WarioWare: Touched!

""Touching" the Surface of Japan's Creativity"

I'll be blunt: in the past 20-odd years, very few games released outside Japan that have been…odd. Instead, the world gets Final Fantasy and Mario Bros., Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania: games that mesh well into the collective societies that tend to think inside the box. The few of us who have played Cho Anki, Gunbare, Parodius, or any of the other “uniquely Japanese” series, however, know of the ingenuity and off-beat sense of humour so popular in the Land of the Rising Sun. Strange, then, that Nintendo's Intelligent Systems would design a game series bent on conquering the world by utilizing this relatively un-tested brand of gaming. Nevertheless, the Made in Wario series, also known as WarioWare, is a true force to be reckoned with, and the latest installment only reaffirms the belief.

Though Nintendo released a motion-sensitive follow up to the original Made in Wario just two months ago, the apt named Mawaru Made in Wario (Turn Made in Wario), early DS loyalists receive yet another package of mayhem with Sawaru Made in Wario (literally translated as To Touch Made in Wario), hereafter referred to as TW, or “Touch Wario”. Seemingly able to defy logic, Intelligent Systems crafted even *more* unique, and unique-ly Japanese at that, twitch mini-games eagerly aimed at the crowd more suited to gaming ADHD than laid back stealth or strategy.

In essence, each of the three Made in Wario games featured a gimmick-in-the-gimmick, and as the name explicitly implies, the modus operandi of TW revolves around the DS's own controversial gimmick, touch sensitive gameplay. Be it slicing through snot, lighting matches, tickling underarm hair, tracing kanji (no stroke order does *not* matter!), popping balloons, cutting rope, balancing plates, sculpting statues, using a roll of toilet paper, launching a pig onto the moon, slicing pizza, painting fingernails, venturing through nasal cavities, grading papers, inciting static electricity, or anything else you can-or can't begin to-think of, this game makes it happen. The dynamic is that each of the 100-odd mini games only last a scant few seconds and then it's onto the next; a quick description of the task at hand flashes at the start, then split-second reflexes must follow orders less the player fail the particular game. Four failures per “character” (TW's brand of stages) allow for a few mistakes, but obviously make too many and it's back to the start with you!

Graphically, TW improves little beyond the still-modern original, or the recent Mawaru; the DS's enhanced processor and rendering capabilities are lost on a game that caters to the more simplistic side of life, but that shouldn't really matter; the looks are top notch for a game of this nature and manage to spark the occasional “impressive” remark every once and a while. Particularly amusing is the game's 3-D “Yoshi's Story” esque map system used in story narration. It proves that not only can the DS provide solid 3-D (far superior to Mario 64 DS, I should add) but that it can look fantastic at that. This aspect aside, however, gameplay is really where it's “at”.

TW makes ample use of the DS, but mainly the touch screen rather than the dual screen aspect and, to a very limited extent, the microphone as well. Every single mini game requires the use of the touch screen, though “old fashioned” players are still able to navigate some menus and option screens via the use of the standard control pad and button spread. As one can imagine, the real action occurs on the bottom screen, with added scenery current game instructions regulated to the top one, though in at least a few games, there is game-related graphical content as well. Some of the content works best by literally *touching* the screen (mainly for games whereby the objective is to reveal as much as possible), however those, like myself, worried about scratches or smudges should be able to get alone with only the plastic pen. The exception to the rule is a series of games all controlled by the player's hot air, as in you *literally* have to blow into the microphone to accomplish the task!

As a welcome relief to some like myself, the game accommodates both right handed *and* left handed gamers; a simple menu selection informs the game as to which hand you opt to hold the stylus with. I say it's high time we southpaws get some respect, having to constantly put up with all the “discrimination” in the world automobiles, scissors, school desks and modern life force us to put up with!

As with the previous installments, TW makes use of a huge variety of music and sound-samples; everything from actual songs to brilliant music (some reminiscent of the Mother series), to just plain bizarre noises and onomatopoeia; all-in-all it's brilliant oddity that meshes brilliantly with the already bizarre gameplay. My favourite? Wario's insane uttering of the word “excellent!” (or is it “excellente”?) upon a random victory in his stages. Worth noting, of course, is the addition of stereo sound output via the DS's “revolutionary” hardware: never before has a prescription for insanity sounded this optimistic.

To say TW has a story would be an overstatement, less one considers random events leading to attendance at a night club concert to be novel material. In truth, however, each of the game's various characters has a brand new adventure tied-into their mini games, be it a painful trip to the dentist for Wario, a spirited pursuit over stolen bananas for Kat and Anna, or equally random issues for everyone else. The all-star cast from the previous two installments return for more play-time, as do some brand new characters who bring all new types of mini-games with them.

Personally, I'm still gung-ho on the Cho-Anki reject, Dr. Crygor. Residing on a small island with only a supercomputer and a crack-team of rabbits with a rubber fetish, he single handedly represents all that is odd in the world of gaming and, to say the least, the embodiment of this creation, to be sure. And then you have his karaoke-singing robot oddity...

In terms of actual in-game games, I'd definitely go with 9-Volt and his massive lunkhead friend (introduced in Marawu) 18-Volt: the Famicom inspired mini-games are to die for : each installment in the Made in Wario series makes a new attempt at presenting these retro themed gems, and TW has taken it to an all new level. You will play old classics in ways you never though possible, as well as literally playing old classics, such as Duck Hunt, as they were originally intended! [Note to Nintendo: next time put in a Game and Watch section. Heck, why not MAKE a Game and Watch retro collection for the DS!]

As far as hidden extras go, they range from creative to constructive: playing ping pong with yourself is definitely a challenge (“which hand do I want to win?!”), and so is observing microorganisms. In many ways, the bonus content actually manages to surpass the in game material for all-out zaniness. I'll refrain from giving away anymore surprises, but rest assured when you can unlock a stopwatch (literally, a stopwatch) you know all bets are out the window.

All praise aside, the only flaws with TW are that it has no multiplayer support whatsoever (this from a company that found it wise to release a Gamecube port of the original BECAUSE of the multiplayer option) and that it's horrifically short. Whereas the original Made in Wario had relatively few stages with an increasing number of mini-games in each one of them, Mawaru Made in Wario instead aimed for more stages but with less mini-games required to complete them. Touch Wario offers less of *both* aspects; each of the character's quests consists of 16 mini-games at most to clear it. In terms of “most game for your money” I'd have to go with Marawu to be quite honest.

It is also worth commenting that, as with Touch Wario, the game almost overcompensates for the somewhat unnatural way of playing (it's no longer “press a button” like the first) by marked leniency in terms of both time limitation and accuracy. I suppose it's warranted given that many of the games require peculiar reflexes to begin with, but more of a challenge would be appreciated to increase the play time above an hour or so.

Import Note: Those not fluent in the Japanese language (shame on you!) will be relieved to know that you'll have absolutely no problem with this game. Unlike the original game, or a few segments in Mawaru Made in Wario, there aren't any language-intensive RPGs or spelling bee's to create frustration. In fact, were the DS safe for infants I'd argue TW could be used as an “IQ test” given how the game requires no “smarts” at all, just problem solving skills and ingenuity. Of course, at the same time, lack of even basic Japanese reading can be a tiny hindrance as some of the games are so off the wall, the only way to immediately know what to do would come from reading the “goal” stated at the start of the mini-game.

All in all, Touch Made in Wario is uncanny, peculiar, abnormal…fun. Granted it's hardly the gaming revolution that the original was, but the all-new menagerie of time taking tid-bits help keep things new and ‘noxious'. Unlocking all the main mini-games as well as the hidden ones will ensure that the experience lasts for at least a few hours. If nothing else, Nintendo offers a splattering of things to come; with ingenuity like in the future it's safe to say the DS gamble will pay off big time. But in truth, the bottom line is that whatever your thing is, most likely TW will, well…touch it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/04