186. Wario no Mori (Nintendo, Famicom, 1994)

Wario no Mori (released worldwide as Wario's Woods) was the final Nintendo developed / published game released on the Famicom (as well as the NES, later in 1994). This puzzle game was also concurrently released on the Super Nintendo with updated graphics and music, which was not something that really happened much between the NES/SNES. 

The game stars Mario's buddy Toad as he tries to blow up various forest creatures before Wario crushes him with a tree. This kind of bizarre setup translates nicely to the falling-block type of puzzle that the game presents. This is more Dr. Mario than it is Tetris, as you are trying to align 3 or more color-coded creatures / bombs in order to clear them (with at least 1 bomb in the chain). Bombs of various colors are dropped form the top of the screen by a fairy, though as time goes on, the fairy leaves and Wario takes her place, and the top of the screen starts to descend, eventually crushing you if you fail to clear the screen of creatures.

The real difference compared to other puzzle games of this type is that in Wario no Mori, you are controlling a character, not the blocks themselves. The controls are more intricate than a standard puzzle game as well. You can use the A button to make Toad pick up a stack of tiles, or you can use the B button to only grab the bottom piece of a stack, which works if you are trying to rearrange a stack or just cherry pick a certain creature/bomb. While I found this control scheme to be an interesting way to approach  puzzle game, it also really opens up the difficulty curve and makes it harder to entirely wrap my brain around the possible moves I can perform.

Wario no Mori presents possibly the most complete package of any puzzle game on the Famicom. It has 2 main modes, as well as a versus mode and a training mode to help you figure out higher level techniques. Even the menus and music all flow together nice and cohesively. Toad even runs from level to level as a transition. Obviously part of the polish is due to Wario no Mori's lateness to the party, but it feels like such a modern experience compared to any older Famicom games.

4/5, a very fully-featured Famicom puzzle game that just doesn't quite click with me