Some childishly fun microgames with great use of the Joy-Con motion controls make for a good experience with a friend, however, a strange story premise, Wario’s trademark ‘humour’ and short playtime means it’s not much more than a flimsy party trick.
WarioWare games have always been a bit of an acquired taste. Party games are already a bit of a niche category. Then, throw in microgames (that sometimes last only a few seconds) and a good helping of oddball, childish and often even a little gross Wario humour and it’s not going to be for everyone. However, they’re also often a lot of fun when some friends get together. And while Move It! has a few things that instantly put me off (especially playing alone), after just a few rounds in the Party Mode with a partner, we were giggling and having a great time.
Cry-Land Holiday
In the story mode, Wario has won an all-expenses-paid holiday for himself to a fancy island. Much to his chagrin, his band of misfits join him, and the series of microgames take place as you navigate the resort and get to know the diverse cast. While 2021’s Get It Together! had a bigger focus on the unique characters and the short games were all about how each one moved and behaved, Move it! is instead, a spiritual successor to the Wii’s Smooth Moves using the Joy-Con’s motion controls as the main gimmick. Unfortunately, the combination of all this didn’t quite work for me as a single player.
The single-player experience is not great especially as someone that didn’t enjoy the story at all.
First of all, Wario’s trademark humour is lightly crude and often feels aimed at much younger players. I don’t often get or enjoy it. On top of that, the story’s main conceit is that Joy-Cons are special stones and striking the correct pose (the unique movements required for the games) is a way of appeasing the island’s deities. And while that may not be an issue for most, and was mostly played off as a gag – it’s not something I felt comfortable participating in. On top of all that, while the use of Joy-Con motion controls is often quite ingenious and almost always ridiculous and fun, I did miss the replayability of trying out the different characters in the same microgames (which you could do in the previous games). Also, worth noting is that the whole story is quite short, so those that actually enjoy the story may be disappointed with how quickly it’s all done.
Reef Relief
On the flip side, instead of exploring the Story, you can jump into the Party Mode and this is a much better experience. This option is made up of smaller game modes; collections of microgames attached to a general idea (play microgames while making your way around a board game or play microgrames where each win counts as a swipe against a cartoony Medusa-boss etc.). Pairing up with up to 3 other players you can take on these challenges racking up the points and being the first to win the round. I jumped into this mode with my wife and had a huge amount of fun.
The use of Joy-Con motion controls are often quite ingenious and almost always ridiculous and fun
For one thing, the whole island-god-posing thing is just not mentioned. It’s all about the microgames themselves. I was already much happier. Then, coordinating mad waving in 3-5 second bursts while tackling a range of preposterous activities is hilarious. From racing to pull the longest nose hair first, to chopping bamboo with an invisible samurai sword or even exploring all older Nintendo games in a new way – Move It! is wonderfully enjoyable nonsense. In some ways, it’s the perfect party game when you just want to play for a short time and want to have a laugh.
In fact, I think I would’ve been happier if these game collections were the whole game and I couldn’t help but just want more of them as there were only 4 of these party modes (a 5th one available if you have 4 players). Finally, the only small complaint we had when playing together, was that there is virtually no explanation as to what you have to do in each microgame. Sure, some of these are quite straightforward, however, when you only have seconds to react and have no idea what to do – you do occasionally feel a bit cheated. However, this doesn’t happen often enough that it really became a problem and if anything it often brought us another laugh when we finally figured out what ludicrous dance move we needed to pull off next.
If you’re with a friend and feel like some light-hearted video game fun that gets you moving and chuckling – Move It‘s Party Mode makes that happen.
WariOK
On the whole, Move It! felt like a game not made for me. Don’t get me wrong, there is something to enjoy here – especially if you’re with a friend and feel like some light-hearted video game fun that gets you moving and chuckling. Unfortunately, like previous titles, the humour definitely feels like it’s aimed at a cheeky 6-year-old boy. On top of that, the story mode’s main theme was not something that gelled with me and as someone who often plays alone – it’s a pity that there wasn’t something meatier. However, if you’re a fan of WarioWare titles and miss Smooth Moves! – Move It! is likely right up your alley and something you’ll be playing with friends for a while.
REVIEW CODE PROVIDED BY: NINTENDO
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