For three decades Wario has been not only one of Mario’s fiercest competitors but also Nintendo’s most lovable loser. Therefore it seems rather apropos that the new Wario game would find itself sandwiched between the releases of two higher-profile Mario titles—in this case Super Mario Bros. Wonder and the much-anticipated remake of Super Mario RPG. Still, WarioWare: Move It! is definitely worth a look on its own merits. (Its garlic-breathed protagonist notwithstanding.)
Now that we’re a couple of generations removed from obligatory motion gaming, it’s much easier to embrace the chaos that comes with wiggling your Wii-motes… I mean Joy-Cons… and Move It! offers this in spades. In a trademark ludicrous setup, Wario and his cronies find themselves on a resort vacation on scenic Caresaway Island, which provides the rough wraparound story for the rapid-fire micro-games that the WarioWare series is known for.
For its central story mode, Move It! largely breaks down into three parts, those being rudimentary cutscenes, movement across an overworld map, and ridiculous motion-enabled micro-game marathons. The cutscenes are brightly (though, in keeping with the WarioWare aesthetic, rather crudely) animated and help set up which character(s) you’ll be shepherding through each leg of the adventure—ninjas Kat and Ana are hacking their way through a carnivorous plant forest, Jimmy T is on a surfing adventure, etc.—but don’t expect to see their respective locations or activities reflected in all the micro-games of a given segment.
Instead, each group coalesces around a series of specific movement types, or Forms as they’re referred to in-game. The Forms are executed by manipulating Caresaway’s famed Form Stones, an obvious analog for the detached Joy-Cons required to play WarioWare: Move It!
In what is consistently the single funniest aspect of the game, a faceless narrator describes for you the requisite Forms in passages of island lore dispatched from Caresaway’s resident deity, the Voice. These Forms are then employed in the following micro-games and, along with minimal other instructions (“Peck!”), set up players for the challenging seconds ahead.
Sometimes the Voice will command that you stand with your Joy-Cons clasped in front of you like a sword’s hilt (Knight), other times your Joy-Cons are to be positioned horizontally on outstretched palms (Gift Giver), and, on numerous occasions, you’re instructed to place your dominant hand’s Joy-Con on your nose and your non-dominant hand’s Joy-Con on your butt like a chicken (the exquisitely named Ba-KAW Form). For the first time that I can recall, you’re even occasionally ordered to drop your Joy-Cons—thus requiring the judicious use of the Joy-Cons’ straps and bumpers.
After clearing several character-specific levels, complete with their own protracted boss battles, the cast is brought together for a road trip remix wherein a wider variety of game types and their respective Forms are blended into a more fun (and more challenging) bouillabaisse of utter tomfoolery.
These myriad Forms make for equally eclectic gameplay, though some seem to work more consistently than others. Hand Model, which employs the right Joy-Con’s IR camera, seemed to have trouble reading my movements in the miniscule time limit inherent in WarioWare micro-games. Squat—which requires you to squat with the Joy-Cons on your thighs—and Pounce—wherein the player kneels down and places both Joy-Con on a flat surface—not only demand a level of physical exertion and mobility that some players may struggle with, but they also just don’t work as well as many of the simpler Forms.
Predictably, this led to a rather stark contrast between my favorite moments in Move It! (passing a poison apple through Snow White’s digestive tract has no right to be this fun) and its most severely frustrating (damn Jimmy T and his accursed meat-cooking boss level).
With this in mind, I give perhaps my most peculiar gameplay recommendation ever for a Nintendo Switch title. While WarioWare: Move It! supports a number of multiplayer options—including a two- to four-player dedicated Party mode as well as two-player support for Story mode—I’d encourage families and friend groups to play through the Story in single-player (dual Joy-Con) mode together, round robin-style.
While this shuffling of the Joy-Cons may up the game’s already baked-in level of timed tension, it also provides an opportunity for players with movement issues to experience the enjoyable madness of this WarioWare gem without undue frustration. Can’t get the hand of the Lovestruck Form? Let grandma try. Can’t reach up high enough to win Sky Stretch micro-games? Surely the kids can help!
Since Wario Ware: Move It! cleverly offers the ability to continue where you left off after losing all four lives—its ingenious Second Chance Stance just requires players to mimic the position of an on-screen statue—the stakes are ultimately low, and no one should feel bad about whiffing a micro-game on that last life. Despite my grumbling about some of the Form types, that helps make for a pretty compelling shared gaming experience.
With the holidays just around the corner and the increased opportunities to spend more time with our loved ones, WarioWare: Move It! is a great title to bust out when entertaining. Yes, it’s ridiculous and nonsensical and, on occasion, even a little cheap with its challenges, but what could be more fun than embarrassing yourself (and others) after a fine dinner with family and friends?
Review materials provided by Nintendo of America. This post contains affiliate links. Friendship ended with Jimmy T. Now Ashley is my best friend.
