Virtual Boy Wario Land

The Virtual Boy was a commercial disaster — a red-and-black stereoscopic headset that gave players headaches and sold roughly 770,000 units worldwide. But buried in its tiny library of 22 games is a genuine gem: Virtual Boy Wario Land.

Developed by Nintendo R&D1, Wario Land VB takes the greedy anti-hero through 14 stages of side-scrolling platforming that cleverly uses the Virtual Boy's stereoscopic 3D. Enemies and objects exist on both the foreground and background planes, and Wario can jump between them. A spring pad in the foreground bounces you into the background, where hidden treasures and alternate routes await.

The 3D effect actually works remarkably well for gameplay. Incoming projectiles and leaping enemies gain genuine depth, making dodging more intuitive. Boss fights use the z-axis creatively — one boss throws objects that arc from background to foreground, requiring you to judge depth to dodge.

Wario's moveset is satisfying: the shoulder charge, ground pound, and throwable enemies all feel responsive. The treasure-hunting focus (each level has a hidden key and treasure chest) adds replay value beyond simple completion.

Visually, the game is limited by the hardware — everything is in shades of red and black. But the sprite work is detailed, animation is smooth, and the parallax between planes creates genuine visual depth. It's the best-looking game on the system by a wide margin.

The soundtrack is catchy and well-composed, though limited by the Virtual Boy's sound capabilities.

Virtual Boy Wario Land is the tragic case of a great game on a doomed platform. If it had been released on the Game Boy, it would be remembered as a classic. On the Virtual Boy, it's a curiosity that deserves better.