Wario's Woods

Toad clears monster-filled woods using color-matching bombs.

Wario's Woods is a 1994 puzzle video game developed by Nintendo R&D1 and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the NES and Super NES. A spin-off of the Mario series, it is notable as the last officially licensed game and final first-party title for the NES in North America, and the only NES game to receive an ESRB rating.

Quick Facts

Developer

Nintendo R&D1 (NES), Intelligent Systems (Super NES, Satellaview)

Publisher

Nintendo

Director

Kenji Miki

Series

Wario

Designer

Soichiro Tomita
Masahiro Iimura
Naotaka Ohnishi

Composer

Shinobu Amayake; Soyo Oka

Released

February 19, 1994 (JP)
December 10, 1994 (NA)
1995 (EU)

Genre

Puzzle

Facts from the source article.

Plot and gameplay

The Peaceful Woods, once home to sprites and gentle creatures, is invaded by Wario and his monsters, turning the community upside down. Toad arrives to stop Wario and restore the woods to the sprites. Players control Toad, who moves atop fallen objects inside the playing field. Monsters of various colors are dropped from above by a sprite, along with bombs of matching colors.

Toad can pick up individual objects or entire stacks and place them elsewhere, kick objects across the field, or climb stacks to retrieve specific items. The goal is to arrange three or more objects of the same color—monsters and bombs—adjacent horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, with at least one bomb in the match. A match cannot consist of three monsters alone. A Thwomp may descend, reducing space.

Clearing all monsters advances the round, with more monsters starting each time. Some monster types require special destruction methods, such as two quick matches or diagonal placement. If the field fills completely, Toad is trapped and the game ends. A multiplayer mode, VS or VS 2P, lets two players compete; consecutive matches send enemy stacks to the opponent's field.

Re-releases

Two modified Super NES versions were broadcast in Japan for the Satellaview. The first, Wario's Woods: Bakushou Version, copyrighted in 1994, featured personalities from the Japanese radio comedy show Bakushō Mondai. The second, Wario's Woods: Again, aired from April 23, 1995, to June 30, 2000, and was rebroadcast at least seven times, including at least one special event version. The NES version appears as a collectible in the 2001 game Animal Crossing for GameCube, obtainable via the Game Boy Advance link cable. It was among the first Wii Virtual Console titles at launch in North America, Australia, and Europe, and released in Japan on December 12, 2006, for 500 Nintendo Points. It later came to the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops in various regions from 2013 to 2014, and was added to the Nintendo Classics service on December 13, 2018.

Reception

Wario's Woods received mixed reviews. GamePro called the Super NES version a standard Tetris clone with interesting mechanics but difficult controls. Nintendo Power noted a fun two-player mode and fast-paced challenge, though controls were less easy than Tetris 2; it gave slightly higher Super NES scores in Play Control, Challenge, and Theme and Fun. Next Generation found the mechanics too complicated and the learning curve too steep. Retrospectively, Allgame rated the NES version 4 out of 5 stars and the Super NES version 3.5 out of 5. Christian Huey praised the NES version's controls as both complex and intuitive, with surprising depth and a welcome versus mode. Scott Alan Marriott felt the Super NES version lacked the addictiveness of Tetris or Dr. Mario, citing awkward controls and complicated gameplay, and argued that adding to a proven formula can dilute what made it successful.