Wario makes his return to 2D platforming in Wario Land Shake for the Wii.
Wednesday, Nintendo announced a new iteration of the Wario Land franchise, Wario Land Shake for Wii. Nintendo's announcement was followed by a FAMITSU article containing details on the upcoming game.
Wario Land Shake sports sprite graphics, featuring "hand-drawn animations." The images released show Wario in a variety of colorful settings: a desert (with pyramids), the deck of a ship, underwater, and in what looks to be a cave. The game is said to feature twenty such worlds for Wario to explore.
The game's controls have been kept simple; it is played with the Wii Remote held sideways. The D-Pad is used for movement and the 1 and 2 buttons are used for actions. The title's "shake" designation comes from the series of moves that can be executed by shaking the Wii Remote. For example, shaking the Wii Remote can uncover secrets, allow Wario to shake down an enemy for coins, or execute a butt-stomp.
The Wii Remote's motion controls are also used for controlling vehicles found in the game. Vehicles shown so far are a rocket and a submarine.
Wario Land Shake has a Japanese release date of July 24, 2008. Although far along in development, there has been no word yet regarding the game's international release.
