Why Pizza Tower Fans Should Check Out NSO’s February Addition

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 10, 2025 5 Views 7 Min Read
Why Pizza Tower Fans Should Check Out NSO’s February Addition
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2023 was an outstanding year for video games, both big and small, but one of its most surprising highlights was Tour de Pizza’s Pizza Tower. This chaotic 2D platformer, which was made almost entirely by a single developer, had limited marketing, little-to-no pre-release hype, and zero presence at major video game showcases. In spite of all that, the game blew up in popularity when it made its debut on Steam in January 2023. Pizza Tower received near-universal acclaim from fans and became the highest-rated 2D platformer on the entire storefront, according to data gathered from the user review aggregator Steam250.

Pizza Tower‘s success can largely be attributed to its uniqueness. There are very few platformers that have Pizza Tower‘s unhinged 90s cartoon aesthetic, and there are even fewer ones that maintain a proper balance between fast-paced gameplay and open-ended level design like this game does. Clearly, fans of Tour de Pizza’s hit game will have a hard time finding another modern platformer just like it. With that being said, there is one classic Nintendo platformer that shares a lot in common with Pizza Tower, and it’s coming to Nintendo Switch Online.

Nintendo Switch Online New Games for 2025 Wish List-1

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Nintendo Switch Online New Games for 2025 Wish List

Nintendo Switch Online doesn’t add new games on a set schedule, but there are certain games that fans hope will appear sooner rather than later.

Wario Land 4, The Game that Inspired Pizza Tower, is Coming to NSO

Wario Land 4 is Widely Considered to Be One of the Best Wario Games Ever Made

Usually, when people think of Nintendo platformers, Mario games are the first that come to mind. Many gamers may forget, though, that Mario’s arch-nemesis, the mustache-twirling Wario, also has a series of platformers of his own. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nintendo released several games starring the iconic antihero, as part of the Wario Land series. The first entry in this franchise originated as a sequel to the Super Mario Land games on the original Game Boy, but it eventually spun off into its own series. The Wario Land franchise includes six mainline installments and two spin-offs, one of which was released for the ill-fated Virtual Boy.

The Wario Land games could have easily been reskinned versions of Mario’s 2D platformers, but they ended up forming their own identity. Unlike Nintendo’s traditional Mario titles, the Wario Land games feature tons of unique abilities, non-linear level designs, and a snarky sense of humor. Most of the installments in the franchise (even the one on the Virtual Boy) are highly rated, but Wario Land 4 is widely considered to be the cream of the crop.

Released exclusively on the Game Boy Advance in 2001, Wario Land 4 is, contrary to its name, the fifth mainline entry in the Wario Land series. It features an exaggerated art style that’s even more zany compared to the ones from other Mario titles. In the game, Wario can run into enemies, roll around levels, and use dash attacks, much like Peppino Spaghetti can in Pizza Tower. He also has some special abilities, called reactions, that allow him to progress through a level. Wario can, for instance, become as flat as a pancake, puff up like a balloon, and even turn into a zombie. Just from this brief gameplay description, it’s easy to see the heavy influence that Wario Land 4 had on Pizza Tower.

Wario Land 4 Was Once a GBA Exclusive, But It’s Now Headed to Nintendo Switch

Wario Land 4 was originally a GBA exclusive but was ported to other Nintendo systems over the years. In 2011, the game was given away to early Nintendo 3DS adopters as part of Nintendo’s Ambassador Program, making it one of the few GBA games to receive ports for the 3DS through the Virtual Console line. The 2001 platformer was also ported to the Wii U in 2014, but it wasn’t released for modern systems, at least not until recently.

Nintendo announced a few days ago that Wario Land 4 will be coming to the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service on February 14, 2025, the same day as Valentine’s Day. Thanks to this release, the Switch will soon become the only platform that can play both Wario Land 4 and Pizza Tower. Fans of 2D platformers owe it to themselves to check these games out while they can.

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