Nintendo’s bad boy Wario is at it again! When an evil pirate from another dimension steals a magical treasure: a coin sack that endlessly spews gold when you shake it, it’s up to Wario to save the day. Well, he’ll save the gold anyway. Help Wario in this treasure hunting, 2-D platform jumping adventure for the Nintendo Wii.

Wario Land: Shake It is a pretty standard 2-D platformer with a few twists to shake things up. Hold the remote sideways, classic NES style, to control Wario. Use the remote’s motion controls for Wario’s special moves. While holding a sack of gold, shake the Wii remote vigorously and Wario will rattle coins out of the bag for you to collect. A quick flick of the controller will make Wario pound the ground which stuns enemies and uncovers secrets. Tilt the remote to aim cannons and tossed bad guys. Play control is quick, responsive, and easy to learn.

Shake It has fantastic 2-D visuals with hand-drawn animated characters. The jazzy music’s pretty catchy, too. Each stage has hidden treasures to find and secondary missions to challenge, so there’s plenty of replay value to be had as well.

While Wario Land: Shake It is a solid platformer, it does have a few problems. Gone are the clever powers Wario would get when he touched certain enemies, which in turn would help him solve puzzles in previous games. Also, the levels aren’t near as creative as past Wario Land titles, here it’s just standard caves, jungles, deserts, etc. Sorry big TV fans, but there’s also no widescreen support. Plus the gameplay is a little on the basic and short side, especially for a full-priced game. But even so, Wario Land: Shake It is still a fun romp that fans of classic Mario gameplay will really dig.

Kid Factor:
Wario Land: Shake It is rated E for Everyone with ESRB descriptors of Comic Mischief and Mild Cartoon Violence. Wario is kind of the ‘evil’ version of Mario, and in the game he picks his nose, scratches his butt, and is motivated by greed. Not really the most ideal role model, but Wario’s still a likeable anti-hero somehow. Also, one of the other characters, Wario’s arch rival female pirate Captain Syrup, is a bit too bouncy for a Nintendo game, if you know what I mean (though I still think Captain Syrup is cool). The violence in the game is all slapstick, Looney Tunes style antics. Reading skill isn’t required as all the instructions in the game have picture cues, but younger players may need some help with some of the later stages and tougher bosses. Other than that, Wario Land: Shake It is a fun, easy to understand 2-D platformer that the whole family can enjoy.

Tags: Game Reviews