Why Wario Land 4 Remains the Best Portable Mario Game

We’re marking this overlooked spin-off’s 10th anniversary by finally giving it its due.

By: Jeremy Parish
November 19, 2011

With Super Mario 3D Land freshly delivered to the eager hands of gamers the world over, Nintendo’s portable platformer legacy is at the front of many people’s minds. Sure, 3D Land isn’t as closely related to the old Super Mario Land games as its name would suggest, but that doesn’t make it any less fun… even if it does err on the side of being a little too easy. Much as we’ve enjoyed 3D Land, though, it still isn’t our favorite portable Mario game.

Admittedly, I’m using the royal “we” here, but I will cheerfully defend my claim that the best portable Mario game is the sublime Wario Land 4 for Game Boy Advance… which, by a handy coincidence, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this week. No, it doesn’t star Mario, but it can trace its lineage directly to Super Mario Land, and that’s good enough. Sadly, Wario Land 4 has never really commanded the loyal following and vocal praise it deserves. Launched in the early days of the GBA, it was generally overshadowed by Super Mario Advance and its sequel, despite the fact that (unlike those higher-profile titles) Wario’s game was wholly original, built from the ground-up for the system. What better time than its decennial to right the wrongs of fickle gamers and properly canonize Wario Land 4? Chances are you overlooked this portable masterpiece when it was released. Well, here are 10 reasons you need to correct that mistake.

1. It defies platform gaming conventions