Kombo’s Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don’t waste your time. This is why we’ve split our reviews into four sections: What the Game’s About, What’s Hot, What’s Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.
What the Game’s About
Today’s video game market sees few console 2D platformers, but that fact hasn’t stopped Nintendo from making such a title for Wii. Wario Land: Shake It!, as you might be able to guess from the title, is the latest Wario Land release. The game comes seven years after the last game in the series, Wario Land 4, and it marks the first console Wario Land installment we’ve seen. Shake It! features a regular, Nintendo-esque story. You play as Wario, who must rescue a kidnapped queen and the magical Bottomless Coin Sack — the latter of which is the primary driver of Wario’s interest in this rescue mission. Playing as Wario, you’ll make your way through five worlds, each of which features a handful of levels and a boss fight. Along the way, you’ll platform, collect money and smash your way through things. This is very much a typical Wario Land sequel.
What’s Hot
Shake It! is unusual in at least one sense; it’s a really good-looking 2D Wii game. Typically, you don’t expect to be impressed by a 2D platformer’s visuals, but Shake It! manages to anyway. The game features hand-drawn visuals as well as rich, parallax backgrounds. As a result, Wario Land comes off looking nicely stylized. This truth lends to making this old school platformer more presentable and enjoyable by today’s standards.
While the graphics are attractive, the underlying gameplay is the reason why fans will dig Wario Land: Shake It!. Fundamentally, this is a standard Wario Land sequel — and while that can certainly be a negative thing, it’s simultaneously a great thing. The game’s level design is varied, delivering a healthy assortment of themed locales and play mechanics. Just when you get sick of the look of an area, you’re tossed into a totally different looking setting, and just when a play mechanic is starting to feel overused, a new one is introduced or the pace changes entirely. What’s more, the game’s controls are spot-on. There’s no abuse of motion controls. The few mechanics that do rely on motion controls, though, are fitting and executed well.
What’s Not
Perhaps the chief shortcoming of Shake It! is that its simplistic and straightforward, lacking depth. Its demeanor can’t help but remind me of something that you’d expect to find on a handheld or WiiWare. That’s not to cut down those kinds of games. It’s just that Shake It! lacks the production values expected in a console title. Also problematic is Shake It’s lack of newness. You won’t find anything incredibly imaginative here, nor will you find anything that blows you away. The game’s linear structure is rather straightforward, leaving the mechanics to speak for themselves. Since the majority of the game’s play mechanics are recycled from past Wario Lands or other platformers in general, the game feels ordinary. The title is even missing a few things that past games in the series have had, such as power-ups.
I’m not a fan of at least one level design component found throughout Shake It!. Upon reaching the end of each stage, you’ll have to race the clock back to the beginning of the level if you want to keep any of the coinage you earned along the way. I would have preferred longer levels than the forced backtracking. The current formula is on the repetitive side and artificially extends each level’s length.
Finally, there is the lack of a true 16×9 mode, which is frankly unforgivable in this day and age. The title’s widescreen mode frames a 4×3 version of Shake It! on the screen, surrounded by vertical bars. If you have a widescreen TV, this is not the way that you want to play any new release; it’s a waste of screen real estate. The setup reminds me of playing the old Game Boy Pokemons on my N64 through Pokemon Stadium. That was cool at the time, but it’s 2008 now.
Final World
Wario Land: Shake It! is a bit of a treat for old school gamers who are nostalgic for the 16-bit days. The title delivers tried-and-true 2D platforming fun. The hand-drawn visuals, level design and play mechanics come together nicely, creating an experience retro gamers and Wario fans will appreciate. Unfortunately, the straightforwardness and lack of freshness make that experience somewhat unimpressive. Further, there’s something decidedly handheld or WiiWare-esque about Shake It!. Perhaps it’s because the game is fundamentally the same as its predecessors, all born on the handheld platform.
All things considered, Wario Land: Shake It! is still an old-school treat. If you’re looking for a light, fun 2D side-scroller, here you go.
