WarioWare: Move It is the Smooth Moves spiritual successor I've always wanted

Playing a multiplayer WarioWare game has been a dream of mine since I was 10-years-old. Back in 2006, I regularly played WarioWare: Smooth Moves with my sisters and our technique was to frantically pass the Nintendo Wii Remote between us as we all shouted out what position to get into – like a disorganized relay race. Thankfully, due to WarioWare: Move It's built in multiplayer options, things appear to be a little less chaotic this time around, at least in terms of gameplay.

After playing WarioWare: Move It For just over an hour, it's the Smooth Moves sequel I've always wanted. I had a smile on my face during the entire preview as series regulars and the same bizarre minigames popped up on screen. Although this isn't the first WarioWare title I've played in 17 years, it's definitely the closest one I've ever played to my beloved Smooth Moves – which is excellent news for me, and probably less positive to my sisters who will be roped into playing it again with me all these years later.

Minigame mayhem

Unlike Smooth Moves, WarioWare: Move It comes with multiplayer features baked in, and allows for up to four players to get in on the microgame mayhem at once – all using separate Joycons. The game has three modes including Story Mode, Party Mode, and The Museum, but the idea is mostly the same, you've got to complete over 200 fast-paced microgames before time runs out – everything including catching fish with your thighs, lassoing llamas, and plucking worms out of the ground with your imaginary beak.

As you'd expect, Story Mode has you working with all of Wario's friends – including Mona, 9-Volt, Ashley, Penny, and more – as they set off on a trip to a tropical island. Each character introduces its own set of minigames that utilize a range of different 'Forms', just like in Smooth Moves. In this mode, you'll need to use the Nintendo Switch's motion controls to pass all of the microgames as each one gets faster and more difficult as the game progresses. You really never know what's coming next which means you have to think on your feet and fast. 

The formula is pretty similar in Party Mode too, except this time around you get to compete against the 1-3 players next to you in different competitive modes. As for The Museum, this is where you 'collect' the minigames you've played so far, meaning you can go there to practice any that you've unlocked in Story Mode or to play one game in particular. 

I'm so glad that Nintendo has decided to bring motion controls back into WarioWare, as this is the main reason I had so many years of fun playing Smooth Moves. This is actually the second WarioWare release we've had for the Nintendo Switch, the first being WarioWare: Get it Together, which instead opted for stick and button controls – which frankly, wasn't nearly as fun as standing in front of the TV and making a fool of yourself. 

Wario workout 

On the topic of making a fool of yourself, there are plenty of opportunities for that in WarioWare: Move It. It feels like Nintendo wants us up and out of our seats more than ever this time as some of the microgames really do require you to put your whole body into it. As I've already mentioned, the main method of gameplay sees players take on different poses aka Forms. The different Forms will affect how the game is played, so don't expect to take on many of these minigames sitting down. In Move It, you'll be stretching, squatting, stamping, and more – it's a real workout!

It seems Nintendo has taken a leaf out of Mario Party's book for its Party Mode too. During the preview, myself and three other players got to experience one of the board games called Galactic Conquest. Here, the goal was simple. We just had to get from the start of the board to the end of the board by rolling dice and winning whatever microgame was thrown at us. Except, this is a Wario (aka Mario's arch-rival) game we're playing so don't expect the rules to ever be fair. There were so many instances where one player was in the lead until a bad roll caused them to be thrown back to the start of the board, it was completely chaotic but in the best way possible. 

I was already so excited to relive one of my favorite childhood games (especially now I don't have to throw a controller across the room to take my turn), but after playing just a small selection of WarioWare: Move It's microgames, I can't stop thinking about how much I want to play more of it. There's something so fun about the silly, quick-fire games that never get old so I can't wait to still be playing WarioWare: Move It in the year 2040. 

WarioWare: Move It Is set to release on Nintendo Switch on November 3, 2023.

Find out what else we've got to look forward to with our upcoming Switch games list.