The story begins by introducing players to the Shake Dimension, a world that is ruled by Queen Merelda. One day, the Shake Dimension is attacked by a notorious pirate called the Shake King. Having captured the Queen and imprisoned all her followers, the Shake King acquires the legendary Bottomless Coin Sack, a sack which spits out endless amounts of money when shaken. Not too far away, Wario is enjoying an afternoon nap when he is awoken by Merfle, a strange fairy-like creature who’s loyal to Queen Merelda. Merfle pleads with Wario to help save the Shake Dimension, but he’s uninterested and goes back to sleep. When Merfle mentions the Bottomless Coin Sack however, Wario springs into action. The story is told through hand-drawn animation sequences but it never expands too much, it’s just there to set the mood for the adventure.
Wario Land: The Shake Dimension is very straightforward, players simply have to progress through linear levels, pick up any treasure they see and destroy enemies. Eventually, you’ll come across a big, bulky cage that contains one of Merfle’s friends, but when you break it open a timer will appear on screen, signifying you have to race back to the start. Similar to Wario Land 4, in most cases it’s not just a matter of backtracking your steps, as some areas will become completely blocked off while others will open up for exploration. This keeps things feeling fresh, and encourages replays to fully explore each area. On the downside, most levels will only take 10-15 minutes to complete, so those who rush to get the credits rolling will only get around 5 hours of gameplay.
Money, money, money. It must be funny in a rich man's world.
Of course for veteran Wario fans, there’s more than enough to keep you occupied. Typically, each level contains three treasures to find, and they are often cleverly hidden. An example is during the Egyptian pyramid level. The treasure itself is located on a platform above your head, but it’s out of reach. To get to it, you have to make a pyramid rise from the ground using the Earthquake Punch (more on this later), and then run to the top and jump across. Players are also given secondary missions to complete, some of which include finishing a level under a certain time limit, grabbing ten gold coins consecutively, not taking any damage and avoid falling into water. Some are more challenging than others, but they’re varied enough to keep players coming back and are arguably the main meat of the game.
Wario is controlled by holding the Wii remote sideways, using the D-Pad to move, the 1 button to perform his trademark dash attack and the 2 button to jump. Additionally, Wario has a special move called the Earthquake Punch, which can be activated by shaking the Wii remote. The move causes the entire screen to shake, stunning enemies, causing nearby bombs to explode and in some circumstances, makes platforms rise or lower to create pathways. Satisfyingly, you also have the option to pick up objects and shake them, causing any treasure or health recovery items they contain to fall to the ground. When throwing them, you’re required to aim by tilting the Wii remote. The motion controls take a little getting used to, but they’re an interesting element that adds appeal and originality to an otherwise standard platformer.
One of the great features of The Shake Dimension is that levels are generally varied and have different obstacles to overcome. Some examples include a train in the Wild West where you have to destroy a boiler, a casino that features invisible platforms you can only identify when a light shines on them, and tropical forests that are infested by man-eating plants. Also, players will get the opportunity to control different vehicles ranging from submarines to jetpacks. Generally, the player can guide the vehicle by tilting the Wii remote and use the D-pad to move or, in the case of the jetpack, press the 1 button to fire a rocket boost. While it’s all been done before, the sheer variety is an achievement on the developer’s part, and also means players won’t get bored easily.
Wario prepares himself for an Earthquake Punch.
Another thing players will enjoy are the boss battles. Again, each one throws different challenges at you and it feels very old school. No hints are provided, you must carefully observe attack patterns, and you have to use a combination of trial and error to locate weak spots. While there is only a total of six bosses, they offer a nice break between levels and are always fun to fight.
Visually, Wario Land: The Shake Dimension is absolutely stunning. The game captures the look and feel of classic platformers by being presented in 2D, but also features incredible hand-drawn animations and backgrounds. As a whole, everything is bright and colourful, resembling a Saturday morning cartoon show. Wario in particular looks great. There are moments when the animators pay homage to his personality and physical imagery such as how he squeezes himself into pipes and cannons, and the hilarious way he shakes and scratches his buttocks at the options menu. The music doesn’t quite stand out as much, but each level does have its own unique theme and fits in suitably. An example is the Wild West level. The music track starts off with a chain chugging along the railway tracks, and then moves on into a typical Western cowboy theme.
It's fun just blasting enemies with the submarine's torpedos.
Wario Land: The Shake Dimension should be in every platform game fan’s collection. While it doesn’t really do anything new for the genre, is a little on the easy side and doesn’t feature a momentous soundtrack, there’s a great variety in level design and secondary challenges that will keep you coming back for more.
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