Game & Wario Review
Game & Wario is not a Wario Ware game, it is a minigame collection that is meant to show off the Wii U Gamepad by itself. Due to this game not coming out the way people expected it to, people just jump and say that it is a bad game. However, is that really true? Let's find out!
Story
The story of this game is that Wario is sitting on the couch, watching TV, flickering channels until he stumbles upon a commercial about a new system that looks very similar to the Wii U. Wario then goes out to make the best game ever. His freinds notice the system as well and decides to get in on the project too. It's not a groundbreaking story of any kind, but it adds a bit of charm and realism to the game. Before you play a singleplayer minigame for the first time, you watch a cutscene showing an experience the corresponding character had that made them come up with the minigame. Again, this adds a lot of charm and realism to the game.
Gameplay
This game is more focused on singleplayer than multiplayer in terms of available minigames. However, some of the singleplayer minigames are made in a way so others can help you out and some are fun to watch someone else play anyway.
Game & Wario has three modes: single player, multiplayer and miiversketch. I will going over all of these in this review.
Singleplayer
The Singleplayer mode has 12 minigames in total. You are forced to clear one level of each one in order to unlock them all. I personally like this, because it encourages the player to at least try each minigame instead of lingering on each one. After you have played at least one level of a minigame, you are able to access the full minigame.
Arrow
The first minigame that is available to you when you start out is Arrow. In this minigame, you use the Wii U Gamepad as a bow and arrow while you shoot robots on the TV screen. Occasionally, they will jump on your WiiU gamepad and you will have tap on them to stomp them so they won't steal your strawberries, which are your lives in this minigames. This will also happen if you let on ground robots get too close to you. There are also robots that will shoot cannon balls at you, and you will have to hold up the gamepad like a shield. Eventually, you will face a boss that you will need to beat before it gets too close to you. If you fail to beat it in time, it's game over. The minigames has only four levels, but each level introduces something new and has unique bosses. Also, you can go back each level to try to beat your highscore or earn a master rank.
Camera/Shutter
In this minigame, you use the Wii U Gamepad as a camera snapping photos of specific people. The goal of each level is to get at least an acceptable photo of each person. You can try to improve your photos for a better score if you have the time. You also get bonus points if you snap a photo of Fronk. If you are unsure where a person is, you can check their profile to get a hint of where they are. This minigame has 5 levels in total, each one has a creative premise to them. You can go back to any level to get a better score or get a perfect picture rating. Speaking of that, getting perfect pictures in this minigame is not easy. The game can find even the most obscure problems with your photo, and considering that each level has a different premise, you are in for a challenge. In addition, other people watching can help you find each person because the whole area is displayed on the TV screen at all times.
Ski
In this minigame, you slide down a ski hill, tilting the Wii U Gamepad left and right to to move left and right. Your goal is get to the bottom as fast as you can. You are ranked with either a gold, silver or bronze medal depending on your time. There are 5 courses in this minigame, all of them give a good challenge. You can keep playing each one to improve on your time and earn a better rank. There is even an endless mode where you try to stay on course as long as you can while gathering girls to follow Jimmy T. in a line. This minigame can be played without the TV.
Patchwork
This minigame is a basic puzzle game where you place patches onto outlines to solve a puzzle. There are a variety of puzzles in this minigame and they get progressively more difficult. There is even an extra mode that you unlock after you have solved all of the puzzles. I won't spoil the extra mode, but it does increase the life of this minigame. You can go back to any puzzle to get a better time, which will come in handy for the extra mode. This minigame can be played without the TV.
Kung Fu
Kung Fu is a rather weird platforming game. You have a downward view with the Wii U Gamepad, and a foward view with the TV. You have to use both views to help you get around each level. This may sound confusing, but it really isn't if you actually play this minigame. The goal of this minigame is to get to the end of the level without getting hungry along the way by grabbing dumplings to increase your food meter, which decreases every second. There are also scrolls throughout each level that you can collect that (somehow) increases your food meter. At the end of each level, your score is based on how high your food meter remains. You can keep playing each level to try to get all the scrolls are finish it with a higher food meter. There is even a endless mode where you gather as many dumplings as you can until you fall.
Gamer
Just because this isn't a Wario Ware game doesn't mean the microgames aren't in this game. In fact, this minigame takes the microgames, and puts you in a rather familiar situation. In this minigame, you have to clear microgames on Gamepad (which is used as a handheld video game console) while hiding from 9-Volt's mom when she comes inside the room (which is displayed on the TV). This minigme is all about keeping on the look out, concentrating on both screens and finding the right timing to hide from her so you don't lose energy. If you run out of energy or get caught by his mom, it is instantly game over. The goal of each level is to get to the boss stage and clear it. Afterwards, you are given a score based on how many lives you had in the game and how much energy you have left. There are three levels, each being more difficult. You can come back to each one to try to improve your score and even reach gamer status. However, there is an endless mode that gets faster and faster just like regular Wario Ware and if you time your hiding right, you can gain more energy. Also, if you have other people watching, they can be on the look out for 9-volts mom and help you out while playing. There is even a mode without his mom with 18-volt where you just clear microgames to increase your score. This mode has three modes, each with a different premise. You can come back to any one of them to get a higher score or even reach gamer status. 18-Volt's mode can be played without the TV.
Design
Design is based off a tech-demo that was used to show off the Wii U called "Measure Up". In this minigame, you are told to draw figures at certain lengths in inches or degrees. You have to draw as close to that length as you can. After you have drawn all the figures and rated on each one, your given an all around rating and you are shown your figures put into a robot's "design". The goal of this minigame is to at least get a bronze medal. The way your robot turns out depends on what rank you get. There is an extra mode that is a bit harder because you can only draw in one stroke. You can go back to either modes and to try to get a better rank. There is even a two player mode where two players can compete to see who can do better. This minigame can be played without the TV.
Ashley
In this minigame, you tilt the Wii U Gamepad left and right, holding it horizontally to move ashley around, you can also press the ZL and ZR buttons to make her do loop-de-loops. The goal is to get to the end of the stage, grabbing as much spell power as possible. You do this by destroying treats (which is done automatically, you just and grabbing purple presents and orbs. There are also blue lightning orbs that allow Ashley to grab all spell power on screen. However, be careful not to run into anything as she will get mad and you will lose a bit of spell power for each thing you bump into, she can also get mad from other things such as making her do too many loop-de-loops, making her dizzy and more. If she gets mad, she will stop moving and her spell power will deplete with every second. You will have to rub her head on the Gamepad to calm her down. If Ashley runs out of spell power, it is game over. Eventually, you will encounter a boss where you destroy a whole bunch of treats and avoid its attacks until it explodes into spell power. Afterwards, you are given a score based how much spell power you have left and any blue lightning orbs you have left. There are only three levels, but each on has an alternate route section and you come back to them for a better score or to get Best Buddy status. Something even gets added to all the stages if you get
Taxi
In this minigame, you rescue people from UFOs by shooting at the UFOs, picking them up and then and dropping them off into a building until a mothership comes. Once the mothership comes, you have to defeat it by shooting at it's weak spots and avoiding it's attacks. There are only three levels. However, each level has a different premise to them and each are entirely different. You can even come back to each one to get a better score or even reach Taxi King status.
Pirates
This is another minigame that started as just a tech-demo to show off the Wii U that was called Shield Pose. In this minigame, Wario gives out commands to his ship to shoot arrows in rhythm with the music saying words like center, over, left and right. You have to hold up the gamepad when you hear "come on!" and block those arrows in the same rhythm in those same directions and then bring the gamepad downward on "down" when the same voice says "shake down!" After the music ends, you are put into a dance sequence where you have to do specific dance moves with the Gamepad to power up and shoot a powerful blast at wario's ship. Afterwards, you are given a rank depending on how spot on you were with the arrows, how in rhythm you were with shaking the gamepad down and how well you did the dance moves. The goal of each level is to at least get an acceptable rank. There are 5 levels, each with different music. You can go back to each level to improve your rank and even get a perfect.
Bowling
This minigame is just regular bowling, but with a twist. You move your ball in the direction you want to throw it, but you can add some spin to the ball by tilting the Wii U Gamepad. There are two modes, challenge mode and classic mode. In challenge mode, you do a series of trick shot challenges. If you fail to do one, you lose a ball and have to try it again. If you lose all of your balls, it's game over and you have to restart the whole challenge. There are three challenges, each being more difficult. You can come back to each one to try to clear them with more or all balls remaining if you want to. Classic bowling mode is just classic bowling. However, the pins are not all the same shape, or size. Making it a bit more strategic and challenging to get a strike. Occasionally, you get strike challenges that you get a reward for when playing.
Bird
Bird is simply just Bird & Beans. In that game, you control a bird Pyoro and use his tongue to grab beans falling from the sky to prevent them from hitting the ground of hitting him. The higher the bean was when you grab it, the more points you get. When a bean hits the ground, the piece of ground it hits will disappear making the space available to move more limited. If a bean hits Pyoro, it is gameover. If you grab a white bean, a piece of ground will be replaced. If you grab a glowing bean, all missing ground will be replaced. It's a fun little to come back to once and a while, but you won't be playing it for hours.
Cluck-a-pop (Prizes)
Whenever you make certain accomplishments in minigames, you get a token. You can use these tokens to get prizes from the Cluck-a-pop machine. Prizes include toys, hint cards or even little things you can mess around with. There are over 200 prizes and it will take quite a while to get all of them.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer mode only has four minigames. All of them are available to you from the start. There is no story or cutscene to them, so you can jump right into them.
Sketch
This game is similar to Pictionary, but instead, it is cooperative. The goal is to for everyone to guess as many drawings successfully as possible. Each player takes turns as a drawer on the Gamepad while the other players guess what they are drawing. After each player has had a turn drawing. All of the successfully guessed drawings are added up into a total and you are given a ranking. Afterwards, you can look back all the drawings you made, you might even get some laughs in. This minigame has a lot of reply value since you get random words all the time and you and others probably won't take the same approach drawing a word you have already encountered if you encounter on another time.
Fruit
In this minigame, one player uses the Gamepad to play as a theif stealing fruit while the other players look at the TV and be on the look on to find the thief. After the thief has taken enough fruit or time runs out, the other players must guess who is the thief out of a crowd of many people. There are three areas in this minigame, each with their own gimmicks. There isn't much content in this minigame, but the premise of it calls for each side to come up with strategies to win. As a result, this minigame does have replay value.
Islands
In this minigame, the Gamepad is used as a catapult. On each round, each player takes turns launching Fronks onto an island for points. However, all players must be careful, because putting to many Fronks on one side can cause the island to tip over or fall. After each round turn, a bird will come to help of hinder a player. This minigame can be very competitive and calls for each player to be strategic in coming up with ways they could win or savatage another player. There are four levels, each with a completely different premise, calling for different strategy for each one. Just like Fruit, it doesn't have a lot of content, but it calls for a lot of strategy which gives it a lot of replay value in itself.
Disco
In this minigame, two players takes turns doing rhythms and making button combinations to a variety of short songs for a short period of time. After a player has done a rhythm, the opposing player has to repeat that rhythm in the same button combinations. If the opposing player misses a beat even the slightest, the player gets points. This minigame doesn't have much content, but it calls for strategy on each side which gives a lot replay value.
MiiVersketch
In this standalone minigame, you given 4 words suggested by people on MiiVerse. You can select any of the four to draw within a time limit. Once you have made a selection, you have to draw that word within a given time limit. Once you tap finish or run out of time, your drawing is posted on MiiVerse. You can also suggest words or even browse other peoples' sketches through certain filters. This minigame has a lot of replay value because you never know what words you will get, people are constantly making drawing on this, and you can suggest any word you want. All you have to do is make sure you don't draw or suggest anything inappropriate because you will be penalized.
Graphics
The graphics in this game are very nice. Each minigame has their own unique artstyle that gives them their own look and personality. The cutscenes are very nice and they feel like you are watching a short cartoon. The title cards for the different minigames are fantastic and very humorous. This game shows that a game does not need realistic looking graphics to look good. The graphics in this game are truely a work of art.
Music
The music in this game is very memorable and catchy. All music feels fitting for the level or minigame they are present in.
Verdict
Game & Wario is a great game, the singleplayer minigames may not as much content as Nintendoland's but they have a quality over quantity aspect. You can tell that they put thought and care into each level for each minigame. In fact, the creators of this game said they treated each minigame as if it was if it was its own game. If you are a person who doesn't have a lot of time on your hands and you need a game you can just pick up and play, look no further but to Game & Wario. Even if you aren't that kind of person, this game is worth giving a try. It has enough content to warrant its price. Just don't expect lengthy minigames. Expect minigames with creative level design and a lot of unlockable prizes.
