Wario is a playable character in Project M. Wario started as a villain in the Super Mario games and later went on to star in his own games. Wario's Project M moveset is based off of his Brawl moveset with many changes made throughout.
Overview[]
While this self-proclaimed rival of Mario began his video game career as a villain, he's grown into an unexpectedly popular protagonist thanks to his two successful game series: Wario Land and Wario Ware Inc. As a result, when he was confirmed for Brawl, many believed his inclusion to be long overdue. In Project M, the greedy, egotistical, yet strangely endearing plumber returns with more than a few new tricks up his sleeve.
In Brawl, Wario's move set was almost entirely inspired by the more recent Wario Ware Inc. series. Many fans were confused as to why his older and arguably more iconic Wario Land incarnation got no love. Project M has answered this plea, and has opted to largely reimagine Wario’s move set, incorporating many abilities inspired by the classic series. While Wario retains some of his old standbys from Brawl, new Wario Land inspired moves add a much-needed dose of brutish power to his arsenal!
Nostalgia[]
You may be curious as to how we implemented Wario's abilities from the Wario Land games into his character in Project M. Here's how his normal moves have changed:
We sought inspiration from the latest installment of the Wario Land series in designing a new Down Smash. It's now his signature move from "Wario Land: Shake It!" which, in that game, caused a big quake that flipped over enemies. It's been retooled as a fast ground slam that lightly bounces foes into the air. When Wario hits with this move it is possible to follow up with his infamous Shoulder Bash.
Wario's new Back Air is a very important addition to his move set. This backwards-punch really packs a whallop! Wario's Forward Smash has also been revamped - it is now a powerful front kick which has Wario flailing his arms about in order to regain balance. It's a great fit for his peculiar personality.
Wario's Down-Air is now 'Ground Pound,' which causes him to plummet and is rather punishable upon failure. Although it is a move you'll regret missing with, the move has many uses. Upon contact with airborne targets, this new Down Air meteor will send them plummeting downward! Upon contact with a foe, Wario will bounce off of his target, rewarding him with a safe recovery. Ground Pound is essential to Wario's newfound combo potential and gives him some very key shield pressure options as well!
Specials[]
Wario's specials have received some significant changes. Most striking is a brand new Forward B, replacing the Wario Bike from Brawl; a Wario Land style Shoulder Bash!
Wario's new Forward B plays a large role in his Project M playstyle. When it's activated, Wario will dash forward, tackling any foe unfortunate enough to stand in his way. The later a foe is hit during this mad dash, the more powerful the impact will be. While it's a very potent move, if it misses, Wario will be left vulnerable for a brief moment. Wario can also easily be punished after hitting a shield with this attack; thus it must be used wisely to be effective.
In keeping with its Wario Land utility, Wario can jump while performing a grounded Shoulder Bash and continue his tackle in order to chase airborne opponents. He can also use the move to recover horizontally when off the stage. Keep in mind, however, that when Wario crashes into a wall, he bounces off of it. The more he continues to hit the wall the less height he'll gain. If the move is started in the air, it will render him helpless once the animation is over.
Up B works in roughly the same manner as it did in Brawl; Wario spins upwards, damaging foes in his path. This time around Wario has slightly more aerial control during and after the move. This helps him recover more easily, but he's still easy to intercept if he is recovering from below the stage.
Wario's Down B is still the Wario Waft from Brawl. In Brawl, Wario Waft was an extremely destructive explosion of flatulence that, after use, would recharge over time. The move still works in a similar manner, but it's been tweaked to fit better with Project M’s mechanics. While it's still very potent, Wario is now helpless after performing it. With great power comes great risk: The Waft is not to be used lightly!
Wario's Neutral B is still the Bite from Brawl. Although Wario can no longer hold opponents within his jaws as long as he could in Brawl, he can now use the chomp to throw opponents backwards as well.
Trickster[]
Wario likes to play tricks on his opponents and thus possesses several new tools to feint his foes. With the ability to jump during Shoulder Bash, it allows Wario to extend the duration at a cost of some power, chase retreating foes and punish preemptive jumps out of shield. In extension, the jump coupled with Wario's high aerial mobility enables him to go far off stage to intercept recovering characters before they even get close.
Wario also possesses a new dash grab. During this move, Wario briefly dashes forward and grabs enemies. Because the beginning of the animation is similar to Shoulder Bash, the opponent must be wary of not shielding too prematurely. Holding Z will allow you to run a bit farther during dash grab, so learning the different distances could help with your tech chase. In addition, we've even thrown in a little Easter egg on his pummel!
Enjoy rediscovering Wario in Project M!
Moveset[]
Up to date as of version 3.0.
| Name | Damage | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral attack | Double Punch | 3% then 6%; 9% total | Left hook, then right hook. Decent knockback but a tad slow for a jab. 1st jab can even set up a forward smash. Wario walks forward slightly when this move is used consecutively. The move is similar to his punches in his boss stage in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and how he holds up a GBA card in the multiplayer minigame, Card E-Cards. |
| Forward tilt | Power Punch | 11%-14% | Wario swings his right fist in a circle then thrusts it forward. Has slight start-up but little ending lag with great range. Good KO move at about 100%. May be based on an attack from Wario's look-alike Booster in Super Mario RPG. |
| Up tilt | Palm Rush | 10% | Raises both hands above his head. Decent vertical launcher. Might be based on Wario's pose in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$ when he wins a multiplayer game. |
| Down tilt | Ground Poke | 8% | Stabs his index finger at the ground in front of him. Quite quick compared to his other moves, but has ending lag. Below-average range, but not that bad. Might be based on various Mario Party & WarioWare games where the cursor is Wario's hand, which is used to point and click on various things. |
| Dash attack | Dive | 7% | Trips and falls flat on his face, sliding a small bit. Very fast start-up, but has lots of ending lag that makes it a very punishable move. Might be based on the Sliding Catch, a move in Mario Superstar Baseball, a game that Wario was in. |
| Forward smash | Power Kick | 16% - 22.4% | Wario kicks forward while moving forward. Very fast but can be easily punished when shielded, it has long ending lag. This move has high knockback. |
| Up smash | Head Swirl | 18% - 25.2% | Head grows as Wario spins, hitting multiple times with the head. Poor range, but deals decent damage. Can KO at high percentages, although the knockback isn't too high. |
| Down smash | Earth Smash | 17% - 23.8% | Slams his fist into the ground, knocking foes upward and stunning them for a split second. This move set knockback, so it won't KO even at 999%, this move can also set up combos. |
| Neutral aerial | Wonky Spin | 9% then 4% | Accompanied by a gradually lowering sound of falling, Wario extends his hands and fingers, then spins in place. A quick move to use in the air. Great for spacing and hard to punish. Also great when short hopping with it out of shield. Both hits can connect at very low percentages. |
| Forward aerial | Drop Kick | 11% | Sticks his foot a short distance forward. Very little range and damage, but fast and lasts a long time. Best used for "Wall of Pain"-style attacking. |
| Back aerial | Air Wrecker | 16% | Throws his hand backwards, hitting with it horizontally. Similar to his forward tilt but deals more damage. |
| Up aerial | High Clap | 14%, 9% (sourspot) | Claps above his head with hands and feet. The hitbox covers his whole body, even where he doesn't clap and has a slight horizontal disjoint. This is a great move to use on floaty characters with poor aerial defense. |
| Down aerial | Ground Pound | 14% | Plunges straight downward on his bum, bouncing off the enemy and sending them slightly upward. Can be used to bounce off an enemy twice in a row at low damage percent. |
| Grab | Shoulder Fake-out | 0% | Grabs the enemy with his right hand. |
| Pummel | Gold Digger | 3% | Pokes his opponent in the torso with a coin popping out and back into the enemy. |
| Forward throw | Launcher | 7%-10% | Reels the enemy back and then throws them forward. |
| Back throw | Swing-a-Ding | 9% | Spins the foe around and throws him/her backward. Wario can move a ways in either direction before throwing them backward, which is useful for getting earlier KOs. The lighter the character the faster he spins them. Identical to Mario and Luigi's back throw. The spun opponent can hurt other foes. Based on the Wild Swing-Ding seen in Wario World. |
| Up throw | Vertical Chuck | 8% | Throws them into the air and jumps up, headbutting them. Can lead to rising fully charged Wario Waft against many characters and also put them in a good position for aerials. |
| Down throw | Gravity Pound | 12% total | Throws the victim on the ground and sits violently on top of them, who is then knocked behind Wario. Probably based on the ground pound move in Wario Land and Wario World. |
| Floor attack (front) | Double Poke | 6% | Wario pokes both forwards and backwards. |
| Floor attack (back) | Spin Punch | 6% | Wario spins around with his fist extended. |
| Floor attack (trip) | Clap Kick | 5% | Wario makes two kicks to either side. |
| Edge attack (fast) | Grounded Headbutt | 8% | Crawls up the ledge and flips onto his back, attacking with his head. |
| Edge attack (slow) | Quick Punch | 10% | Crawls up the ledge and slides his hand across the ground. |
| Neutral special | Chomp | 8% (chomp) 5% (throw) 13% total | Wario opens his mouth and bites the opponent and then spits them out. Wario can spit the enemy out before the chomp and the enemy can be thrown backwards or forward. |
| Side special | Shoulder Bash | 11%-20% (ground), 15% (air) | Rams forward with a shoulder bash. If the control stick is moved up, Wario will do a jump forward. If used in the air it will put Wario into a helpless state. This move can strangely cancel out Pikachus grounded Thunder Jolt but can be interrupted by any other projectile. |
| Up special | Corkscrew | 13 hits, 19% total | Wario leaps into the air while spinning. |
| Down special | Wario Waft | 11%-22% | Gas will build up in Warios belly and is fully charged after little over a minute. Wario then lets loose a blast of air, depending on how long it's been since he last did it. |
| Final Smash | Wario-Man | Varies | Turns into Wario Man. He is invincible to attacks and can then run around and beat up his opponents. However he will still get KOd if he goes past the blast lines. |
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