History VideoGame / Wario

* ''VideoGame/WariosWoods'' UsefulNotes/{{N|intendoEntertainmentSystem}}ES[=/=]UsefulNotes/{{S|uperNintendoEntertainmentSystem}}NES)

Despite being the first character-based sub-series of ''Mario'' (predating ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'', ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'', and ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion''), the ''Wario'' franchise is notable for lacking the coherence of its sisters, as the platformer and ''[=WarioWare=]'' branches of the franchise rarely ever reference one another and never share any characters. Even the ''Wario Land'' games tend to not share characters between installments, with the only recurring character besides Wario himself being his [[TheRival arch-rival]] Captain Syrup. Also the ''Wario'' franchise has virtually no presence within the extended ''Mario'' universe[[note]]The only time ''Wario'' characters have appeared in the extended ''Mario'' universe was ''[[VideoGame/DrMario Dr. Mario 64]]''[[/note]] unlike its sister franchises. Wario himself is a staple character of the various ''Mario'' sports and party spinoffs, but none of the characters from either ''Wario Land'' or ''[=WarioWare=]'' appear alongside him. In the spinoffs, Wario usually gets an AmbiguouslyRelated companion named Waluigi, a taller and leaner counterpart to Luigi, but Waluigi himself doesn't appear within the core ''Wario'' series in any capacity.

** ''VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3''
** ''VideoGame/VirtualBoyWarioLand''
** ''VideoGame/WarioLandII''
** ''VideoGame/WarioLand3''
** ''VideoGame/WarioLand4''
** ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt''

** ''VideoGame/WarioWorld''
** ''VideoGame/WarioMasterOfDisguise''
* ''VideoGame/WariosWoods''

** ''[=WarioWare=], Inc.: Mega Microgame$!''
** ''[=WarioWare=], Inc.: Mega Party Game$!''
** ''[=WarioWare=]: Twisted!''
** ''[=WarioWare=]: Touched!''
** ''[=WarioWare=]: Smooth Moves''
** ''[=WarioWare=]: Snapped!''
** ''[=WarioWare=]: D.I.Y.''
** ''[=WarioWare=]: D.I.Y. Showcase''
** ''Game & Wario''
** ''[=WarioWare=] Gold''

Wario eventually came into his own as the star of his own platformer series, ''VideoGame/WarioLand''. While the first game played essentially like a Mario game with a few tweaks, the series eventually diverged into a PuzzlePlatformer series with a heavy emphasis on exploration. Tying in with Wario's greed, a large focus of the games is getting a better ending by collecting as many coins as possible.

Oddly, in spite of its history, the ''Wario'' franchise has virtually no presence within the extended'' Mario'' universe unlike its sister franchises ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' and ''Franchise/DonkeyKong''. Wario himself is a staple character of the spinoffs, but none of the characters from either ''Wario Land'' or ''[=WarioWare=]'' appear alongside him. In the spinoffs, Wario usually gets a vaguely related companion named Waluigi, a taller and leaner counterpart to Luigi, but Waluigi himself doesn't appear within the core ''Wario'' series in any capacity.

He first appeared in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins'' as the BigBad of the game, where he stole Mario's castle (don't ask why Mario has a castle) and hid away the Six Golden Coins needed to reach him.

Oddly, in spite of its history, the ''Wario'' franchise has virtually no presence within the extended'' Mario'' universe unlike its sister franchises ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' and ''Franchise/DonkeyKong''. Wario himself is a staple character of the spinoffs, but none of the characters from either ''Wario Land'' or ''[=WarioWare=]'' appear alongside him. In the spinoffs, Wario usually gets a vaguely related companion named Waluigi, a taller and leaner counterpart to Luigi, but even then, he doesn't appear within the core ''Wario'' series in any capacity.

* FoeTossingCharge: Wario's signature move, where he charges shoulder-first to plow through enemies. It's so iconic that it has appeared in the otherwise unconnected platformers ''Wario World'' and ''Master of Disguise''.

The ''Wario'' franchise is an offshoot of the greater ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' franchise starring Wario, a shorter, fatter doppelganger of Mario with a ravenous appetite for money and treasure.

2003 saw the beginning of the other major branch of the franchise: the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series. In this series, Wario, still greedy as ever, decides to form his own video game company specializing in seconds-long minigames called "microgames." In addition to Wario, the series stars a wacky cast of characters who function as Wario's employees, such as {{disco dan}}cer Jimmy T., MadScientist Dr. Crygor, and in-universe Creator/{{Nintendo}} enthusiast 9-volt.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wario_logo.png]]

In 2003, Wario began the other major branch of the franchise: the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series. In this series, Wario, still greedy as ever, decides to form his own video game company specializing in seconds-long minigames called "microgames." In addition to Wario, the series stars a wacky cast of characters who function as Wario's employees, such as {{disco dan}}cer Jimmy T., MadScientist Dr. Crygor, and in-universe Creator/{{Nintendo}} enthusiast 9-volt.

* {{Greed}}: Whether a {{Badass}} treasure hunter or a lazy video game tycoon, nothing stops Wario on his quest to get filthy rich.

* LuckyTranslation: Wario is a portmanteau of the Japanese word "warui", meaning bad, and "Mario". English speakers generally interpret it as vertically mirroring the M in "Mario", which helps establish Wario's EvilTwin nature.

* Acrofatic: For a fat guy, Wario is quite good at running, jumping, and beating the crap out of things. It really peaks in ''Wario World'', where he can pull off front flips and perform fancy [[WrestlerInAllOfUs wrestling moves]] on monsters much larger than he is.

In 2003, Wario began the other major branch of the franchise: the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series. In this series, Wario, still greedy as ever, decides to form his own video game company specializing in seconds-long minigames called "microgames." In addition to Wario, the series stars a wacky cast of characters who function as Wario's employees, such as disco dancer Jimmy T., MadScientist Dr. Crygor, and in-universe Nintendo enthusiast 9-volt.

The ''Wario'' franchise is an offshoot of the greater ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' franchise starring Wario, a shorter, fatter doppelganger of Mario with a ravenous appetite for money and treasure.

Oddly, in spite of its history, the Wario franchise has virtually no presence within the extended Mario universe unlike its sister franchises ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' and ''Franchise/DonkeyKong''. Wario himself is a staple character of the spinoffs, but none of the characters from either ''Wario Land'' or ''[=WarioWare=]'' appear alongside him. In the spinoffs, Wario usually gets a vaguely related companion named Waluigi, a taller and leaner counterpart to Luigi, but even then, he doesn't appear within the core ''Wario'' series in any capacity.

!!Tropes in the Wario franchise

** ''VideoGame/WarioLand2''

[[redirect:VideoGame/WarioLand]]