Game & Wario

Game & Wario
North American box art.
Developer(s)	Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release Date(s)
Wii U	NA: June 23, 2013 JP: March 28, 2013 EU: June 28, 2013 AU: June 29, 2013
Wii U	NA: June 23, 2013 JP: March 28, 2013 EU: June 28, 2013 AU: June 29, 2013
Platform(s)
Classification(s)	This game uses the Nintendo Network Miiverse
Genre(s)	Party
Download Size	4.23 GB [1]
Rating(s)
ESRB	03
PEGI	02
CERO	01
USK	02
ACB	01

Game & Wario is a game in the WarioWare series developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems for the Wii U. This game is a spin-off from the WarioWare series. The game stars Wario and, like WarioWare, it takes place in Diamond City. The game can be played by between one to five people. The title and logo are a reference to the Game & Watch series.

Story

Wario is watching television at his house. He changes channels, until noticing a reporting about a newly released console, featuring a controller with a screen (similarly to the Wii U GamePad). He figures he can make a fortune by making games, so Wario feverishly starts working on his computer. His friends in Diamond City also hear news about the console, and have shown interest in creating games for it as well.

Wario's Pirates game proves to be a success in the toy shop Toy Express, with Wario (in his pirate costume) stating that the game's success is due to him designing it. After hearing Wario say this, the game's fans, mistaking him for the villain, create a large energy ball that blows Wario away. Wario crash lands into Club Sugar, where the rest of Wario's employees are dancing. In response, Jimmy T. smugly remarks, "Crashin' the party? That's our Wario." He then proposes to go bowling, which the other WarioWare employees enthusiastically accept.

Gameplay

Game & Wario is a spin-off of the WarioWare series, The microgames of the previous installments have been mostly replaced by lengthier minigames. The game features sixteen minigames, twelve of which are single-player (two featuring a two-player mode) and four more multiplayer-only minigames, each of which is hosted by a WarioWare character. Along with the solo and multiplayer modes, there is a separate game mode named Miiverse Sketch, which isn't hosted by any WarioWare character and is the only game played using Miiverse.

MicroGames

There 12 single-player games and 4 multiplayer games.

Single-Player Games

Arrow

This single-player game transforms the GamePad into a hi-tech bow (shaped like Wario's mustache, of course) and arrow designed to defeat swarming enemies. Players hold the GamePad vertically with one hand to aim at enemies on the TV screen, while using their other hand to pull the arrow on the GamePad's touch screen.

Ski

In this single-player game, competitors must lead the skier to the finish line by holding the GamePad vertically and tilting it left or right. The TV monitor will show the skier's flashy moves to entertain the audience.

Patchwork

Patchwork is a minigame that has the player placing patches on cloth that will soon make a shape of an object.

Shutter

In this single-player game, the player must use the GamePad like a telephoto camera lens to take photos of criminals hidden in the town before the time runs out.

Gamer

Minigame that is a simple but difficult game. It only supports 1 player. On the TV screen you see 9-Volt playing a video game you have to play and not get caught by 5-Volt.

Design

This game has the player make shapes of precise measurements and accurate figures to construct a robot. The game judges the quality of the drawings and then, adds the score for a maximum of 500 points. It is also two players with the players taking turns to draw the shapes.

Kung-Fu

In this minigame, the player play as Young Cricket, who will automatically jump off every platform when you land. The player must tilt to move him in midair. The player can also press the ZR and ZL button to make him instantly land on the ground.

Ashley

This game has you play as Ashley riding a broom through a sweets wonderland. She automatically shoots so the player controls the direction she goes and if she goes in a loop. The goal is to get as many magic orbs before the end to advance to the next stage.

Taxi

This game has the player have as Dribble (as the driver) and Spitz (as the rocket launcher). The goal is to rescue as many farm animals as possible and defeat the UFOs. The gamepad displays a first-person view while the TV shows a diorama of the events.

Pirates

A dancing game where the player moves the gamepad to first block the arrows as indicated by Captain Wario and then, perform the poses Wario does at the end.

Bowling

This is essentially bowling using the gamepad instead of precise motion controls. The TV shows the alley and pins (Interpreting as the WarioWare characters). Swiping on the gamepad sends the Bowling Ball down the lane and tilting the gamepad curves the ball's path.

Bird

In this minigame the player play as the Pyoro trying to catch falling beans. If the player gets hit by a bean, he loses. The Gamepad screen is in the style of a Game & Watch.

Multiplayer Games

Sketch

Basically a game of Pictionary. One player draws on the gamepad an image while the others guess and those who guess the most correctly and the one who had the most pictures guessed wins There is also a variation that has the player post their attempt from other people suggestions from Miiverse called Miiverse Sketch.

Fruit

In this game for two to five players, the main player uses the GamePad to anonymously control one of many characters on the TV screen to quietly steal some fruit scattered all over the town. Once the thief completes the mission, the player passes the GamePad to the other players, who then must try to finger the suspect.

Disco

Two players go head-to-head using the gamepad to compete in a rhythm contest where they send patterns back and forth on the dance and the players have to keep rhythm with each other and create difficult patterns for their opponent.

Islands

Up to five players take turns launching Fronks onto islands to score points. Some actions can trigger stage events which change the value of spots and can knock off Fronks. If the stage spills over, the game ends. The player with the highest score wins.

Cluck-A-Pop

List of Cluck-A-Pop prizes

Players can use coins earned from achieving certain tasks in the game. There are 240 of these prizes. Many of these are toys that inventively use the Wii U GamePad and a bunch are tips for the main games and info of the characters.

Development

In 2011, WarioWare director Goro Abe was tasked to create pre-installed software for Wii U, and he in turn asked Intelligent Systems for assistance. As the development team knew the demo would be played by a wider audience than their usual titles, they deliberately restrained their usual "wacky" aesthetics. This changed when producer Yoshio Sakamoto played the prototype and asked the team to "shake things up" .

In the summer of 2011, the developers felt the project had enough content to justify being sold as a retail game, and decided to make the title an original license. Due to difficulties creating a storyline that would coherently tie the minigames together, it was suggested to make the game part of the WarioWare series as it would provide a convenient framing device. Several of the Cluck-A-Pop capsules are leftovers from the original concept.

Near the end of development, personnel from other divisions of Nintendo SPD were brought in to assist in finishing the game on time. It was the first time the entire SPD department collaborated on a single project.

Reception

The game has received mixed reviews. IGN gave the game a 5.1 stating that the game only had three games worth playing. GameXplain gave the game's single player a 2 1/2 out of 5 stars and its multiplayer a 3 1/2 stars out of 5. Joystiq gave the game a 2/5. Meanwhile, Destructoid gave the game a fair score of 7/10 which is followed by Famitsu, that scored the game as 31/40. On whatoplay.com, it receives an aggregate score (playscore) of 6.86 based on 19 critics and 10,700+ gamer ratings.

Marketing

Crowdfarter

As part of the game's marketing campaign, Nintendo of America opened a "Crowdfarter" (a play on "crowdfunding" and "Kickstarter") website. Instead of people donating actual money, visitors "donated" via tweeting and Facebook likes. The more publicity Game & Wario received, the more coins it gained. When a certain amount of coins was achieved, a small digital present was unlocked. When 5 bajillion coins were gained, a digital badge was allowed to be downloaded. When 25 bajillion coins were gathered, a wallpaper for the game was released. With 50 bajillion coins, ringtones of Wario were released. Finally, with 100 bajillion coins, a trailer was released.

Drawing contest

For the European launch, a "Game & Wario Drawing Contest" ran from June 28 to July 12 where participants drew a scene of everyday life in the company WarioWare, Inc., and sended it to the respective Miiverse community with their Nintendo Network ID. The designs were evaluated by experts, who chose the top ten based on criteria such as creativity and artistic endeavor. Residents that were at least 12 years old could participate in the following countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. The first five earned funds to spend in the Nintendo eShop for 100€, and the last five placed raised funds for the eShop worth 50 euros.

Miiverse Sketch Masterpiece Collection

Starting on June 25, 2013, Nintendo's Japanese YouTube account had begun uploading a series of video named Miiverse Sketch Masterpiece Collection, which showcased drawings made in the game's Miiverse Sketch mode. Each video is themed around a specific word and features commentary by a WarioWare character. The series concluded on November 12, 2013.

References to other games

• Game & Watch series - As aforementioned, the title and the logo are references to this series. Additionally, Game & Wario features minigames with simple titles (e.g. Arrow, Kung Fu) and so does the Game & Watch series. A microgame based on Ball appears in Gamer. All of the small icons used to represent the minigames are in black and white and feature simplistic designs that resemble characters or elements from the original Game & Watch games. Also, in the "Bird" minigame, the gamepad features Game & Watch-like gameplay.
• Super Mario Bros. - The third stage of the Sole Man-esque microgame in Gamer features a Super Mario Bros. background, with its Brick Blocks, "!? Blocks", bushes and clouds, while a boy in a Goomba costume must actually try to be stepped on by Mario's feet. A puzzle in Patchwork also features this game's Star.
• Super Mario Bros. 3 - One of the puzzles in Patchwork depicts Mario's head and a Super Mushroom from this game.
• Mario Paint - A micro game in Gamer takes the style of Fly Swatter.
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! - Gold Digger and Sole Man are remade for the Gamer minigame. Another microgame makes full reference to Nighttime Allergies, with similar background, and the same woman with running nose. The game Pyoro is also remade as Bird.
• WarioWare: Twisted! - Sal Out from Mona's stage in WarioWare: Twisted! makes a brief appearance in the opening cinematic of Game & Wario. In the Cluck-A-Pop game Mothership Catcher, Mona Pizza's theme song plays when moving the claw.
• WarioWare: Touched!: The minigame Ashley features a remix of Ashley's original theme song. The boy and the girl from Hookin' Up occasionally appear after clearing a Patchwork puzzle.
• Rhythm Tengoku - The monkey appears in the news report in the opening cutscene. Additionally, the onion from Rhythm Tweezers, named "Harry Onion" in Game & Wario, appears briefly in the opening cutscene for Ashley's minigame.
• WarioWare: Smooth Moves - Two of the Legendary Cat Dancers appear calongside Jimmy in the introduction of the game. The song used in the minigame Ski is a remix of Jimmy T.'s theme song from this game. One of the Call Codes features the player talking to a group of people jealous of the player's Wii U, in which they mention playing WarioWare: Smooth Moves on their Wii.
• Rhythm Heaven - The Chorus Kids are seen performing with Sal Out on the television that Wario is watching in the opening cutscene.
• WarioWare: D.I.Y. - The "Sumo Wrestler" and the "Baby-face", who make regular appearances in WarioWare: D.I.Y., return in a few minigames from Gamer.
• Rhythm Heaven Fever - The reporter and wrestler characters can be briefly seen in the opening cutscene for the Pirates minigame.

References in later games

• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U - This game features a stage based off the minigame, Gamer.
• Rhythm Heaven Megamix - Penny and Dr. Crygor's artworks are used in the Fillbots portion of Wario... Where?.
• Super Mario Maker - When playing as the Ashley costume, the death and stage clear cues are taken from the Ashley minigame.
• WarioWare Gold - Gamer and some of its microgames return in this game, where the mode is named "Sneaky Gamer." The microgame Mole from Gamer returns as one of Mona's microgames. Penny's minigame Fruit appears as Orbulon's boss microgame under the name Sneaky Snatcher. The game is directly mentioned in the Souvenir for the Wii U.

External links

• Japanese website
• North American website
• European website
• Crowdfarter website