Wai Wai World 2: SOS!! Parsley Castle

Game Overview

We really can't discuss this sequel without first acknowledging that the first title, Konami Wai Wai WorldOne of the stranger games released from Konami on the NES, this title features mascots crossover together in a Metroidvania-style adventure., is a deeply strange and silly title. A kind of MetroidvaniaAt the intersection of Metroid and Castlevania lies the exploration platformer genre, the game style with heroes wandering expansive worlds, looking for items to expand their quest, known as Metroidvania. game (before that genre even had a name, or was a fully formed thing), the title acted as a mascot crossover where Konami's various characters and titles overlap and interact as if they were all in a kind of shared universe (including licensed title The GooniesBased on the 1985 family film of the same name, this adventure platformer title never made it to the U.S. but its style still helped Konami expand its exploration ambitions. A sequel, The Goonies II, did eventually reach the U.S., though, creating some amount of confusion for Western fans of the film. and King Kong). With Konami’s penchant for parody and humor, Konami Wai Wai World goes right past bizarre and comes out the other side. It's weird, but in a good way.

Its strangeness was popular enough that, three years later, Konami went back to the well for a second Wai Wai title. Released in 1991 as (another) Japan exclusive, Wai Wai World 2: SOS!! Parsley Castle doubles-down on the silliness for an adventure where Simon Belmont IIIThe Belmont hero from the parody game Konami Wai Wai World. Unlocked via beating the Castle Dracula stage, Simon Belmont III plays like his ancestor, Simon Belmont, as a whip-wielding hero saving the world in his fancy leather skirt., Getsu FūmaThird and youngest brother of the Getsu clan, young Fūma has to pick up the clan's legendary sword when his two brothers fall in battle against the demons. The fate of the world is in Fūma's hands., and a literal baby (among others) all fight together to defend the fictional Konami universe from the evil wizard Warumon. This time designed in an odd, super-deformed style, the game sets aside the Metroidvania formula for something more basic and classic for the NES.

Essentially a run-and-gun title more in line with action-y CastlevaniaThe game that started the series, the original Castlevania was hailed for its combination of action and platforming, all wrapped in Gothic style, to create one of Konami's earliest Million Sellers. and Contra titles, the game swaps exploration for more traditional platforming. Instead of a world free to explore, searching for progress across a variety of stages, Wai Wai World 2: SOS! Parsley Castle presents a linear adventure with only a few forks in the road for varied gameplay. The world map shows the routes the heroes can travel, and often there’s only one or two ways to go from each stage to choose the next. You don’t even unlock characters along the way, instead picking your party load out at the start of the game before getting into the action.

That might be why further Wai Wai World titles never materialized: this game strayed too far from what worked in the first game, playing it safe in a game that should be anything but. And sure, it's fun to play as the various Konami characters, seeing levels inspired by all the titles, but the game lacked the overall weird zest that made Konami Wai Wai World so weirdly magical. Further Wai Wai games would follow (kart racing and gambling among them) but this specific breed of platformer died after just two games in the series.

It does feel like some of Konami’s magic was lost at that point. While the company would continue to make fun, weird titles, there was never a crossover game quite like Konami Wai Wai World and its sequel again. For its time it was an innovative and strange mix of adventures, and it’s a real shame we only had two titles for this main series before Konami moved on.

Wai Wai World 2 Reviewed:

Some things have been improved since the first game. The difficulty is somewhat easier (even if the health drops are less plentiful), with enemies less likely to be able to pull-off "gotcha" moments (much of this because the character is properly centered in the middle of the screen).... There are some questionable changes, though. There are too many auto-scrolling stages, especially at the start, where the first stage is an auto-scrolling platformer that just seems to go on forever. This is then followed up by an auto-scrolling shooter on the very next stage. If the player chooses the right paths, they could even end up with an extra shooter, making half the game auto-scrollers. For what should be a light and fast platformer, that's a lot of time watching the screen slowly scroll by.

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