As far as graphics go, the game looks like a Nintendo game. Cartoonish worlds populated by colorful enemies with exaggerated movements and attacks. The level of detail in the characters and environments is exceptional, with special attention seemingly paid to the roundness of Wario's belly. Each level is distinct and well constructed. There's a stone dungeon level with gritty textures and plenty of dust resembling an animated Indiana Jones set. There was also a misty, cemetery-like setting with detailed trees and scary foes. One new object in Wario's 3D world is the yellow sticky sphere. Wario can jump up and grab onto the sphere and rotate around to either jump up or down to another ball or ledge. Numerous trap doors are also found lying around the levels that can be accessed with a butt stomp.
The camera is fixed throughout the entire game. There's no option to manually move the camera behind Wario so most of the game world is actually like a TV set; only three sides are built while the fourth side is you viewing the action. While full 3D movement is possible in open areas, the camera keeps Wario centered on the screen at all times. The demo on the floor makes it obvious Nintendo went to a lot of trouble perfecting the level design to ensure there were no camera snags. One boss level available to play on the demo did feature a 360-degree field of view but the camera was still fixed. The boss was a clown that traveled on a huge ball between two platforms connected by two parallel curved paths. The camera smoothly tracked Wario as he walked on the paths between the platforms and smashed the clown to bits. The fixed camera does create the problem with Wario disappearing behind enemies and columns but the action is dynamic enough that he's never gone for long.
Nintendo definitely has another potential hit on its hands with the new Wario World. The game promises ample amounts of puzzle solving, treasure hunting, and enemy bashing. Any fan of the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance editions of the series can't afford to pass this one up. Look for more info soon.
