Golden Diva

GOLDEN DIVA

After working their way through the Pyramid's four worlds, Wario and Shokora finally enter the central chamber, where they come face to face with a powerful demon dressed all in finery and jewels, who proceeds to capture Shokora and attack Wario.

This is the Golden Diva, a former opera singer whose wickedness and greed caused her to be transformed into a demon, who used her powers to transform Shokora into a cat and take all of her treasures and gold for herself. When the Pyramid was unearthed and Wario fought his way to her horde, she was forced back into action.

As a fighter, the Diva will be floaty but powerful, with a large number of projectile attacks at her disposal. Her moveset will pull from her boss battle, as well as various aspects of the game itself.

Likelihood rating: Probably not.

Second Chance: Golden Diva

GOLDEN DIVA

Next up, we have the villain of Wario Land 4, who previously lost out on a gimmick rep spot to Princess Shokora, and who didn't quite feel echo-y enough with her to warrant doing so. Still, though, I think it's fair to go back and re-evaluate what we've got.

So, first of all, the Diva lowers in a wavy beam of light. That feels like it could be an Up B or something. She also sucks up Shokora with a strange beam. Then in her actual battle, she sends her four heads flying at you as projectiles, after which she has a series of four attacks, involving a green enemy, a ball containing a teddy bear, an egg that will hatch into an attacking duck, and a spiky hammer. Then in the final phase, she will body slam the ground and cause spikes to appear. I think we can work with that.

My answer is . . . 

YES

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Head

Her head will be able to detach from her body and fly towards another opponent while being controlled by the player.

Side B: Capture Beam

She will fire a beam that will pull opponents and items in towards her. Also any of the four attacks could work, but I'm willing to set those for other commands.

Up B: Light Beam

She will rise up on her wavy beam of light, taking her straight up for a short time.

Down B: Spike Trap

She will pound the ground, causing a spike trap to appear where she lands, which will linger for a short time.

Final Smash: Pyramid Collapse

She will suddenly rush the screen, at which point, the stage will start to shake and rocks will fall from above, as if the temple is collapsing around the players.

Entrance: She will descend on her beam of light.

Taunts: Up, her treasures will circle her head and sparkle. Side, her face will distort for a minute into her true face. Down, she will drop and egg and it will hatch into a duck.

Kirby Hat: Her mask.

Kart: Based on her treasure chests.

Special Move: Her head will become detached and split off into four, going off after players in four directions.

Spirit Battle: A giant battle on Golden Pyramid, with Shokora as the player's ally.

Victory Screen: She will suck up her opponents the way she did Shokora.

Losing Screen: Her dying animation.

Color Swaps: Her main look, an outfit based on each of the main jewels in the game, a Shokora-themed look, and a Wario-themed look.

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow will be entirely poll-based as I am mostly ambivalent. The question ultimately boils down to: Should I split both Dribble & Spitz and Kat & Ana as echo fighters, or leave them as Ice Climber-types. I do have a personal opinion on at least one of them, but I want to know your opinions on it. Those polls will be up later tonight.

Golden Pyramid

Wario Land 4 took place inside of a giant golden pyramid that had been recently discovered in the jungle. Wario, sniffing out a potential payday, heads to the pyramid himself to plunder its riches.

This stage will take place on the outside of they pyramid, on the main level where Wario enters the temple. The explorer that appears occasionally throughout the game will wander onto the stage and serve as a Mr. Saturn-type throwing item, and the keybirds will fly around in the background.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fihc2ONQ5v0

Princess Shokora

Wario Land 4 will likewise continue the Wario Land’s established trend of introducing a new threat and situation in each game rather than bring back the old characters. This time, Wario reads of a golden pyramid discovered in the jungle and immediately heads out to claim all the treasure for himself. When he arrives, he find himself accompanied in his adventure by a mysterious cat.

This cat is actually Princess Shokora, the princess of the ancient civilization who built the pyramid, cursed into the form of a cat by the malevolent Golden Diva that haunts the temple. She would help Wario in his adventure, becoming freed from her curse and ascending to heaven after the Diva’s defeat.

As a fighter, she will be light and floaty with the agility of a cat. Her form will flow fluidly between her cat and princess state, and her moves will pull from the entire game and all of its distinct mechanics.

Likelihood rating: Probably not

Character Sheet: Princess Shokora

PRINCESS SHOKORA

Today, we include the new characters brought in by the Dr. Mario series. Two of these are original character variants from the Dr. Mario series itself. The other two are more characters that the series gave me pause to stop, look back at and reconsider my stance on them. They are:

1. Dr. Mario

2. Dr. Luigi

3. Rudy the Clown

4. Princess Shokora

Well, since I looked back at Rudy with the benefit of hindsight, I had figured it best to look at the other Wario Land game with no character representation yet, just to be absolutely sure. And guess what, lo and behold, I can piece together a pretty solid gimmick rep moveset for her too. Basically, Princess Shokora is a major ally from Wario Land 4 who guides Wario in the form of a cat, only to reveal herself as a princess under a curse from a powerful golden idol.

Here's what I've come up with:

Standard B: Arewo Shitain-hakase

This one is based on the little scientist guy, who apparently may or may not be Mad Scienstein, whose role in Wario Land 4 is basically just to be a walking projectile, akin to the Mr. Saturns. Shokora will pick him up and throw him.

Side B: Cat Attack

This one makes use of her cat form. Basically she will transform into a cat and launch herself at your face, clawing at you with her claws.

Up B: Vortex

This one is based on the vortices that take you between levels in the game. Basically, the vortex will open and Shokora will be warped to a point higher up.

Down B: Bomb Dash

This one is based on the mechanic of Wario activating a bomb and then having to dash back to the start of the level to escape. Basically Shokora will drop a bomb on the ground, and then she will have a brief burst of speed to get away from it before it explodes.

Final Smash: The Golden Diva

This incorporates the main villain of the game. Basically, the Golden Diva will rise up onto the stage and perform several of the attacks that she used against Wario and Shokora.

Entrance: She will descend from heaven the same way she ascended at the end of the game.

Taunts: Up, she will hold up one of the jewel pieces like Wario would. Side, one of those key birds will come out and flutter around her. Down, she will take her cat form and lick her paw for a second.

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's update our rosters!

Character Sheet: Wario (Original Handhelds)

WARIO

Now, let's quickly go over the few new characters and those who need revision. It's probably no surprise that there are only a few of both in total:

1. Mario (Revision)
8. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
10. Goomba (Revision)
11. Piranha Plant (Revision)
12. Boo (Revision)
35. Princess Daisy
36. Wario
37. Tatanga
38. Captain Syrup

Hoo boy, we have some stuff to get through, and I can't even rely on the currently existing moveset to help sort it out, considering I'm pretty sure not a darn thing in Wario's moves was lifted from these games. So, I guess I'm pretty much out on my own with this one. Wario appears in Super Mario Land 2 as the villain, before completely hijacking the series and turning it into four total subsequent games entirely starring him. In Land 2, his boss battle consisted of him mimicking Mario's moves from the game, while the first Wario Land gave him a seemingly beefed up version of Mario's moveset with roided-up versions of the previous power-ups before Wario Land 2 and beyond gave him a new game concept of transformations occurring as a result of certain enemies' actions upon him.

In general, Wario is heavier and stronger than Mario. Rather than using skill and acrobatics, Wario often relies on brute strength to get the job done, including an elbow rush seen in all four Wario Land games, as well as the ability to ground pound and cause an earthquake. He is also incredible durable, and tends to use the effects of other's attacks and turn them to his own gain. This can make him quite the versatile foe. I think, as he originated as a dark mirror to Mario, I might be able to use Mario's current moveset to sort out everything Wario brings to the table.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Shoulder Rush
Wario suddenly charges forward with his elbow, knocking everyone and everything out of his way. This is based on his most common offensive moves in the game.

Side B: Enemy Effect
This move mirrors Mario's current Side B, which allows him to access a number of power-ups that cause different effects on him. These can include Fiery (which lights Wario on fire for a time), Fat (which makes him heavier and more powerful), Drunk (which surrounds him in a cloud of noxious gas), Vampire (which lets him flutter around the stage as a bat), and Zombie (which makes him impervious to harm). An enemy known for inflicting these states will appear briefly to cause it.

Up B: Spring
Wario will gain the bouncy state that he often receives after being smacked with a hammer and bounce high into the air. (This is probably the closest to anything in his current moveset, so it works).

Down B: Earthquake
Wario will do a heavy butt bash, shaking the stage and burying anyone in the immediate vicinty.

Final Smash: Boss Rush
Big Bird, Sewer Rat, the Witch, and the Octopus from Super Mario Land 2 will appear on screen, Sewer Rat, speeding back and forth across the stage, Big Bird swooping from above, the Witch casting fire on the stage, and the Octopus spawning smaller octopi to attack, all together creating massive havoc for the players. Yeah, that sounds fun.

Entrance: crashing in his jetplane from Wario Land 3?

Taunts: maybe I should have saved the drunk stage for this. Also, his seemingly bashful expression when Mario approaches him in Land 2. And maybe when he throws a shoe at the end of the battle.

Thanks for reading! Next time, let's check out the long forgotten villain of Super Mario Land: Tatanga!

Wario Land 4

WARIO LAND 4

Today, let's check out the final game in this series: Wario Land 4 for the Game Boy Advanced. This game once again changes up the main villain and setup, with Wario setting out to explore a lost golden temple full of treasure. The game features four characters who could really be considered the main cast, those being Wario himself, a black cat revealed to be the transformed state of a princess named Shokora, the Golden Diva, who acts as the main villain of the game, and Arewo Shitain-Hakase, a researcher exploring the pyramid.

Wario himself is the only one to give us much in the way of moveset. In the game, he performs most of the more physical moves performed by Wario previously, with his running, jumping, charging with his elbow, picking up and throwing enemies, rolling, and butt bashing, with a belly bash and a headbutt thrown into the mix. His abilities based on enemy effects also return with his fat, puffy, bouncy, fiery, snowball, frozen, vampire, and zomie forms all returning from previous games. He also drives a familiar purple car and lifts weights in his idle animations.

The Golden Diva's boss fight is very similar to Rudy the Clown's, as she is mostly a giant floating figure with a plethora of attacks that doesn't really offer itself much for an actual playable character. In the fight, she covers her face with a fan for the first phase, with several more faces floating around her. Then in the second faces, she will toss out random items at Wario that he then throws back at her, her face shifting every time. Princess Shokora in her cat form doesn't do much, but does attack the Diva when first encountered. After she transforms back into a human, she simply floats up to heaven. Finally we have Arewo, who simply finds himself being picked up and used as a projectile by Wario on numerous occasions.

The games bosses include Spoiled Rotten, a giant baby eggplant who walks around with two guards and throws a tantrum after a while of being hit. Cractus is a giant plant with spiky leaves that will charge or creep forward, with drool coming out of its mouth. Cuckoo Condor is a giant ghostly condor hiding inside a cuckoo clock with a grabber, mace, and electric rod attached, and will drop eggs with rubber ducks inside once the clock is destroyed. Aerodent is a mouse piloting a giant inflatable teddy bear that will drop needle-like enemies that Wario can use to pop the bear. Finally, Catbat is a ghostly mutated creature that can summon and control tidal waves and spawn mini-bats.

As far as enemies go, they are almost all new, though most serve similar purposes as before. These include: Marumen and Spear-Masks who mostly act like Gooms and Pirate Gooms; Ringosuki, who throw apples to make Wario fat; Beezleys and Bow Balloons, bees and archers who can make Wario puffy; Menhanma, who smack with a hammer to make Wario bouncy; Kaentsubos and Pig Head Statues, who can light Wario on fire; Yetis, who can sneeze ice and turn into Iwao who throw rocks; Minicula, who make Wario a vampire; the Skeleton Bird, who can make him a zombie; Imomushi, who crawl around; Moguramen who drill; Goggly-Blades, who swim; Totsumen, with knives strapped to their faces; Shieragucchi, who bite up in the water; Utsuboanko, who emerge from holes; Togenobi, a twerking octopus with four spiky tentacles; Tobawani, who are basically Klaptraps; Togerobos, who launch spike balls, Robo Birds, who fly forward; Toy Cars and PET Bottoms, that drive around with spikes on their fronts; Dice, who carry spears; Hoggus, an artistic pig spirit that creates enemies with its drawings and functions like a Lakitu; Deburina, who pop out of paintings and dance; Men'onos, who carry axes; Mayu Birds, really just birds; and Yurei, a ghost that tries to steal coins before you can.

Now, we have the stages! Most of the Pyramid is divided into four sections, each section having four levels that all follow a similar theme. The Emerald Passage features Palm Tree Paradise, Wildflower Fields, Mystic Lake, and Monsoon Jungle, all following a nature theme. The Ruby Passage features the Curious Factory, the Toxic Landfill, Below Fridge, and Pinball Zone, each having a technological theme. The Topaz Passage is made up of Toy Block Tower, the Big Board, Doodle Woods, and Domino Row, each with a toy theme. And finally we have the Sapphire Passage, with Crescent Moon Village, Arabian Night, Fiery Cavern, and Hotel Horror under a ghost theme. We also have a brief tutorial level at the beginning listed as Hall of Hieroglyphs.

Across the game, there are numerous treasures to collect, though there doesn't seem to be as much of a focus on collecting things this time around.

Let's see what we've got:

Characters:
Mario: run, jump, super balls, submarine, plane, downward spin, grow, fireballs, fly with bunny ears, helicopter
Wario: get bigger, bunny ears, fireballs, slam down, knock down globes, booby traps, Wario balls, throw shoe, elbow, charge forward, stick in ceiling, dragon fire, jet propulsion, pick up and throw, roll into a ball, fireball, fat, flatten, zombie, inflated head, frozen, bounce around, become a ball, get drunk, electric, vampire, snowball, string ball, fly a plane, various treasure given abilities, headbutt, belly bash
Tatanga: fly ship, three energy balls, swoop, crescent, ball
Captain Syrup: army of pirates, Bobo, Genie, throw bombs, genie's lamp, fireballs, mini-genies, flying machines, Bomb Gooms, bombs, pillar of fire, steal treasure, electric beam, electric ball, mechakuri, fire blast, electricity.
Daisy: not much, unless reference character
Koopa: explode, walk forward, spikes, float, spin, burrow
Goomba: walk forward, ghost, Paragoomba, scuba helmet, maybe Gooms
Piranha Plant: bite, nippers
Boo: hide, float

Bosses:
King Totomesu
Dragonzamasu
Hiyoihoi
Biokinton
Big Bird
Sewer Rat
Witch
Three Little Pigs
Octopus
Spiked Koopa
Bifun
Hinyari
Funfun
Bobo
Zenisuki
Genie
Rudy the Clown
Dollboy
Wormwould
Wolfenboss
Shoot
Muddee
Scowler
Helio
Jamano
Pesce
Anonster
The Golden Diva
Spoiled Rotten
Cractus
Cuckoo Condor
Aerodent
Catbat

Stages:
Birabuto Kingdom
Muda Kingdom
Easton Kingdom
Chai Kingdom
Tree Zone
Space Zone
Macro Zone
Pumpkin Zone
Mario Zone
Turtle Zone
Mario Castle
Rice Beach
Mt. Teapot
Sherbet Land
Stove Canyon
S.S. Teacup
Parsley Woods
Syrup Castle
Wario's Castle
Maze Woods
In Town
The Cellar
Ruins at the Bottom of the Sea
Uncanny Mansion
Mysterious Factory
Out of the Woods
The Peaceful Village
The Vast Plain
Bank of the Wild River
The Tidal Coast
Sea Turtle Rocks
Desert Ruins
The Volcano's Base
The Pool of Rain
A Town in Chaos
Beneath the Waves
The West Crater
The Grasslands
The Big Bridge
Tower of Revival
The Steep Canyon
Cave of Flames
Above the Clouds
The Stagnant Swamp
The Frigid Sea
Castle of Illusions
The Colossal Hole
The Warped Void
The East Crater
Forest of Fear
Rudy the Clown
The Golden Pyramid
Hall of Hieroglyphs

Palm Tree Paradise

Wildflower Fields

Mystic Lake

Monsoon Jungle

The Curious Factory

The Toxic Landfill

Below Fridge

Pinball Zone

Toy Block Tower

The Big Board

Doodle Woods

Domino Row

Crescent Moon Village

Arabian Night

Fiery Cavern

Hotel Horror

Items:
Super Ball Flower
Mushroom
Fire Flower
Carrot
Heart
Treasure
Coins
Bull Helmet
Dragon Helmet
Jet Helmet
Music Boxes
Gloves
Overalls
Boots, Etc.
Treasures
Arewo Shitain-Hakase

Thanks for reading! Now, that we're finished, let's go over the characters, starting with Mario's third revision.