WarioWare
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WarioWare (メイド イン ワリオ Meido in Wario?, Made in Wario) is a series of games featuring the Nintendo character Wario. The franchise was established in 2003 with the release of Mega Microgame$! for the Game Boy Advance. While the first game was developed by Nintendo R&D1, subsequent games have been developed by Intelligent Systems.
The distinctive feature of all WarioWare games is that they are collections of short, simple games "microgames" presented in quick succession. Each of these microgames last about five seconds and must be completed, or else a life will be lost. For example, there is a microgame where the player must zap a spaceship; in another, Wario must collect coins in a Pac-Man-like maze. The numerous microgames are linked together randomly and steadily increase in speed and difficulty as the player progresses.
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[edit] Microgames
Microgames are simple video games created by the fictional company WarioWare, Inc.. Nintendo's line of WarioWare games each feature these microgames, which are generally less than 5 seconds long. Microgames are even simpler and shorter than the minigames found in other games such as the Mario Party series.
Gameplay in all WarioWare games is distinct from most other games, as they involve the player or players trying to beat the microgames as soon as possible. Most games present instructions in the form of a verb and quickly drop the player into the situation where they must perform said verb.
[edit] Gameplay
All microgames are strung together in a random order within different "stages", each hosted by a different character. First the player is presented with a quick one or two word instruction such as "Eat!" or "Get Blue!". Then, the microgame will appear and the player will have to complete the game according the instruction.
For example, in one microgame the player is told to "Enter!" and is presented with a scene from The Legend of Zelda. The player must use the directional buttons to move Link to a cave entrance before the time runs out. In another game, the player is told to "Avoid!" and must drive a car, avoiding oncoming traffic.
[edit] Classification
Microgames come in three main types, classified by the condition required to clear them, as follows:
- "Accomplish" Microgames, where the player must do something within a limited amount of time. The Legend of Zelda example above is an Accomplish microgame, since Link must be guided to the cave before the timer runs out. A sound bite, signifying completion of the microgame, will usually be played before the timer runs out if the task is accomplished (and may continue through the return to the score screen).
- "Survival" Microgames, where the player must prevent something from happening until the timer runs out. The traffic example is a Survival microgame, where the car must avoid being hit until the timer runs out. The sound bite will play after the score screen returns.
- Boss Minigames, which always occur at a set point in a channel, are usually more challenging, have no time limit (as described below), and give chances back upon successful clearing. They are also required to be passed in order to pass a channel for the first time. The sound bite will usually play after the task is fulfilled, and then the score screen will return.
In addition to these main classifications, there are several deviations from the normal microgames:
- IQ-Genre microgames, which last twice as long to fit their brain-stretching contents.
- Multiplayer microgames, found in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! and WarioWare: Smooth Moves, are not beat-based, and are used to determine who goes first in a multiplayer game, or to settle a tie. The "Wobbly Bobbly" multiplayer game features multiplayer microgames most commonly, as one is played at the start of each round.
- Fronk's microgames, found only in WarioWare: Twisted!, last only 4 beats and appear randomly during story mode.
- Certain microgames require a complete lack of input to complete. Examples include a Microphone microgame in Touched! instructing the player to "Shhhhhhhhh!" as several Fronks cross a tight rope, or a microgame in Twisted! that instructs "Don't move!" to keep eggs balanced upright. Note that some input-based microgames can be completed without input in certain situations.
[edit] Time
The unit of time for all microgames is beats. In Mega Microgame$! and Twisted!, a standard microgame is 8 beats, while microgames in the IQ genre (hosted by Orbulon) last 16 beats. In most games, the BPM will start out relatively slow and will increase as the player completes microgames. Though Nintendo and game retailers suggest that the microgames last five seconds, at the slowest speed of 140 BPM only the IQ microgames could possibly reach this length.[1][2]
In WarioWare: Touched!, the 8-beat standard has been dropped for all microgames, so many last longer than 8 beats. This may be a difficulty curve for those unaccustomed to the Nintendo DS's touch-screen interface. To retain pace, the microgames will automatically end if cleared before a four-beat measure is met.
[edit] Difficulty
Some microgames are intrinsically harder than others, and an increased BPM (increased speed) will make any microgame more difficult to complete than the same microgame at a slower BPM. This is usually reflected in the microgames' "clear scores" —- the score one must reach while playing a microgame in the practice modes to obtain credit for "clearing" it. (Smooth Moves lacks this feature, however, as do the exclusive multiplayer microgames from Mega Party Game$!.)
Each microgame is also featured in three difficulty levels: Blue, Yellow, and Red. Blue presents the given task in an easier way, while Red presents it in a much harder way. Not all modes of all WarioWare games will actually show a color to denote the current level, but most modes start with Blue games, progressing to Yellow upon a "Level Up" (usually achieved after passing a boss microgame), then to Red in similar fashion. Once Red is reached, sequential "Level Up"s will typically be replaced by "Speed Up"s (an increase in BPM).
Using the above Legend of Zelda microgame as an example, the Blue version of this microgame usually places Link very close to the cave entrance that he must enter. The Yellow version places the entrance further away and places an enemy that blocks Link, and the Red version places the entrance yet further, and has a second enemy that shoots at Link from a lake.
[edit] Characters
There are two major types of characters. The first are the WarioWare developers who both create and host the games. Each one has a unique theme or twist, depending on the game. For instanace, Mona's theme in Twisted! was small spins, and in Touched! her games involve small lines drawn with the stylus. The other type is characters who often show up within the introduction cut scenes —- the most notable being Fronk, who is the default character for 'weird' games and pops up in the most unlikely places. In Twisted! he had his own set of games that appeared randomly from Jimmy's games to Wario-Man's (excluding Kat and Ana's as well as Speed Spin and Speedier Spin). They are the fastest games in the whole series, and last a short 1.7 seconds at most.
[edit] WarioWare, Inc. games
The following WarioWare, Inc. games have been released for Nintendo gaming consoles and handheld systems:
| Title | Year | Platform | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! | 2003 | Game Boy Advance | First Game |
| 2. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! | 2004 | Nintendo GameCube | Multiplayer |
| 3. WarioWare: Twisted! | 2005 | Game Boy Advance | Gyro Sensor Cartridge |
| 4. WarioWare: Touched! | 2005 | Nintendo DS | Touch Screen |
| 5. WarioWare: Smooth Moves | 2007 | Wii | Wii Remote |
Each sequel has had its own variation, or gimmick. Mega Party Game$! was the first multiplayer game; Twisted! had a gyro sensor for spinning; Touched! used the Nintendo DS touchscreen and microphone; and Smooth Moves uses the Wii Remote for gestures.
Note that Touched! follows Twisted! in the series's progression. While they were released in proper order in Japan, the North American market received Touched! before Twisted!, while the latter has not seen release on the European market.
[edit] Appearances in other games
- The WarioWare factory appears as a court in Mario Power Tennis and Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
- The WarioWare symbol appears on a poster in the Yoshi Theater in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
- WarioWare, Inc., was mentioned in Wario's profile in Mario Superstar Baseball.
- Wario is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, his default outfit being his motorcyclist outfit as seen in the WarioWare games. He can transform into Wario-Man after obtaining a Smash Ball. His motorcycle is used as one of his special attacks. [3] Kat and Ana also make appearances as an Assist Trophy. [4] Many stickers also represent WarioWare, Inc. — in addition to all of the above appearing as stickers, there are stickers of other WarioWare characters. [5] Also, there is a WarioWare stage, simply called WarioWare Inc., with several different microgames that run in the background, one of which features Jimmy T. [6]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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