The WarioWare series has long been a fan favorite since its original debut on the Game Boy Advance which would ultimately lead to it spawning many new iterations after. While the 3DS entry had a decent following it was mostly overlooked for coming out after the Switch leaving it behind, but WarioWare: Get it Together! has come to rectify just that with Wario and his onslaught of friends back in the action and ready to get going once more into the world of microgames and the usual shenanigans.
The story follows Wario and his many friends in the midst of making their very own video game, one of which they’ve finally managed to complete and are excited to try out. Unfortunately things quickly go awry and instead of getting to hunker down and play it, they all get sucked inside Wario’s gaming device and quickly become part of the very game they set out to create. Wario starts out alone looking for his friends, and after making his way through the various microgames they’ve created begins to find them and they join up together to look for one another and find out what exactly happened to send their creation off the rails with a buggy trail leading their path.
The core of WarioWare all centers around its iconic microgames. These act as short, handful of second challenges that need players to think fast in order to solve them. They can be as simple as breaking an object in the way, jumping over something or complex and require players to remember patterns or symbols in order to progress. While playing the story the general goal is to reach a set number before a boss stage appears in order to progress, while challenging it afterwards allows the challenges to keep coming until all lives have been depleted. Those who lose can continue at the cost of some points, however, which is a nice forgiving way to allow players to keep up their score instead of having to start completely over. It’s worth noting that finishing the story is a main requirement to unlock every other feature, so players will likely want to invest time into undergoing the short campaign in order to try out everything there is to offer. Plus, progressing the story is the only way to unlock every character which gives way to one of the biggest unique twists of this WarioWare entry.
In previous WarioWare titles players didn’t necessarily play as the wild cast of characters, but Get It Together is much different in that regard. Every character plays in the microgames and uses their unique abilities in order to complete them. No two characters are exactly the same, although some are similar, but each one has their own mechanics which can make them better or ill suited for certain microgames. Wario for example has a jet pack allowing him to fly in addition to a shoulder bash that can hit or break objects. Compare that to 9-Volt who is constantly moving on his skateboard horizontally and can use his yo-yo in order to grab or break objects above him. Various modes have players taking on the role of a variety of characters where they can choose one, or a few, to randomly switch between in order to complete their challenges. It’s a great way to mix things up and fun to figure out just who is better at which challenges in order to create amazing parties to take on microgames together.
Although the story is all well and good for those looking to take on score challenges in select microgames, there’s a slew of new options that open up once it’s been fully completed. The first is the most simple, the play-o-pedia where individual microgames can be challenged to reach high scores with any characters. The second is the crew option which allows members of the team to be leveled up through buying prezzies that they enjoy most which varies between food, trash and even more luxurious items. Leveling them up enables more customization options in addition to giving them higher score counts in select challenge modes.
The Variety Pack is where the more unique microgame challenges lie and mix up characters in a brand new way. It’s worth noting that most of the variety pack titles are meant for two or more players, but a good few of them can still be played solo. These are the most fun to enjoy playing with other people as they’re either competitive or cooperative in the best way that either makes a new challenge or competing in microgames with brand new twists to the normal formula. Finally there’s the Wario Cup mode, which will push players to their limit with weekly challenges and a brand new ranked mode. These include pre-set characters and microgame challenges that await them with higher scores rewarding much better rewards for those willing to grind out to be the absolute best. Competing for ranked allows players to show off their skill and prove they’ve got what it takes to steal the Wario Cup and be crowned champion of microgames. It’s a fun way to keep players coming back for those truly invested in getting everything and getting high scores.
Visually WarioWare: Get it Together! is a charmer. Instead of using full 2D art for cutscenes, it also mixes in a lot more real-life locations that just makes the world seem all the sillier around it. The music is fantastic with its unique sounds that feel like a mix between a consistent rhythm to keep up with and chaos let loose in the toy section of a store yet it still somehow works. The missions feature gives something to work towards, in addition to tons of unlockables to keep players enticed into continuing to play and earn points along the way. It would be nice if the story had been meatier, but given so much is locked behind the mode it makes more sense for it to be on the short side without too much difficulty in order to unlock every mode available.
Closing Comments:
WarioWare: Get It Together! is exactly what fans of the series will be expecting. It’s a brand new mix on the familiar formula that allows players to try out brand new microgames in fully new ways in addition to teaming up with a friend if they so desire to challenge and compete with one another. WarioWare at its core is very much a title for people who love competition and getting the top score, and doesn’t have as much to do for those who don’t have a friend to play with or want to get a bigger number over the others, but it’s still fun to pick up and enjoy all it has to offer along the way. It would be nice if we’d seen a few old modes return from previous titles, but a great amount has been added that makes it feel like an entirely new experience mixed in with old concepts. There’s nothing quite like WarioWare, and it’s great to have Get It Together! on Switch as the latest entry in the crazy series that keeps on delivering.
