The wacky world of Wario comes to the GBA in full fashion.
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In this game, the ever-greedy Wario learns of a discovery in a far-off jungle - an ancient pyramid chock full of treasure. Obviously, this means Wario is off to plunder. When he arrives, he becomes trapped in the pyramid labyrinth and must go through six passages to escape. To go through these passages, the player must travel through vortexes to enter several different worlds before facing a boss. The goal of each stage is to collect four pieces of a jewel lock to the boss door, getting a "Keyzer" to open the way to the next stage, hitting a "frog switch" to open the way back, and escaping before time runs out. Sounds exciting, no?
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Frantic fun awaits the player in each stage, where, unlike the previous game, Wario has a health meter. Still, there is no such thing as a game over here, as Wario is simply kicked out of the stage if he runs out of health or time after hitting the return switch. Certain enemies will cause Wario to pick up a status ailment, such as Balloon, Zombie, Bat, or Fire. The different ailments will allow Wario to progress through the stage, or to enter secret passages. Each stage contains a hidden treasure, a music CD which contains strange tunes that the player can listen to in the main passage. Getting enough treasure in each stage can also unlock a bonus song - "Medamayaki", a Japanese song that plays in one of the stages.
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This game utilizes the 32-bit power of the GBA in many ways. The graphic details are high and the sound is terrific. Charles Martinet's brilliant rendition of Wario's voice can be heard throughout the game, including the fan favorite "Mammamia!". And the music is a huge step above the previous game, with real-sounding synthesized music rather than the synthetic beeps of the previous incarnations.
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Gameplay-wise, this game is rather straightforward. Controls are tight, and the levels are structured so that you know where to go. The only complaint I have about the gameplay is the difficulty spread. The game has three difficulty settings: normal, hard, and super-hard. Normal is a basic cake-walk. Hard is... well, hard. Super-hard, though, is practically impossible. I have never gotten past the first boss with that setting.
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To sum it up, Wario Land 4 is a great introductory game to the Game Boy Advance. With technically-proficient presentation and straightforward gameplay, it's a notch above the rest. If you don't like Wario's gross-out humor, though, you should probably stay away. Otherwise, it's a terrific first game for the newcomer.