WarioWare Get It Together
WarioWare Returns On A Nintendo Console Once Again
The Nintendo Switch has been a console that’s been severely lacking in first-party multiplayer titles over the years, with certain titles including the Mario sports games releasing on occasion and offering an enjoyable multiplayer experience. Nintendo had the chance to bring back its classic Mario Party series, yet it failed enough to cause the company to return to the drawing board with its latest as-of-yet-to-be-released new Mario Party title.
Historically, the WarioWare games have been synonymous with the greedy and coarse rival of Mario, giving Wario his own identity and his crew of allies. Said allies are what will help get him out of his latest jam, as Wario and his buddies are trapped in his own game while discovering how to get out of the madness.
WarioWare Get It Together Features A Wide Roster
In WarioWare Get It Together, players will control an entire roster of characters totaling close to 18, rivaling that of fighting games and other Mario spinoff titles. Each character has its gameplay mechanics to handle the vast array of “microgames.” From the first level, Wario begins with two allies, Young Cricket and 18-Volt, all of whom control different from each other. As the player clears more levels and unlocks more characters, they can enter each level with a trio of characters left up to the player’s discretion. This also ties to the subtitle Get It Together as everyone is in this mess together, in a matter of speaking.
Wario, for example, can move anywhere and bash at any object with the press of a button while Cricket can only move and jump, although he can “goomba stomp” on objects not unlike Mario. 8-Volt cannot move but he can fire discs at targets with precision, which means microgames that require movement will be difficult. Various characters are compatible with different minigames over others, while no minigame is impossible to complete.
WarioWare’s Already Diverse Games Can Get Chaotic
In WarioWare, the term “microgames” means that each minigame begins with very little instruction and ends as swiftly as it starts, yet most of the minigames are visual and easy to understand. One will ask the player to pick the person holding the higher value card while another will ask them to fire at a target to “free” them. Others are literal, asking the player to collect exactly four items, in which accidentally collecting five will fail the microgame. Another cheeky one is counting balloons, in which accidentally popping a balloon will alter the number the player needs to choose.
Each level offers a specific theme that represents each character’s level for Wario’s game. The scientist’s levels, for example, are science fiction themed while a kid whose a Nintendo nerd will have minigames based on Nintendo titles. Not only are the microgames fun, if not chaotic, but they are also very attentive to detail especially in terms of the Nintendo-themed microgames.
Various Nintendo References And Cameos Make Their Appearance
One microgame referenced Fire Emblem Three Houses and its “tea time” event, which in the original game was a way to boost a unit’s affinity towards Byleth. In the actual tea time event, Byleth has to choose the right option for each of the topics that come up, wherein WarioWare, the game parodies it by simply offering Claude “praise.” The boss game for that particular level has the player go through a level in Super Mario World in the allotted time, bearing their abilities to mind.
The cutscenes each tell a specific story about each character that is unlocked, which sets up the following level in its entirety. One character may have to deal with their unruly pets while other characters may deal with driving a cab throughout space. The art style is just as chaotic, ranging from heavily cartoonish, to detailed animations, and realistic hand-drawn art. These all depend on the levels that the players will go through in the end.
WarioWare ‘Gets It Together’ For A Late Summer Hit
As is the case with most games like these, the replay value comes in replaying the games and attaining a higher score, which will earn trophies and coins. Coins can then be used to buy bonus items in WarioWare yet they can also be used as a continue when the player runs out of lives.
For the first WarioWare on the Switch, the game is a chaotic fun time as always, although the lack of a traditional online multiplayer may be a disappointment to some. Regardless, with four players or even two players, WarioWare continues to be the party game for players who wish to dive into quick pick-up-and-play action with none of the frills.
WarioWare Get It Together is available on the Switch.