Review - WarioWare: Smooth Moves

WarioWare originally came out for the Game Boy Advance and did very wellwith its collection of tiny games, but I have to say, with the Wii, WarioWare has really found its home. The Wimote really takes the cake on this one.

Well, I have to say, WarioWare is a totally new type of experience. Besides the wacky, mismatched graphics and themes there is the gameplay. The games are nothing new in and of themselves. Quite the opposite, most of the minigames (or maybe mirco-games, since they are very small) are actually quite boring and typical. But the gameplay doesn’t really come from the games themselves, but rather figuring out what the games are.

I’m explaining this poorly. Let me try from the start. In WarioMare, you are quickly assaulted with a series  of mirco-games, only 5 or 10 seconds each. No instructions for the games are given only a brief screen which tells you how you are supposed to be holding the Wiimote. In a short amount of time, you have to figure out what is going on and perform the task required. As you start getting used to the format, things happen faster and become more involved. You are kept on edge, always in that rare moment of “what is this, what am I doing” that you usually only get at the start of a game.

It is quite novel, and quite wacky. WarioWare makes full use of the Wiimote (which is a part of the bazaar unconnected story). Each game has a pose you have to hold the Wiimote in, failure to hold the Wiimote in the right pose will usually end in you not being able to figure out what needs to be done (since many poses lead your thinking). Poses range from the Remote (pointing it at the screen) to the Elephant (holding it at your nose) to the Umbrella (pointing it upwards) to the Handlebars (holding it like the handlebars of a bike). Often, these poses are necessary for the Wii to figure out what you are doing, and other times they help you understand the type of motion that will be required. In my opinion, they do a brilliant job of giving you just enough information. Most games have simple word prompts like “Trap”, “Catch” or “Drop” which explain the game in the quickest way possible.

The game ends quite quickly, but there is a lot of stuff to do after the official ‘ending’. Once your ‘finished’ the game, there are many things to unlock and many levels of various games you stumbled upon. Multiplayer mode, which multiplies the craziness, is unlocked after your played through the game (which’ll only take a couple hours).

All in all, WarioWare is quite out there and totally fresh. It makes a really good party game and you can laugh at other people playing with a Wii Remote to their nose or attempting to hula hoop. Even though WarioWare is clearly a ‘casual’ game, I give it 10 of 10 for the new, bazaar feel of the entire game

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