Visuals:
The game is simply beautiful in just about every aspect. Calling back to the 2-D graphics of the days of old (as opposed to the more common 2-and-a-1/2-D that we find in games like Super Smash Bros and Little Big Planet) but instead of pixelated sprites, it feels more like we're playing a cartoon with excellent hand-drawn style characters and a wonderful pallet of colorful cel-shading. To top it all off, some of the cutscenes look like a scene from a full length cartoon. Throughout the entire game though, visual humor is well done and you'll find yourself laughing throughout the entire game.
Sound:
I only wish the sounds of the game was as well done as the cartoon style graphics. There is no voice acting in the game except for the little sound bites each character has. Even in the cutscenes, you have to read subtext while the character's remain silent. The music is also relatively simple. I guess by this time, we're spoiled by sound tracks like Super Smash Bros, Super Mario Galaxy, and Twilight Princess, heck, even Wario Ware had better music. The only upside is that most of the time you aren't noticing it do to the amazing game play.
Gameplay:
Controls:
The controls are simple, which is good. You hold the Wii mote sideways and use the D-pad to move around. The 1 button is used to shoulder charge and 2 is used to jump. By shaking the wii mote down, you perform the Earthquake slam, where Wario punches the ground to perform a number of tasks. The Earthquake punch is used to knock certain enemies vulnerable, knock off balance objects down, and remove certain obstacles from your way. Most enemies can be grabbed when stunned by Wario's Earthquake punch. When stunned, Wario can run up to them and instantly pick them up. From there, you can toss them by pressing 1 which calls forth an arrow. You tilt the Wii mote to change the angle of the projection and then you let go of the 1 button to fire. You can shake picked up enemies or money sacks by grabbing them and moving the wii mote rapidly up and down. Money bags drop (you guessed it) money which you have to time to let go so you shake all the money out and grab it before it fades away. Enemies will sometimes drop garlic which heal Wario or nothing at all.
Levels:
The stages are amazing. The main objective of each stage is to make your way through puzzles and enemies to reach the end and rescue a tiny creature called a Melful. However, as an added twist, once the Melful is rescued, you have to return to the beginning of the stage before time runs out. Most of the time, the route you took before works fine, but more often than not the game provides a faster, alternate path but they are harder than the normal path, but don't fret about messing up, the only consequence is that you have to run the normal path. The game is divided up into five continents each with 6 stages, 2 of which are hidden stages. Each continent ends with a boss battle.
Replay Value:
This game was obviously meant to be for people of all ages. While the main game can be blown through in almost no time at all, the added challenges post more of a problem. You see, they are hard. Treasures to find, clocks to beat, and puzzles to solve, you are almost guaranteed not to complete any challenge on your first run through of each level.
Gripes:
There are downsides to the game, but only a few. For one, the gameplay gets a bit repetitive and some puzzles are simply unforgiving. The challenges are also ridiculously hard, even on the first continent most of the levels might be left bare minimum finished just so you get further along in the game. While challenge is nice, I would have liked to be more weened on the challenges difficulty instead of being constantly slapped in the face by messing up some of the challenges.
Conclusion:
Wario Land: Shake It! is a nice addition to the Wii library that utilizes the Wii mote in a fun, innovative way not yet seen. The developers have found the perfect mix of getting the casual and hardcore game play and perhaps making Wario Land the best gateway game ever.
Wario Land: Shake It Review
