WarioWare: Move It! (Nintendo Switch) Review

WarioWare is one of those Nintendo franchises that has a passionate fanbase, not scaling the heights of a typical Mario adventure, but an eager bunch that have anticipated a return to basics for years. The first entry on the Game Boy Advance and GameCube saw players introduced to the simple yet challenging idea for the first time. Take on what Nintendo call "microgames" in succession, trying to put those brain synapses to good use and not run out of valuable lives. Each microgame lasts mere seconds, testing those reflexes. Quick button presses to a backdrop of weird and wonderful ideas. Like, for example, poking noses or nibbling on a delicious baguette. Boss levels break up the flow and those high score leaderboards keep the addiction levels high.

It sounds like a recipe for a one-hit experiment on paper, but fans adored the Nintendo eccentricity and WarioWare leapt aboard the motion-control hype train of the Nintendo Wii in 2006, taking the micro-game concept to all new levels. A hilarious romp that ended up being a real high point for Wario and his spin-off antics. The barmy anti-hero had made a name for himself and it looked like future games could become a must-have for new Nintendo console cycles.

Years passed and Wario took the spotlight once more, but with games that didn't quite follow that original formula. Game & Wario for the Nintendo Wii U made good use of the GamePad, yet felt like a WarioWare game only in name. Enjoyable for the additional multiplayer modes over the main campaign. The Nintendo 3DS entry, WarioWare Gold was a solid classic compilation and WarioWare: Get it Together! a refreshing take, yet not quite hitting those original game notes.

Fast forward two review paragraphs and almost seventeen years later and motion-controlled WarioWare is back and ready to put those muscles to the test. Is Nintendo right to swerve back to try and reclaim that classic microgame feel?

In a lot of ways WarioWare: Move It! feels very much like a sequel to the Nintendo Wii game more than anything else. It kicks off with a loose story cut-scene as Wario and friends embark on a little well-deserved break. Landing on a lush, tropical island, the posse end up roped into those quirky games that fans have been crying out for - making good use of the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con. Like its predecessors, each micro-game is played at rapid speed, with players having mere seconds to figure out on what on earth is going on and react accordingly.

In a similar way to Smooth Moves, microgames are grouped by pose - essentially how players hold the Joy-Con controllers at the start of each game. Think clenched like a boxer, or riding a bike, even hands on hips like the age-old Macarena. Seconds later and it's time to quickly adapt from that starting position and scramble to win, or in most cases, survive. Most of these are surprisingly intuitive, especially given the additional Joy-Con in the opposite hand. From simple ski-ing motions to even letting go (providing the strap, of course, is secure), there's a fair bit of variety to keep actions beyond a general wiggle.

For those unfamiliar with WarioWare, it gets wacky. Think Mario Party but far more surreal, as if Wario had scoffed a few too many mushroom. Without giving too much away, as is the joy of playing through each microgame, concepts include: Blocking the rain with an umbrella, frying food in oil, unlocking toys from a gacha machine and even wringing water from a towel. Not enthralled yet? How about removing people from armpits, going all Hulk on bars in a jail cell or thrusting to move a snowball? It's a difficult one to explain just how odd, yet charming, these ideas are in writing. One to certainly, and literally, get hands-on time with!

WarioWare: Get it Together!, also on Nintendo Switch, deviated from the motion control requirement and harked back to more traditional button presses. With advancements in tech from the Wii to the Nintendo Switch, how do the Joy-Con perform in these new microgames? In the majority, providing the stance is correct, motion feels natural and makes a lot of sense. For example, a microgame where players tilt their arm to check the time. Simple. In other microgames, it does take a fair bit of wiggle room for the controllers to play catch-up. By that time, it's a life lost and a frantic scramble to try to get it right on the next go. The finicky controls in some of the microgames makes the experience slightly jarring at times - one moment there would be five, ten that work well, interrupted by that one that just doesn't quite land. Fortunately, those moments are in the minority overall!

As with a lot of past WarioWare entries, the characters and loose story are part of that package of effortless Nintendo charm. Familiar faces make a welcome return, eager to put those microgame skills to the test. Each character or groups of character make-up a spot on the world map, with a set of microgames to conquer each. Once the boss is beat, it's onto the next. As a solo feature, its one that can be quite easily devoured in several hours. Microgames learnt, character stories complete. Where the replay value comes into play are the slightly harder variations as players rack up higher and higher records.

There's plenty of content beyond the story feature to get tucked into, but a fair bit of practice to learn how these microgames work to put those skills into rapid-fire practice! Multiplayer keeps those microgames flowing - with various modes to mix things up, rather than simply playing though long lists of games. "Galactic Conquest" is the WarioWare answer to Mario Party, with a basic board to navigate through, whereas Medusa March takes a page out of Greek mythology where players avoid being turned to stone. Other modes include a refreshing, amusing co-op feature and even a harder "remix" feature for those who have better reflexes than this reviewer.