NeilRobertson
GameDesigner
Game Mechanics
WarioWare: Smooth Moves has a focus on having the player use the Wii Remote, the Form Baton as they call it. Each minigame makes use of a different form with artistic interpretations from The Elephant to The Handlebar there are 19 forms for players to experience. Each form is simple to use and easy to get into position for the quick minigames in time, for each minigame it pops up with which form you need to use (they are aptly named so they are easy to guess what to do) to avoid confusion. The only issue is that some forms don't work as well as others, this is especially the case for The Mortar and Pestle form where the player must hold the baton upright on their other palm. One minigame requires the player to shuffle papers but it seems very unresponsive ruining play if the minigame were to appear.
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Wario is a character infamous for his absurdity and WarioWare takes this even further. Completely different art styles, art gallery style introductions for forms, random Nintendo character appearances and over the top music, words struggle to describe the madness, some may be put off by it but for the tone the game sets and for adding to the party game atmosphere this game succeeds extremely well.
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In addition to the sometimes clunky control system the game has another detrimental flaw. The multiplayer system that the game has works well as a type of multiplayer mode but not as an entire system. Up to 12 players can play using the same control in a showdown of continuous microgames where each player must win until they fail before being eliminated. There are different versions of the multiplayer mode but they all have players using the same controller. It would have been a good addition to have new games that would allow multiple players at once, especially as the used multiplayer system can cause frustration in a roulette wheel of luck where one player could lose due to a minigame with poor controls.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a simple game with immense depth with an extremely enjoyable aesthetic but some of its failing can ruin an entire session of play.
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Multiplayer: Being a party game a player would expect an expansive multiplayer system but unfortunately the game fails in this aspect. The system in place worked well, however, it should have been accompanied by a set of multiplayer only microgames that could support multiple players at once to give it an even stronger party game stance.
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Controls: The controls of the Wii Remote sometimes fail the player leading to unnecessary frustration, this is unavoidable, however, many of the forms work flawlessly. The solution would have been to test these controls thoroughly and remove those which failed to respond well or at least the least responsive minigames. Additionally, the resources allocated to the expansive form system could have been allocated to the aforementioned multiplayer system suggestion.
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Fortunately for WarioWare: Smooth Moves, the charm and excitement of its fast-faced, absurd, action-packed microgames outshine the failings of its controls. An experience not to be missed.
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What I Would Change
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Developed by Intelligent Systems and released in 2006, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a Party Game with a focus on what it calls 'Microgames', a fast-paced collection of games which last ~5 seconds each with a win condition where the time limit reduces over time. The game received generally positive reception; 92% from ONM and 7 of 10 from Eurogamer and was memorable for its extensive use of the Wii remote that it named the Form Baton.
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Players play through a fast-paced campaign mode and complete as many microgames of increasing difficult as they can without running out of lives.
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Are WarioWares moves as smooth as they advertise?