When the success of Nintendo and its "Mario" franchise hit a peak in the early nineties, they inevitably cashed in as best they could -- releasing unending merchandise, shameless rip-offs, spin-offs and cash-ins.
"Wario Land" is very much a Super Mario game in its general style, although it features a new character and Mario only makes an appearance towards the very end. For this reason alone, it would have been more suitable to just name it "Wario Land" but obviously they didn't think a game would sell unless it was, in some way, related to "Mario." I don't really consider this a Mario game for that reason. Like all Nintendo Mario games it ties in to the franchise but that doesn't mean it deserves to be named "Super Mario Land 3" when it's not about Mario.
After the success of this, they later spawned a new series of Wario games (and even made one for N64 if memory serves correctly) without using Mario in the title - and they sold because everyone was familiar with the name by then.
As for this game itself, I think it's rather mediocre to be honest. It's OK, but in striving to be similar to "Mario Land" it adds new stuff to the mix that's kind of corny and dubious... such as the creatures you can use for transportation, which I didn't like.
Not a great game, but it's alright if you're a Nintendo/Mario fan.
