reach the next, but you can purchase the next area if you want to and have enough coins, so you can go through the game how you like. There may be only 20 main levels, but there are also lots of challenging bonus stages and each level (bonuses included) has three to seven missions and three treasure chests to find. I can guarantee you will feel inclined to go back and try to do more in the game than just beat all the levels, and to get everything you will have to play through each level a minimum of two times. So while there aren't a ton of levels, the ones available are worth replaying.
Each level is very well designed in terms of playability. Getting through to the end is usually pretty easy, and after you reach the end of a level you have to get back to the beginning before time runs out, which almost turns into a fun minigame, actually. If you find the booster near the end of the level, you can take the fast way in which you are constantly running at high speed. Getting back to the start fast enough to clear the level's mission based on time involves many well-timed jumps, slides, and turns and can be quite challenging. So the levels are very well designed in terms of playability, because you have to be able to get through the normally and then there is a whole course set up for high speed.
The level design complements the gameplay very nicely. Shake It plays like other 2-D platformers, you move left and right, jump, and all that, but Wario has always had the ability to charge as well, and now he also has an earthquake punch that can be used to stun enemies, solve puzzles, and other things. This is done with a shake of the Wii remote, a function that works quite well and isn't over used. The Wii remote can also be shaken to get coins out of coin bags, which is a nice feature in the gameplay. Motion control is also used for a few submarine levels as well as in a boss fight, and tilting the controller to aim for throwing enemies and for shooting Wario out of a cannon works quite nicely too. Overall the concepts, level design, and controls come together very nicely for a great gameplay experience.
Shake It may be fully 2-D, but that's not to say the graphics don't look really sharp. They may not be stunning visuals like you see in Mario Galaxy, but it's about as good as you can possibly make a 2-D game look. The objects and characters aren't extremely detailed, but they look very smooth and sharp. The animations for all the actions look very nice too and add much to the humorous Wario feel. The level backgrounds look great too, and if you take a look, things such as large rocks will actually pop out in front of the level in some areas, but they don't obstruct your vision at all. Shake It displays some of the finest 2-D graphics I've ever seen, and they really add a lot to the overall experience of the game.
Shake It sounds almost as good as it looks. The music tracks may not be the most memorable you've ever heard, but they sound really good and fit their respective environments very well. The sound effects are 100% Wario too, with funny sounds that have good quality.
In a world where 3-D is most often hailed as king, Wario Land: Shake It stands tall and proud. It manages to be just as fun as most of the 3-D games out there and delivers an experience any fan of the series or platformer aficionado will love. 2-D CAN be worth full price, you just have to be willing to pay up.
Gameplay: 9.0
Graphics: 9.0
Sound: 8.5
Camera & Control: 9.0
Value: 8.5
FINAL SCORE: 9.0/10
+ 2-D cartoon graphics look very sharp
+ solid gameplay with some great elements new to the series
+ smooth controls that also don't over use motion capabilities
+ tons of treasures and missions add a lot of replay value
+ full of that funny, weird Wario personality and style
Negative:
- main adventure is pretty easy
Wario Land was my favorite game from the original GameBoy, and I don't think I've ever enjoyed a 2-D platformer as much as I enjoyed it. When I heard the series was going to Wii as a full retail game, though, I had my doubts about how worthwhile it would be at full price. 2-D games have been very overshadowed by 3-D in this generation, and now gamers (myself included) are starting to feel that 2-D games are inferior to those in the third dimension. Does Wario Land: Shake It only further push those assumptions or does it prove us wrong?
Wario Land has a funny story, but it doesn't show up very often. Basically the Shake King has taken over the Shake Dimension, imprisoning all the cute little residents, kidnapping the princess, and taking the great treasure: a coin bag that always gives you coins when you shake it. The only one to escape this horrible occurrence (named Merfle) somehow finds Wario in his own dimension, going on with his normal daily life. Captain Syrup and Merfle enlist Wario's help in getting back the land, the princess, and most importantly the coin bag, and that's the last you hear about the story until you defeat the Shake King. Both the beginning and end cutscenes have the sheer comedy you would expect from a Wario game, and the greedy hero takes nothing seriously and always loses out in the end.
The game progresses over the course of five areas, each with four levels and one boss. You have to beat one level to reach the next, but you can purchase the next area if you want to and have enough coins, so you can go through the game how you like. There may be only 20 main levels, but there are also lots of challenging bonus stages and each level (bonuses included) has three to seven missions and three treasure chests to find. I can guarantee you will feel inclined to go back and try to do more in the game than just beat all the levels, and to get everything you will have to play through each level a minimum of two times. So while there aren't a ton of levels, the ones available are worth replaying.
Each level is very well designed in terms of playability. Getting through to the end is usually pretty easy, and after you reach the end of a level you have to get back to the beginning before time runs out, which almost turns into a fun minigame, actually. If you find the booster near the end of the level, you can take the fast way in which you are constantly running at high speed. Getting back to the start fast enough to clear the level's mission based on time involves many well-timed jumps, slides, and turns and can be quite challenging. So the levels are very well designed in terms of playability, because you have to be able to get through the normally and then there is a whole course set up for high speed.
The level design complements the gameplay very nicely. Shake It plays like other 2-D platformers, you move left and right, jump, and all that, but Wario has always had the ability to charge as well, and now he also has an earthquake punch that can be used to stun enemies, solve puzzles, and other things. This is done with a shake of the Wii remote, a function that works quite well and isn't over used. The Wii remote can also be shaken to get coins out of coin bags, which is a nice feature in the gameplay. Motion control is also used for a few submarine levels as well as in a boss fight, and tilting the controller to aim for throwing enemies and for shooting Wario out of a cannon works quite nicely too. Overall the concepts, level design, and controls come together very nicely for a great gameplay experience.
Shake It may be fully 2-D, but that's not to say the graphics don't look really sharp. They may not be stunning visuals like you see in Mario Galaxy, but it's about as good as you can possibly make a 2-D game look. The objects and characters aren't extremely detailed, but they look very smooth and sharp. The animations for all the actions look very nice too and add much to the humorous Wario feel. The level backgrounds look great too, and if you take a look, things such as large rocks will actually pop out in front of the level in some areas, but they don't obstruct your vision at all. Shake It displays some of the finest 2-D graphics I've ever seen, and they really add a lot to the overall experience of the game.
Shake It sounds almost as good as it looks. The music tracks may not be the most memorable you've ever heard, but they sound really good and fit their respective environments very well. The sound effects are 100% Wario too, with funny sounds that have good quality.
In a world where 3-D is most often hailed as king, Wario Land: Shake It stands tall and proud. It manages to be just as fun as most of the 3-D games out there and delivers an experience any fan of the series or platformer aficionado will love. 2-D CAN be worth full price, you just have to be willing to pay up.
Gameplay: 9.0
Graphics: 9.0
Sound: 8.5
Camera & Control: 9.0
Value: 8.5
FINAL SCORE: 9.0/10
