WarioWare: Smooth Moves requires you to use the Wiimote in a wide array of different positions. The game kicks off with simple pointer-based games, but it’s not long before many more are introduced via the short (but stylish) silhouette cutscenes. Some positions are quite obvious, like holding the Wiimote as if it were a pencil, laying it on your palm like a waiter would hold a tray, or gripping it horizontally out in front of you as you would a steering wheel, but a few are slightly less conventional. Some games require you to place it on a table, others need to you to place it by your side like a gun in its holster while a few games ask for your best Pinocchio impression by holding it up to your nose.
Because this is the first WarioWare game to require different methods of control there are now brief diagrams of each position shown for a couple of seconds before each mini-game to tell you what you need to do. One concern brought about by this addition is that it would lose some of the fast and frantic gameplay that the series thrives on and initially this is something of a valid criticism, at least on the first playthrough when the level ends after the first boss fight. But once the level is finished, you play it again and start getting past the level 20 mark, things soon speed up, to the extent that you barely have enough time to get your Wiimote into position, so there’s no need to worry about Smooth Moves losing any of the furious speed these games are known for. It’s little more than something you put up with in the short-term in exchange for long-term enjoyment. Besides, if WarioWare was something you only played through once, then you’d miss a lot of what the game is about.
The mini-games themselves are as off-the-wall crazy as they have ever been, maybe even moreso given the movements you have to perform to complete them. Whether it’s grating mobile phones into shavings, guiding paper airplanes in mid-flight, or carefully putting a pair of false teeth into an old lady’s gums - words can’t really begin to do them justice, which is probably a good thing as you'll want to discover them yourselves. Smooth Moves is a prime example of a game that hasn’t really changed, but is still packed full of new and original ideas. While it uses the same tried-and-tested formula as a template, it incorporates the abilities of the Wiimote in ways you wouldn’t even think of, to create some of the best WarioWare moments to date.
This could be you. Except hairier and with fewer pretty Japanese girls in your room.
Judging from past games in the series, the quality and quantity of the unlockables hidden away have always played a big part in the overall value each game offered. The original - and many would say best - WarioWare had some real gems. Not only did it have some surprisingly enjoyable two player games on it, but it also featured the highly addictive ‘Paper Plane’, ‘Skating Board’ and ‘Jump Forever’, as well as full version of Dr Mario (or Dr Wario as it was known) on there too. By contrast, the game that’s generally regarded as the weakest in the series, WarioWare Touched!, was seriously lacking in this department; not so much in quantity (as there were plenty of unlockables in the DS incarnation), but how there was very little there that you'd go back to.
Thankfully, WarioWare: Smooth Moves has a lot more in common with the first game in this respect. For those who don’t want to know what kind of goodies await, then skip to the end of the following couple of paragraphs right now; for those that do, allow us to divulge. For starters, the coloured pigs modes have made a return. As in the past, these present you with an infinite supply of mini-games that you have to play under certain conditions. The first one simply gives you four lives to survive as many mini-games as possible, while the second turns up the heat by not only running at a much faster pace from the get-go, but also by dishing out the same games you'll find elsewhere, but with higher levels of difficulty. The third brings things back to normal, but only gives you one life to survive on, whereas the final mode gives you four lives again, but completely removes all of the pre-game Wiimote instructions, leading to some very frantic moments as not only are you trying to identify the mini-game on screen but also the required Wiimote action to go with it!
As well as this, there are some individual games that are more than a little addictive, to say the least. Using the same basic formula as the NES classic, the 3D Balloon Fight game is superb. Employing both the Wiimote and the Nunchuk, you have to flap your arms to avoid the electric sparks and giant fish leaping from the sea as if you were the Balloon Fighter yourself. As well as this, there’s a table tennis game in the style of Breakout to sink your teeth into, a block balancing event where you hold a tray and have to prevent a variety of tumbling shapes from falling off, and a target shooting game that's leagues ahead of the one found on Wii Play in terms of sheer fun, despite its NES-style looks.
A good deal of effort has been put into the multiplayer mode, also. It’s not quite as fleshed out as the predominantly multiplayer-focused WarioWare Inc. Mega Party Games on the GameCube, and unfortunately the best mode from the Cube version, the turtle balancing level, doesn’t look like it’s made a comeback (unless it’s hidden away somewhere, but by the way the multiplayer map is filled up there doesn’t look like there’s the space for anything else to go). However, there’s still a lot of fun to be had here. The first mode supports up to 12 players as you pass around a single Wiimote to play mini-games, until there is only one player left standing. The second is a ‘hot potato’ style game where you play mini-games with a stick of dynamite in your hand waiting to go off should you fail, while the balloon pumping mode from the Cube version makes a welcome reappearance.
Things do get pretty physical.
Arguably the best mode of them all involves all players at the end of the game hanging from a rope with a number of individual ropes connected above each one. By taking it in turns to cut the ropes, you then decide the overall winner. Your success in the mini-games determines how many ropes you have and which order you cut the ropes in, giving you better odds of winning, but there is still a chance you won’t, which often leads to numerous replays when choosing to either ‘Continue’ or ‘End’ as you seek revenge on your friends. Like the single player mode, there are also a few extra games to compliment the mini-game modes. As well as a co-operative obstacle race using the Wiimote and nunchuk in each hand, there’s a hilarious nose-flying game, plus an excellent game of darts to be found too, which is vastly better than the shoddy mess found on Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz.
The whole game is tied together with a handful of bright and colourful cutscenes created from something resembling Flash, but in-game the graphical style changes constantly. 3D is used more often than in the previous games - a little surprising given the power of the hardware this is on - but much of the game is presented with 2D visuals. At times they are detailed, well-drawn and vibrant, while at other times they are overly simple, with black and white visuals that hark back to “Game & Watch” days. This is no criticism however, as the sheer range of the graphics really helps to create an eclectic visual style that is both unique and striking.
The sound fits perfectly with the varying games on display. Basic bleeping sounds are accompanied by more sophisticated tracks. It’s all very simple, but it’s the kind of stuff that’s bound to get stuck in your head, so in that respect it’s effective. The music is also used brilliantly to increase tension - the further you progress, the faster the music will play thus amplifying the speed of the game.
Much like WarioWare Touched!, Smooth Moves is a great way of showing off some of the gameplay possibilities that are presented by Nintendo’s new hardware. Our only major criticism would be the game's long-term appeal. Even with around 200 mini-games and a handful of extras, the WarioWare formula was devised originally with handheld play in mind, so the same structure on a console means its lifespan doesn’t hold up as well as it maybe should. Apart from that, there’s very little reason to avoid the latest WarioWare offering. It’s hilarious, it’s superb fun, it’s packed full of fresh ideas and it’s now a wonderful multiplayer game to boot.
(not really)
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