Video games
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Nintendo WarioWare: Move It!
Switch, Switch Lite, Switch OLED, DE, IT, FR
Testing WarioWare: Move it!: hyper microgame fun
1.11.2023
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
WarioWare: Move it! has you shaking, dancing and bending your way through 200 microgames. Great fun – not just for kids.
Chaotic over-the-top microgames can only mean one thing: WarioWare’s back! In the latest instalment, Wario and his friends travel to a tropical island. But instead of relaxing, the man with the moustache and his eccentric crew find mysterious Form Stones and ancient guardians. Despite the story mode, it’s hard to make out any kind of storyline. WarioWare: Move it! is a sensory overload full of hyperactive short films in which… stuff happens. But I’m unable to actually follow the plot. Firstly, because there’s hardly any time to do so and secondly, because it simply doesn’t matter.
WarioWare: Move it! features a story mode and a party mode. In story mode, you play the, erm story, either alone or in pairs. You travel around the island on an overview map and complete microgames on your way. Sometimes it’s Wario who sets off, other times it’s his colourful cronies.
Nose-picking, fishing and tail-wagging
As the name suggests, Move it! is all about moving. The game can only be played with Joycons. Before each new game starts, the island god gives a short speech about how to hold the controllers. Not a bad thing, as the over 200 games require countless contortions that need some explanation. For example, do you know how to get into the locomotive position? Let me tell you. You hold out your arms as if you were Rambo toting two machine guns. In the train microgame that requires this pose, you have to swing your arms to move around.
Source: Nintendo
The games are over in seconds, so you have to figure out what you need to do pretty much immediately. On the one hand, this is part of the WarioWare series fun. On the other hand, it can be annoying at times. Don’t get me wrong, I love hopping about like crazy. But when I fail to understand what’s wrong with the way I’m moving, I start to look as grumpy as Wario. Fortunately, I usually figure out what’s required by the second attempt at the latest.
The number of microgames is nice and generous and absurd as ever. There’s one where you need to reach up really high to pick a huge nose. Another has you catching fish with your legs by squeezing them together while squatting. Or you’re made to hold the Joycons to your mouth and backside to assume a cock-a-doodle-doo position. This pose, or Form as they’re called in the game, is used in the Super Mario Bros. 3 micro game to wag Mario’s raccoon tail.
Source: Nintendo
The games are jam-packed with wonderfully intense animations and cutscenes. If you’ve ever seen hyperactive Japanese commercials, you’ll know what to expect.
More players, more chaos, more fun
The story can also be played by two people. In this mode, WarioWare: Move it! alternates between games that one person plays and those that have to be mastered together. The best ones have you teaming up. In one of the games, one player’s steering a boat while the other controls a bird that has to catch a fish from the boat. If a player fails to complete a solo challenge, the second one has the chance to make up for it. If both fail, you lose a life. When all your lives are used up, you just have to imitate the «holy pose» you’re shown and you can continue playing.
Source: Nintendo
In party mode, up to four players can play at the same time. This reduces the number of Joycons used to one per person, slightly restricting the Forms. You get to choose from five different levels, which differ primarily in terms of style. All of them consist of a colourful collection of microgames. The main difference being the way each game is presented. You might be face to face in a boxing ring or at a doctor’s appointment. In any case, this has little influence on the actual games.
Conclusion: fast-paced family fun
WarioWare: Move It! offers exactly what you’d expect from a WarioWare game: hundreds of crazy microgames crammed into one wacky story. Wario and his crew are colourful, in-your-face and look like they’re permanently high on sugar. It’s an energy level that matches the games. You only have seconds – if that – to understand the game and strike the appropriate pose.
The Joycon motion controls make this series of games nice and eventful. Some of the shapes you need to throw will make you laugh, especially if there are several of you playing. The same goes for the actual microgames. They’re wonderfully absurd. Think beating up a floating rubber whale Luigi, illuminating Frankenstein’s monster on a movie set or wringing out a T-shirt as quickly as possible. Especially early on, part of the game’s charm is anticipating the next curious challenge.
Source: Nintendo
Despite its childish appearance, WarioWare: Move It! isn’t always easy. Especially during a first attempt, I found the microgames frustrating at times. That is until I figured out what pose was required or what I had to do in general. This makes the game unsuitable for children under the recommended age of seven. The comprehension and coordination skills are likely to be too much for younger kids. But watching dad make a fool of himself has definitely proved to be great entertainment in our home.
WarioWare: Move It! is available for Switch from 3 November. The game was provided to me by Nintendo.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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