Review: WARIOWARE: MOVE! is full of fun with minigames

In the last week or so, Nintendo has been releasing WarioWare: Move! for Nintendo Switch. The game retails for $49.99 and is available in the Nintendo eShop, Humble Store (affiliate link), GameStop (affiliate link), and more. Nintendo was kind enough to provide me with a digital copy of the game, but the thoughts below are my own.

Grab a pair of Joy-Con controllers and move as you gently shake, poke, dance, wiggle, and even bow your way through over 200 lightning-fast minigames (minigames that last just a few hilarious seconds). A second player* can use another set of Joy-Con controllers to join in the treasure-keeping and sheep-twirling fun. Up to 4 players, each with a Joy-Con controller, can laugh out loud in local Party Mode minigames, like a risky board game with Wario-style rules.

Here’s my quick warning before I get into the bulk of the review: This is my first real foray into WarioWare games. There was one instance where I was briefly introduced to it WarioWare: Smooth movement, but it had probably been less than five minutes. I was really excited to play Move it but because it seemed fun. I was interested in trying out the various minigames and having a fast-paced party game.

Move it features more than 200 minigames to enjoy with your friends in different formats. Story mode allows up to two players to take on the roles of Wario and his friends on an island vacation. Meanwhile, 2-4 players can enjoy four party game modes: Galactic Conquest, Listen to the Doctor!, March of the Medusa, Go the Distance and “Who’s in Control?” Show. I should note that I didn’t get to experience “Who’s in Control?” Shows why it requires four players. I want to briefly touch on the other modes.

First, the story mode is fun, but definitely not necessary. This is great if you want to practice the minigames on your own or just get more familiar with them and their various forms. Listen to the doctor! It’s a nice party mode where each player takes turns playing minigames while performing additional tasks like shouting at black animals or puffing out their cheeks. The problem here is that you get points from other players shaking the Joy-Cons for indicating that you performed the additional task well, and you get fewer points if any of the other players are less enthusiastic about shaking those Joy-Cons. That said, my 6 year old daughter loves this mode. Medusa March is perhaps the most difficult party game mode. You have to try to sneak up on a giant jellyfish and stay frozen in place when it looks at you, and occasionally complete minigames. It’s possible, but in my opinion it’s probably the least fun due to the stealth element. Go the Distance is probably both my wife and I’s favorite party mode. Players will have to complete minigames in random pairings/solo encounters and if you fail the game, you will lose one of your four hearts. The last character standing wins. Finally, Galactic Conquest is very different. Not only does it have the feel of a board game where the winner of each minigame rolls a die and moves spaces on the board, but also notice how I said minigame instead of microgame. Galactic Conquest games are very different from any other game mode which can make for a nice break.

Overall, Move it it’s big. It presents well with everything looking and sounding as you would expect. I have no complaints about the pictures or sounds. The story is even the perfect degree of stupidity. Plus, many of the minigames and minigames are great. My daughter was really sucked into the game Move it and it was a great way to spend some time with the family. Another aspect I appreciate is that some minigames feature resources and inspiration from other Nintendo titles. One makes you slap a tree as in Paper Mario: The Origami King. Another makes you run away from Link as Cuccoo The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. There was also a game that came to mind once Metroid Dread. It’s a great little touch!

That said there are some flaws. The biggest complaint I have is that the controls aren’t always the most accurate/responsive. In particular, when you have to do squat form, I feel like the movements become more uncertain, which can get frustrating. This lack of precision means that sneaking into Medusa March requires a lot more attention. One issue I have is that in my opinion it is much more comfortable to use the same side Joy-Con as the dominant hand. This is because the grip you need to have will cause the analog stick of a non-dominant Joy-Con to fit in your palm. The dominant Joy-Con will have the stick facing outward.

At the end of the day, I think Move it It’s a fun game for quick game nights with friends or family. It’s also great if you have a lot of people you have to rotate between. It’s not perfect and there are issues that make me think it would be better to get it on offer, but I think it’s worth getting. Especially at this time of year when we gather a lot for the Christmas holidays.