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Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo SPD
Although certainly an inessential entry in the WarioWare canon, you know you’ll want it the moment you can’t have it, so perhaps best to add it to your library while you can. WarioWare: Snapped! isn’t a series high point; it feels more like a tech demo than anything else, and there’s no replay value because high scores and full games have been removed, and you have to be content with the fact that there are only 20 microgames to play (instead of the hundreds available in every other WarioWare).
However, it’s still a WarioWare game, and even a disappointing WarioWare game is better than many other games. Hmm. However, it was only available until 27th March 2023 when the 3DS eShop and the DSiWare store within closed for business. If you don’t already have this one, official avenues to play it are unfortunately closed unless you can find a 3DS or DSi that has it installed.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Intelligent Systems
Game & Wario didn’t do as much with Wii U as we’d hoped, with several of the games included doing little to showcase the hardware’s unique functions at all. Some games do shine, though, and demonstrate ways to play that simply weren’t possible on other systems, then or now. Despite the large number of single player games included, Game & Wario is at its best with multiple willing participants. While it doesn’t match up to Nintendo Land as Wii U’s premier multiplayer experience, it certainly has its share of games that you’re going to want to play again and again — we just wish there had been more.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo
WarioWare: Move It! is another great entry in this long-running franchise that brings back the motion-controlled mayhem whilst giving you plenty of ways to enjoy its loony fun with family and friends. There are lots of fun modes to dig into and unlock here, the microgames are as daft and colourful as ever, and, as long as you can make peace with things not being quite as fun solo, it’s really hard to knock the chaotically silly vibe of this most excellent party game.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo SPD
If you enjoyed WarioWare D.I.Y. and were looking to further the experience, WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase was the perfect compliment to the already outstanding DS title. Not only were there 72 new microgames to enjoy, but the ability to upload your DS creations to your Wii and enjoy the games on your television made this a nice alternative, especially if you were planning on sharing your microgames. A nice little companion piece, then.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo
WarioWare: Get It Together! was a triumphant Switch debut for the subversive series that made some daring changes to core gameplay, resulting in the best entry in the franchise to date. With a generous roster of playable characters, lots of solo and multiplayer modes to dig into, and stages that cleverly adapt to your choices on the fly, this is a superb compilation of microgames that delivers more ways to play than ever before. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll dodge bird droppings on a skateboard. Essential stuff.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo SPD
Being able to create your own microgames was a dream come true for many WarioWare fans and the developers came through with flying colors in delivering not only a very functional set of creation tools, but a package that was easy enough for just about anyone to use. While the built-in games aren’t quite of the variety and calibre of some of those found in other series entries, they’re still quite enjoyable and a nice blueprint for those setting out to create their own. Those willing to put in the time and effort to become familiar with the creation tools found a very powerful and rewarding gaming experience in WarioWare: D.I.Y. limited only by their imaginations and free time.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo R&D1
A remake of the GBA game WarioWare, Inc: Mega Microgames!, this home console version added multiplayer to an already brilliantly unhinged concept of microgames that mashes together tiny tasks with a time limit to produce a hectic, hilarious experience. It feels like R&D1 were unchained and allowed to vent their bursting creativity, channelling it into a game without being encumbered by the usual Nintendo ‘polish’ everyone expects, which gives this game (and the wider series) a remarkable and unique feeling of freshness.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo SPD
A early showcase of the Wii Remote (or the ‘Form Baton’ as it’s known in-game), WarioWare Smooth Moves brought the anarchic micro-gameplay and aesthetic of the handheld series to the Wii in an entry which surely ranks as the most widely played of any WarioWare title. You never quite knew what was coming next, and this ranks up there alongside Wii Sports as an off-the-wall demonstration of the console’s potential in those first few months.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo SPD
WarioWare Touched! might not have quite the wow factor that it had upon release, but it’s overflowing with the maniacal energy that makes the series such a blast, regardless of platform. Despite being an extremely short experience (with the main mode easily completable in an hour or so), and featuring incredibly simplistic gameplay mechanics, the DS entry still has plenty to offer. The sheer abundance of microgames and the game’s colourful visuals, quirky humour and wonderful soundtrack make it a timeless experience and worth catching up with all these years later.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo SPD
The third game in Wario’s microgame series, WarioWare Twisted! never found its way to Europe, but its gyro sensor added a new element to the manic formula established two games prior and made it one of the highlights of Wario’s back catalogue. Thanks to that sensor in the cart, it’s not a game you’ll want to plug into the Game Boy Player on your GameCube, but the basic bitesize gameplay holds up just as well today as it did in the mid-2000s. Let’s Twist again.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo
The irreverent minigame series came to 3DS late in life at a time when many might have preferred to see it land on Switch, but it’s hard to be too miffed. WarioWare Gold makes use of the console’s particular features – from its two screens to its tiny microphone – and curates many of the series’ most popular games while also adding 50ish new ones into the bargain. Similar to Rhythm Heaven Megamix, the series has many standout entries across consoles and this is an excellent ‘best of’ package.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo
The microgames on offer in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! may be simple affairs, but the frantic, fast–paced and challenging experience that results from knitting them together in quick succession is incredibly addictive, and Wario’s patented brand of mania is well suited to a handheld. It isn’t the longest game, and beyond the single-player mode there isn’t much else to do, but it’s stuffed full of magical, creative moments, not to mention an abundance of that classic Nintendo nostalgia and charm.
Did that take you longer than a microgame? Are you surprised at any of Wario’s rankings here? Don’t forget, you can change things by clicking on the star icon for any entry above, or ranking your WarioWare collection via the Game Pages, too.
Otherwise, we’ve got another microgame challenge for you — type! Tell us your favourite WarioWare game in the comments, and maybe you’ll get a prize. (Spoiler: you won’t get a prize, but we’re always happy to hear from you lovely people.)
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