WarioWare: Move It! Review – A Quick Dance

WarioWare: Move It! continues the streak of WarioWare entries that integrate motion controls with a game that’s fun but lacks fresh content, leading to an experience that lives and dies on short bursts of multiplayer action.  

WarioWare: Move It! consists of small microgames that take a couple of seconds to complete, with players tasked with completing several of them in a row. To do this, players need to use the Joy-Cons to mimic specific actions, such as holding them in the air or under the chin, to use motion controls to finish the stages. 

Key Details:

• Developer – Intelligent Systems
• Platforms – Nintendo Switch
• Release Date – November 3, 2023
• Price – $49.99

Playing WarioWare: Move It! Alone

The story of WarioWare: Move It! involves Wario and the other WarioWare regulars winning a trip to the tropical Caresaway Island. Once they arrive, they are given the Form Stones, which act as in-universe representatives of the Joy-Cons. The gang is quickly split up, and they face different challenges, such as Wario being chased by natives and Crygor, Penny, and Mike being sent back in time and forced to dance to impress cavemen. 

The formula in WarioWare: Move It! is the same that has been used since the first entry in the series: the player completes short games that only last a few seconds before moving on to the next task. There are over 200 microgames in WarioWare: Move It!, so there’s plenty to see, even if the gameplay experience will feel familiar to fans of the series.

As with entries like WarioWare: Smooth Moves on the Nintendo Wii, WarioWare: Move It! uses motion controls, with the player expected to use a Joy-Con in each hand. These controls mostly work well, but it’s easy to be knocked out of synch with the system, especially in the longer boss stages in the story mode, which can be extremely frustrating. 

It bears mentioning that the story mode in WarioWare: Move It! is extremely short and can be finished in a few hours. This is contrasted by the annoying cutscenes that play whenever a new stance is revealed, which cannot be skipped and feel as if they’re just there to pad out the single-player. Ultimately, most of the enjoyment will come from replaying the micro games and testing your skills, especially when it comes to facing other players. 

Playing WarioWare: Move It! With Other People

Once the brief single-player campaign is over, WarioWare: Move It! maintains its relevance through its multiplayer modes, allowing for 2 to 4 players on a single system, using one Joy-Con each. These consist of Galactic Quest (a Mario Party-style board game), Listen to the Doctor (a Jackbox-style experience where players vote on silly tasks), Medusa March (a game where players have to race to the Medusa and stop whenever she turns around), Go the Distance (a competitive mode that pits players against each other), and The Who’s in Control Show (where only one player is in control in a team and the other team has to guess who.)

The multiplayer modes are the highlight of WarioWare: Move It!, providing some frantic fun action for players, especially as many games involve moving your body. It harkens back to the era of the Nintendo Wii party game with its motion controls. The various modes also help to keep things fresh. 

The only issue is that many games lack any introduction or explainer. This isn’t an issue in single-player mode, as players can just repeat the tasks as they go, but in multiplayer, it’s frustrating when you lose due to unfamiliarity with a game. A quick explainer before each microgame when it shows up for the first time or the ability to bring up an objective would have been much appreciated in the multiplayer, as the first few rounds can become frustrating. 

It also bears mentioning that WarioWare: Move It! lacks online multiplayer functionality. This is a knock-on game with such a multiplayer & party game appeal, as players are restricted to the people in their living room. 

The Verdict

The Nintendo Switch has a deluge of amazing party games, many of which were produced by Nintendo. WarioWare: Smooth Moves isn’t going to unseat the last Mario Party game or any of the Jackbox titles, but it’s still a fun romp for those who miss the days of waving Wiimotes around, despite its flaws.