WarioWare Gold (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Most by now will be familiar with WarioWare's unique brand of over-the-top, quick-fire gameplay, but for those who aren't, it's a very simple set-up: it consists of "microgames," particularly short mini-games that last no longer than a couple of seconds, each with a simple command, such as "Jump!" They are rapidly fired at the player, with the speed and difficulty ramping up gradually, and occasional boss games to break up the action.

Seeing as they are taken from a multitude of consoles, the microgames on offer in this instalment utilise three different control schemes - "mash," referring to the d-pad and A button, as well as "touch" and "twist," which use the 3DS' built-in gyroscope. Generally, the "mash" games refer to those taken from the original GBA WarioWare, Inc., while the "touch" ones hail from DS entry Touched and the "twist" ones from GBA sequel Twisted and Wii version Smooth Moves, although some have had their controls rejigged.

It's not just the control schemes that have been switched up - plenty of the microgames here have been graphically upgraded, or had their mechanics tightened up. In fact, so much love has been poured into improving what's on offer that it feels like only a small number of the games are here in their truly original forms; even classic boss aspects have been shortened and simplified in order to make appearances here. It's an inspired choice that both tightens up the gameplay for newcomers and keeps things interesting for old fans, making Gold a genuinely fresh experience for anyone.

As in previous instalments, the meat of WarioWare Gold's gameplay is held together by a somewhat barebones story mode, with a vague plot that sees Wario hold a gaming competition under the predictably narcissistic name of the Wario Bowl. Each character's microgames have their own self-contained story, bookended by short cartoon vignettes, which are nicely-animated and, in a series first, are fully voiced. This is hardly a game that sells itself on the basis of its plot, but what's there is decently entertaining and wraps up nicely at just a couple of hours before overstaying its welcome.

Once the story mode is over, the real fun begins, with a huge assortment of bonus modes unlocked immediately after. Although a few of these are just generic spins on the main gameplay with slight alterations, such as variations with only one life or at the top speed, but there are a few that showcase the developers' creativity at its highest, such as Cruise Controls (which uses the gyroscope to adjust the speed of the microgames, allowing the player to go at their own pace) or WarioWatch, a constant race against time in which the constantly-depleting stopwatch can be refilled by clearing microgames quickly.

It's a good thing there are plenty of modes on offer, as there's plenty of replayability required to unlock everything in Gold's souvenir cabinet. While some of the unlockable extras verge on the inane - take the phone codes, which unlock a couple of lines of rarely-interesting dialogue - others are a lot more worthwhile, in particular the more fleshed-out mini-games. These range from series staples like Pyoro, to a faithful recreation of a Game & Watch title, to even some more fleshed-out new ones, such as a tower-defence mode starring Ashley.

Despite being, on surface level, a greatest hits compilation, WarioWare Gold is one of the most fleshed-out entries in the series so far. Perfectly blending classic gameplay with a fresh lick of paint, even diehard WarioWare fans will be pleasantly surprised by just how much this collection has to offer.