Wario's Woods

Wario's Woods
European box art
Developer(s)	Nintendo R&D1
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Kenji Miki
Producer(s)	Kenji Miki
Designer(s)	List NES Soichiro Tomita Masahiro Iimura Naotaka Ohnishi Super NES Naotaka Ohnishi Ryota Kawade
Composer(s)	List NES Shinobu Amayake Soyo Oka Super NES Hiroaki Suga Tadashi Ikegami
Platform(s)	NES, Super NES, Satellaview, Virtual Console
Release date(s)	February 19, 1994 NES JP 19940219February 19, 1994 NA 19941210December 10, 1994 EU 1995 Super NES NA 19941210December 10, 1994 Satellaview JP April 1995 – June 2000 Virtual Console NA 20061119November 19, 2006 AU 20061207December 7, 2006 EU 20061208December 8, 2006 JP 20061212December 12, 2006
Genre(s)	Puzzle
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: K-A, E (VC)

Wario's Woods (ワリオの森, Wario no Mori) is a puzzle game, developed and published by Nintendo, for both the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The NES version was released in Japan on February 19, 1994, and both versions were released simultaneously in North America on December 10, 1994. Because of the increasing popularity of the Super NES, Wario's Woods was the last licensed game released for the NES, and is also the only game in its library to have an official rating by the ESRB.

Wario's Woods is a falling block game where the objective is to clear the playing field of monsters by using bombs, arranging them into rows of matching colors. Unlike other puzzle games such as Tetris, where the player directly manipulates the game pieces, the player controls Toad, who moves around the playing field and arranges them after they have fallen.

The game was re-released in various forms, first available as a broadcast on the Satellaview from April 1995 to June 2000; as a collectable, playable item in the 2001 Nintendo GameCube game Animal Crossing; and for purchase as a Virtual Console title for the Wii in 2006.

Gameplay

Toad rearranges the objects in the playing field such that monsters and bombs of matching colors are placed adjacently in rows.

The objective of Wario's Woods is to clear the playing field of monsters of varying colors by using bombs of matching color, which are dropped into the field from the top of the screen. In order to do so, the monsters and bombs must be rearranged by the player such that three or more objects of the same color are placed adjacent to one another in horizontal, vertical, or diagonal rows, with at least one object being a bomb (such rows are called a match). For example, a match may consist of two red monsters and one red bomb, but may also consist of two red bombs and one red monster. When the play field is cleared of all the monsters, the player progresses to the next round, where the initial number of monsters increases. The monsters themselves also begin to vary, ranging from requiring two matches to completely destroy them or can only be cleared in diagonal rows.

Unlike other action puzzle games such as Tetris or Puzzle League where the player directly manipulates the game pieces, either as they fall or via a cursor, the player directly controls the character Toad, who moves around inside the playing field atop the fallen objects. Toad primarily can pick up individual objects or lift entire stacks and place them elsewhere in the playing field, but is unable to manipulate objects he cannot immediately reach. However, Toad can perform a variety of additional tricks, such as scurrying up stacks to retrieve specific objects or kicking them across the play field. If the player cannot clear the playing field of its objects quickly enough, the play field will eventually fill to the brim and trap Toad, resulting in a Game Over.

The player is also given a pseudo time limit called the "Time Gauge," which switches between Bomb Time and Enemy Time each time it expires, causing the game rules to change. During Bomb Time, Birdo drops bombs into the playing field. During Enemy Time, Wario drops monsters into the playing field and lowers the ceiling, shrinking the available space and making it both harder to arrange objects and easier for the playing field to quickly fill up.

Techniques and Bonuses

The player is awarded special advantages for performing various techniques. A chain reaction, which occurs when one match triggers another match, extends Bomb Time and shortens Enemy Time. If the player clears a row that contains five or more objects, a Diamond appears, which when used in a match, automatically removes all monsters that match its color from the playing field. Upon completion of a level, the player is awarded a certain number of coins that decreases each time the Time Gauge expires, for which a continue is awarded each time the player accumulates a certain total.

Additional Modes

In addition to the main single-player mode, Wario's Woods offers two play modes: a time attack mode, where single-players complete a number of levels as fast as possible; and a competitive two-player versus mode, where each player races to clear all the monsters from his playing field before the other one does. The players can spawn monsters in their opponent's screen via the techniques mentioned above. The Super NES version gives players the option to play this multiplayer mode against computer-controlled players of increasing difficulty, while the NES version supplies unique boss battles, which are fought in a special variation of its main single-player mode.

Re-Releases

Two modified versions of the Super NES version of Wario's Woods were released for the Satellaview, a satellite modem add-on for the Super Famicom. The first version was copyrighted in 1994 and released under the name Wario no Mori Bakushō Bājon (ワリオの森 爆笑バージョン, lit. "Wario's Woods: Burst of Laughter Version"). The Bakushō Version featured personalities from the Japanese radio comedy show, Bakushō Mondai (JA).

The second version of Wario's Woods broadcast for Satellaview was released under the name Wario no Mori: Futatabi (ワリオの森 再び, lit. "Wario's Woods: Again"). It was broadcast from 1995 until June 30, 2000, throughout the lifespan of the Satellaview. The game was quite popular and it was rebroadcast at least seven times throughout the tenure of St.GIGA's Satellaview-broadcasting period. The game was also broadcast at least once as one of the Satellaview's special event versions.

The NES version of Wario's Woods is available as collectable item in the 2001 game Animal Crossing for the Nintendo GameCube, obtained through special means. This version was also one of the first titles available for the Wii Virtual Console, released alongside its launch in North America, Australia and Europe, and on December 12, 2006 in Japan. It is currently available for purchase at the Wii Shop Channel for 500 Nintendo Points.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
Publication	Score
Allgame	NES: SNES:
GameSpot	VC: 7.0/10
IGN	VC: 8.0/10
Nintendo Power	SNES: 3.375/5

Wario's Woods has received lukewarm to favorable reviews. Allgame rated Wario's Woods 4 stars out of 5 for the NES version, and 3.5 stars out of 5 for the SNES version. Christian Huey, who reviewed the NES version, stated that the controls were "both surprisingly complex and completely intuitive" while the gameplay has a "surprising level of depth," and labeled the two-player versus mode as "an extremely welcome addition to the core game." Scott Alan Marriott, who reviewed the SNES version, felt that the game "doesn't quite measure up to the addictiveness of either Tetris or Dr. Mario," citing the game's "extremely awkward" controls and complicated gameplay. While Marriott appreciated "that the developers were trying something new," he concluded that "Sometimes when you add things to an already proven formula [for action puzzle games], you dilute the ingredients that made it a success." Because Nintendo Power ceased coverage of NES games starting with its March 1994 issue (the NES version was released in December that year), it only reviewed the SNES version of Wario's Woods, awarding it a score of 3.375 out of 5.

The reviews for the Virtual Console release ranged from mixed to positive, applauding the gameplay and depth, but criticizing the choice to release the primitive NES version over the more comprehensive SNES version. Lucas Thomas of IGN awarded the game an 8.0 out of 10, praising the game's unique approach to the puzzle genre and graphics that "took full advantage of the 8-bit hardware [and were] full of character," but recommended "saving [one's] points for the SNES version, if it becomes available." Aaron Thomas of GameSpot gave Wario's Woods a score of 7.0 out of 10, admiring the "fun, addictive game play" and "surprising amount of depth," but criticizing the game's repetitive music and poor sound effects, adding that he also prefers the "ideal" SNES version. Nintendo Life scored the game 6 out of 10, stating that while the game is fun, "enjoyment for most will no doubt be short-lived."

External links

• Wario's Woods at MobyGames
• Wario's Woods at NinDB
• Wario's Woods (NES) at GameFAQs
• Wario's Woods (SNES) at GameFAQs
• Wario's Woods guide at StrategyWiki
• N-sider full game credits (SNES)
• Burst of Laughter Wario's Woods pictures