The wacky, quirky, crazy fun of the WarioWare series returns with over 200 over-the-top microgames filled with charm. Although short, it will have you laughing the entire time as you make your way through the tropical island paradise with Wario and friends. It takes notes from its Wii predecessor, Smooth Moves, with its plethora of games using the Joy-Con’s motion controls, which are some of the most creative I’ve seen on the system.
WarioWare: Move It! Review
I’ve always loved the WarioWare series because it shows the wackier side of Nintendo. In a time where we’ve gotten major releases from the Big N like Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Wonder, it’s refreshing seeing them let loose with Wario and his friends’ wild antics.
The series isn’t known for any deep storylines, but what’s there is light-hearted and fun. The game starts with Wario winning a vacation with his friends to a tropical island after ordering a bunch of garlic burgers — and the chaos ensues.
The bread and butter of WarioWare Move It! is all the microgames you’ll be playing. Through the story mode, there are over 200 of these three-second minigames that utilize Joy-Cons in the most creative ways I’ve seen since 1-2-Switch (but who’s really played that?). It even uses the IR sensor on the bottom of the right Joy-Con for a few games; I bet you forgot that existed, huh? I did, too. This installment reminds you how much technology is packed into these little controllers, and it’s nothing short of impressive.
Most of the microgames require motion controls and work surprisingly well. Each one will have you hold your controllers in a different pose. In some, you’ll dangle them off your wrists with the strap. Others will have you hold them so you resemble a chicken. These different poses are always incorporated in fun and wacky ways.
Some microgames include pecking at worms on the ground or catching fish with your legs, all the weird, crazy stuff you’re used to from the series. The way you have to hold and move the Joycons are innovative and make Move It! stand out from the rest of the series. The short story mode and fast nature of the game will keep you engaged. It’s always exciting, especially with its over-the-top visuals. Before I knew it, the story mode was over, although that’s not too surprising since you can finish it in under two hours. This did leave me wanting more and wondering, “Well, that’s it?”
Thankfully, if you’re looking for more chaotic antics like I was, there’s a total of eight different game modes to try after completing the main story. Most of them are two-player modes, which are the most fun you’ll have in the game. There’s a standard survival mode where you and another player go head-to-head in various microgames. However, there are more creative modes, too. For instance, there’s one where you’ll face away from the TV and mirror the other player’s movement, which leads to even more funny antics that’ll have you laughing.
These game modes also have their own microgames to play, so you won’t get sick of playing the same ones over and over. These can even be weirder and wacker than in the base game — I’ve never been more competitive about picking nose hairs before in my life.
WarioWare Move It! is definitely at its most fun when you have someone else to play it with. And it’s perfect for short sessions. With that said, if you don’t have anyone to join the fun, then half of the game modes are simply inaccessible. To make up for this, there are some single-player modes after you finish the main story. They even threw in a fitness mode because we all know Wario is the prime example of health. The other single-player modes speed up the microgames and make them more challenging, but other than that, they add little to your experience.
Though WarioWare Move It! excels at shorter play sessions, if you play for too long, the microgames can get repetitive. Yes, there are over 200 microgames, but they’re only three seconds long, so you’ll blast through them all relatively fast. However, it won’t be too much of a problem as long as you take breaks from the weird, wacky fun.
WarioWare: Move It! Review — The Bottom Line
Pros
- Crazy over-the-top visuals
- Fun and creative ways to use the Joycons
- Over 200 microgames to play
- Eight different game modes to play
- Supports up to 4 players
- Multiplayer Story Mode
Cons
- Main story can be finished in under two hours
- Half of the game modes are unavailable for single-player
- Microgames can get repetitive after long play sessions
Although your time with Wario and Co. will be short-lived, especially if you’re playing single-player, it never feels like a waste of time or boring. I enjoyed my time playing the game and was left wanting more, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are plenty of game modes for you to play after the main story to keep you around just a little while longer.
The microgames are fun and wacky, implementing the Joy-Cons in creative ways that keep everything fresh. The motion controls work well and function perfectly for the 200+ games you’ll be playing. It’s easy just to pop this game in and play for a little bit if you’re looking to pass the time.
However, you’ll have the most fun playing with friends. The silly movements and colorful and exaggerated visuals lend themselves perfectly to friendly laughter. All in all, WarioWare Move It! is great if you’re looking to have some goofs and gaffs together.
[Note: Nintendo provided the copy of WarioWare Move It used for this review.]
