Smash Ultimate Review – Wario
March 11, 2019Welcome to the Smash Ultimate Character Review. In this series, brought to you by no one because who would sponsor this, Bloggin Hood will review each character in Smash Ultimate, a daunting task for anyone without a crippling addiction for Nintendo products. This series will review important topics like best costume, taunt, and the most stylish moves in the character’s arsenal to embarrass opponents. It’ll also discuss less important topics, like best moves, character strength and weaknesses, and overall play style. If you survive the boring stuff, you’ll know just how to play to be the biggest baller online with a Kill Death Ratio at -3.
This all comes from a casual player’s mindset. While I’m not a button mashing new player with no concept of the shield button and I understand what profession players are talking about, I myself am not a professional. In fact, I’m all thumbs. I can’t input a combo, a combo breaker, or even a C stick Smash. It’s not pretty. Therefore, don’t expect these to be a technical discussion, or a high level point of view. I’m writing these for the people who follow-up their Kirby Rock Form with a second Rock Form. I’m writing to the players that go out of their way to pick Star Fox and say “Pew Pew Pew” as he slams the B button like it owes him rent money. And yes, I write to you, the heavyweight characters who spam smash attacks hoping for the best. There may be some real content in here, but only because I back doored my way into it.
You may have been expecting Lucas today to finish out a psychic trio. Instead we’re going with Wario, a man who legally must remain 500 feet from any child. Look at his mustache and tell me he should be allowed in a public park. I’ll wait.
Opening Rant:
Since Brawl, one of the most consistent complaints I’ve heard is about Wario. While people were glad to see his inclusion, they hated his portrayal. Rather than draw inspiration from the Wario Land games, Nintendo decided to make focus on depicting a quirky, gross character. The fans were furious.
Instead of referencing many of Wario’s classic moves, we got the shoulder bash… and that’s it. Everything else was more or less made up. In Brawl, Wario had disjointed animations, cartoonish attacks, and farted for some reason. Ironically, he was one of the best characters in the game, boosting incredible air speed and a super armored F smash. Still, people wanted the Wario from their childhood and not this abomination.
Smash fans, I have some sad news for you. You might want to sit down for this because you won’t like it. Somebody has to tell you the truth.
This IS the Wario from your childhood.
I think most people have their nostalgia glasses on too tight. At no point in Wario’s history was he ever respectable. He’s always been a disgusting, low brow piece of shit. Somehow, this isn’t an insult. I grew up playing the Wario game boy games, partially because Mario didn’t have many game boy games. Nevertheless, these games were great. But I recognize who Wario is. The Smash version is significantly closer to his true character than the designers get credit for. Let’s stroll down memory lane for a brief Wario history to prove my point.
Wario debuted as the villain in a Mario Game Boy game, 6 golden coins. This was a filler game, and it wasn’t designed by the usual Mario team. The developers were instructed to make a new villain. Feeling uninspired, they decided to make a bizarro Mario. Flipping his hat from mini to Wumbo, Wario was born. He was intended to be a gross, fatter version of Mario. The effort was a success.
Is this 100% true? I doubt it, but the main synopsis is correct. Wario was meant to be a one-off gimmick, but he became popular for some reason. I think people like the “evil twin” version of hero characters. Sure is safer than being creative. Wario became so popular he got his own Game Boy game series.
Wario Land was all about greed. The game focused on Wario collecting as much treasure as possible to buy a lavish kingdom. It was a fun game, but more or less a Mario game with a different skin. In this game, some of Wario’s unique traits developed. He has his shoulder tackle, ground pound and several power ups. The power ups were basically just the mushroom, fire flower and cape/leaf, with a very minor twist. Again, this was just a cash in to create a new character series. Based on sales, it was a success.
You know what else we learned in this game? Wario’s favorite food is garlic. Not that he enjoys adding garlic to foods. He likes to eat clumps of it. Such a respectable character. Where did Smash get off making Wario a gag? Also, I doubt Wario owns a toothbrush. Not a great combo.
Later games in the Wario ware series developed it’s own gimmick. It only took about four Wario games to have original gameplay. Not bad. In these new games, Wario couldn’t die. If he was attacked by an enemy or crushed by a stage hazard, his form would change, but he’d power in through. It turned Wario into more of a puzzle platform series than a Mario clone. Wario needed to use these various forms to proceed through levels. It was very unique. He was actually becoming his own character.
You know what else? This game play choice is a straight mockery of the platform genre. The challenge of platformers is to make tight jumps, avoid enemies and survive. By removing the danger of dying, the genre loses its main gimmick. In many ways, the series became a parody of Nintendo’s main cash cow. It’s brilliant honestly, but it also enforced that Wario is, at his flabby core, a joke character. He does not need to be taken seriously. Nintendo never tried to.
After the Wario Land series ended, Wario rarely got his own games. He had two main console releases that were met with mixed reviews. When people cite Wario’s moveset, they mention these games. But why would Nintendo reference games that did poorly? It’s not their style.
What they did reference, was the Wario Ware series. In his most recent incarnation, Wario runs a gaming company where he and some very shady characters make games. One character who is not included? Waluigi. Go figure. Hold that thought for a bit.
The main premise of this series is each game is about 5 seconds long, less than a Mario Party mini game. They are rapid fire, and rarely make sense. I’ve only played these games a handful of times, but I remember games including grating a clock, picking a nose and a lot of explosions. So basically, it’s nonsense. Again, I’m having trouble seeing where Wario deserves more respect. Is it because this series sold well? I mean, people paid to see Waterworld in theaters too.
Other than Wario Ware, the portly plumber (Is he a plumber?) really only interacts with Mario in spin offs. He often plays the villain in sports game storylines but he hasn’t been in a main Mario game in nearly 2 decades. He’s not Mario’s rival. He’s the weird guy who shows up to a house party with 3 loose beers and hasn’t showered.
No, Wario has always been about greed and exaggeration. Look no further than his appearance in Mario Kart Double Dash. While most characters have a regular racing car or truck, Wario entered with a purple Cadillac. Did I enjoy this? Of course I did. I’m not a loser. But it shows where Nintendo stands on the character. All he is, and all he’s ever been, was an extremely exaggerated Mario. The fact that he’s developed a personally and a fan base is a credit to Nintendo. The marketing machine still got it.
In my opinion, Wario’s moveset is pretty fitting for him. Really, there’s only two moves he needs to represent the so-called classic Wario. You know, the unoriginal rip off piece of shit character? Wario needs his shoulder bash and a ground pound. When the shoulder bash was removed from Smash 4, I agreed with complaints. It’s Wario’s only unique move. Fortunately, this was added back in, though as a dash attack now. I’d rather see it as a special or smash instead, but it’s present and it works.
The ground pound isn’t in the game but you know what? Ground pound moves always suck. I’m not that against this.
After that small collection of moves, Nintendo had no choice but to make things from scratch. And for what Wario is, it works. Is it perfect? Of course not. But it fits his personality. The moveset has plenty of over the top moves, a lot of power and a huge contradiction (he’s amazing in the air). It works, somehow. Did he need to have a farting gimmick? Probably not. But is it out of character? Read the above and tell me.
No, by the way. The answer to that character question was no. It fits to the t.
Finally, off topic but I want to address Waluigi for a second. Waluigi is the worst requested smash character of all time. Seriously, it’s frigging awful. If Wario gives off pedo vibes, Waluigi endorses his own line of White Vans. I don’t understand how anyone could possibly want him in the game.
Waluigi does not appear in any Mario games. Wario games are now a borderline fringe series, and Waluigi can’t make appearances there either. His only playable roles are in sports games and Mario party. His biggest role was in Mario frigging Tennis. How could anyone want him is beyond me. If you’re a Waluigi supporter, you need to look yourself in the mirror, ask some tough questions, and get away from the playground.
Fighter Review:
Character Gimmick – Ok, so I know I spent like 1500 words insulting people for getting salty about Wario being disrespected. But God damn, this is a horrific gimmick.
Through the match, Wario’s stomach begins to rumble. After a little while, the character will begin to glow, signaling his ass is fully charged. Then he’ll let out a massive fart, capable of killing everyone it connects with. I’d make a Taco Bell joke, but it’s heavily implied.
I get the complaints here. I don’t think this was the best idea for an attack. But it does fit the character. Don’t even @ me bro.
There’s a couple of interesting properties for the Waft. First, there’s four levels of charge. The first two are awful. However, don’t underestimate a level 3 charge (about 1 minute). It’s not as powerful as the full nuke, but it has KO potential and isn’t as telegraphed. Honestly, I recommend using the waft at level 3 if you can kill. Better to fart and fail than to have never farted at all. I think that’s a Shakespeare quote.
In Smash 5, you have the capability to help charge the fart. This mechanic was rumored to be in past games, but I never received confirmation on it. I mean, it probably was, but this isn’t a smash 4 series now is it?
By using Wario’s chomp, you decrease the max charge time by about a second and a half per consumed item. This includes projectiles, spawned items, and even your own motorcycle. However from what I can tell, biting humans does not give him any charge. He just gets heath out of it. That’s right, Wario goes full cannibal and gets rewarded for it. Seems appropriate.
Certainly a unique gimmick, if not pretty gross. Par for the course my friends.
Playstyle – Like Mewtwo before him, Wario presents a unique gameplay archetype – The aerial heavyweight. I don’t think this has been done before.
As a grounded fighter, Wario is slow and most of his attacks are laggy but powerful. He can take a stock early, but usually off prediction or punishing. He absorbs a good amount of damage and his chomp is a command grab.
Yes, I know, another one. I swear there’s only like 2 more in the game. We just got saturated by all the heavy character choices. His ground moves are the typical beefy character moves.
In the air though, oh man. Wario is as nimble as any character this side of Jigglypuff. He floats through the air like a cloud, mixing in incredibly quick attacks. Wario plays like a combo character in the air and like a sumo on the ground. It’s off kilter, makes little sense and stands out. That’s Wario all right.
Costumes – I think the biker outfits are shit. I get that it’s his new persona, but count me out. While I’m not begging for nostalgia over a character famous for being disgusting, give me the classic Wario get up. I also enjoy that Wario has a Mario and Luigi knock off outfits. I like to think Wario believes he’s a master of disguise when he dons these but looks 200 pounds heavily. This is likely what he wears when he visits Chuck E Cheese’s across the country.
Taunts – Truly, this is Wario’s wheelhouse. The most annoying taunt in the set is the “Wha, Wha, Wha!” Chant, which sounds like a communist propaganda. I’d say you have to use this whenever possible.
Wario also has a taunt where he laughs so hard he manually puts his jaw back into place. In theory, this sounds great. In practice, not so much. To couple with his gimmick, Wario has an ass shaking taunt. This sounds silly, but when you consider the waft, it’s like waving around a loaded gun. It’s somewhat intimidating.
Wario actually gets a fourth taunt, useable while on his motorcycle. He throws up a W, as if he went to a knockoff Version of the U, and laughs. Then he picks his nose, ruining the moment. Ah well, we almost had it.
Finally, Wario can crawl for some godless reason. For the most part, crawling is completely useless. However, in a taunt free online world, you can crawl after kills to simulate the experience. I see you Wario. One of the true taunt masters of smash.
Speed & Mobility – it’s a tale of two play styles for Big W. On the ground, Wario has an awkward dash and is pretty slow. It’s not as bad as some heavies, but he’ll struggle making up ground on foot.
In the air, Wario is an uglier Jigglypuff. He can weave in and out of attacking range, avoiding strikes and countering with his own off a single jump. It’s absurd. For a heavyweight to have this kind of mobility seems wrong. I wouldn’t cal him fast when airborne, but he is fluid.
For mobility, you can always pull a frigging motorcycle out of your pocket and drive around in style. Personally, I wish he had his purple Cadillac but life isn’t perfect. Wario gets some protection with this move and will zip around the stage but it’s not safe. He can be attacked from the side or top as his hit box remains wide open. Plus, you’re going to be doing wheelies and taunting the whole time. This is a mobility option, but honestly, it’s not that practical for serious games.
That’s why you never play serious games. Ride that bike.
Projectiles – The following paragraph will be more of a stretch than Wario’s pants.
Technically, the motorcycle can serve as a projectile. When you dismount, it can be picked up and thrown, albeit poorly. It also falls to pieces after breaking. Here, the available pieces are thrown like standard options. While not reliable, it’s there. It’s better to have something than nothing I suppose.
Wario can counter slower projectiles with the chomp. This heals him slightly, swinging the projectile battle in his favor. However, smaller projectiles aren’t so easily avoided. Wario can try to rush in with his bike, where he has options to avoid spam, but he can be sniped while riding it. Typically, Wario will be on the losing end of projectile exchanges, but he’s not helpless.
Recovery and Edge Guarding – Despite being a fat oaf, Wario has little trouble recovering. His floaty properties make avoiding edge guards easy and he gets an extra jump thanks to the chopper. Be careful though, I’ve gotten stuck on the motorcycle many a time, leading to my death. More often than not, it’s helpful. Wario’s Up B is mediocre, but usually serves its purpose.
Wario’s edge guarding game is pretty strong thanks to his Fair. Arguably his best attack, Fair is quick and annoying enough to keep characters from the edge. He can even kamikaze with the chomp, though it’s not as effective as most aerial grabs for this. Wario can also nab kills with Dair and Bair, though they are riskier options. With the bike and his air mobility, Wario should try to edge guard as it’s fairly safe.
Ground Game – For the most part, Smash attacks are your last resort. Outside of his decent USmash, the rest are too laggy to be effective. Wario’s other smashes are punish or read moves only. Therefore, you’ll focus much more on tilts and your dash attack. Chomp is great on shields and is your best ground move overall. Wario has to be played less like a power character since his lag is real. It’s kind of bizarre. Please use your motorcycle as much as possible.
Air Game – Truthfully, you want to focus on Fair and Nair nearly exclusively. It’s not that his other moves are bad. These two are just that good. Dair is solid as a multi hitting move, but not ideal. Uair lost some of its power, but is a good juggling move. Bair is a lag heavy move, but can kill pretty early off the edge. I know this doesn’t sound great but Wario’s main two aerial moves are awesome.
Power – Although not practical, Wario’s smashes have a lot of power. His Fsmash is incredibly strong, but difficult to hit with. Wario also has the waft for early kills but it must be charged for full impact. His Bair can also kill, but is laggy. Most of Wario’s power is theoretical – it exists, but it’s rarely on display.
Most Stylish Move – No move can bring the crowd to its feet quite like the motorcycle. Wario can zip around the stage taunting. He can also attack by committing road rage, ramming the bike into opponents. Wario can even perform a wheelie, which can lead to a powerful attack by bringing the bike back to the ground Nothing about the motorcycle is practical at all. But are you NOT going to ride it? Come on. Don’t lie to yourself.
Moves to Focus On:
Shoulder Bash (Dash Attack) – Finally returning from the cut graveyard, Wario’s dash attack isn’t quite as powerful as Brawl, but it’s still good. The attack comes out pretty quick and definitely has KO potential. There’s ending lag, like all dash attacks, but this one has power to make up for it. If you hit the opponent toward the end of the animation, you get a weaker hit. This will not kill, but can be used to combo and provides some protection against a missed attack. I’d have like some super armor, but that would make it way too good. Just be thankful it’s returned at all.
Jump Kick (Forward Air) – This thing is fantastic. Sure, you won’t KO people with it. Great. Thing is, you won’t care. The kick attack is so quick and provides decent range, you’ll spam the shut out of it anyway. This is Wario’s best approach from the ground and air, especially when trying to reduce your carbon footprint. You can lead into combos or continue to pressure with this attack. It pairs wonderfully with Wario’s great air movement. I think this is his best attack.
Om Nom Nom (B) – Wario does what he’s best at and eats everything. He can eat projectiles for a small health boost. This is crucial since Wario is otherwise shit down from long-range. Wario can eat items for some health. He can even eat exploding ones, creating a mini explosion around his stomach. It’s not a bad attack. Finally, Wario can take a bite out of the opponent’s, literally. As if a vampire, Wario heals himself with each chomp. You’ll want to use this move a lot, more for braking guards than healing. Still, free health is nothing to scoff at. A unique, odd attack.
Raise the Roof (Up tilt) – Wario’s Up tilt is your standard quick strike. It’s not all that notable, other than providing some juggling opportunities. It does have one unique property though – it combos into the waft. If you have a fully charged waft, this move is your best friend. Any landed Up tilt at that point is a free stock. It’s a combo starter otherwise, which is useful too, but as a set up to the fart, it’s ideal.
Rick James (Forward tilt) – I love the updated animation here. Formally a weaker version of Fsmash, Wario now slaps the taste out of the enemy’s mouth. It’s frigging hysterical. It’s also Wario’s best kill move. Usually tilts aren’t great for finishing opponents, but Smash Ultimate has changed that. This move is quick but the knock back is solid. You want to use this toward the ledge and I recommend keeping it fresh. You can use up and down tilts for damage. Save these five fingers for the opponent’s face.
Verdict:
Once again, Wario returns to provide a fun, completely nonsensical, and somewhat powerful appearance. Sure, he’s gross, but the move set is fun and he’s a versatile character. You don’t ever want to say you’re a Wario fan – The FBI adds you to a list. He is fun to play as though. For the sheer taunt mastery, I give Wario an 8/10.
Characters already reviewed:
