WarioWare

The idea of microgames or minigames was popularized generally during the Nintendo 64's fifth generation of video game consoles and some early minigames appear in the Nintendo 64DD's Mario Artist: Talent Studio in the style that would give rise to the WarioWare series. Certain minigames originated in Mario Artist: Polygon Studio, as explained by Goro Abe of Nintendo R&D1's so-called Wario Ware All-Star Team: "In Polygon Studio you could create 3D models and animate them in the game, but there was also a side game included inside. In this game you would have to play short games that came one after another. This is where the idea for Wario Ware came from." Teammate Yoshio Sakamoto continued, "To add on that, we got the idea of using Wario and the other characters because we couldn't think of anyone else who would be best for the role. Wario is always doing stupid things and is really idiotic, so we thought him and the rest of the characters would be best for the game." ==Games==

Gameplay in the series revolves around Microgames, simple video games created by the fictional company WarioWare, Inc. Nintendo's line of WarioWare games each feature these microgames, which are generally less than five seconds long. Microgames are even simpler and shorter than the minigames found in other games such as the Mario Party series. Gameplay in all WarioWare games is distinct from most other games, as they involve the player or players trying to beat the microgames as soon as possible. Most games present instructions in the form of a verb and quickly drop the player into the situation where they must perform said verb. The extremely stripped-down gameplay has intrigued some game researchers, who have used WarioWare both as a case study in understanding the relationship between rules and play in videogames, and as a target domain for investigating automated game design. All microgames are strung together in a random order within different "stages", each hosted by a different character. First, the player is presented with a quick one or two word instruction such as "Eat!" or "Rub!" Then, the microgame will appear and the player will have to complete the game according to the instruction. Microgames usually have only one task to complete. For example, in one microgame the player is told to "Enter!" and is presented with a scene from The Legend of Zelda. The player must use the directional buttons to move Link to a cave entrance before the time runs out. In another microgame, the player is told to "Avoid!" and must drive a car, avoiding oncoming traffic. Most microgames have a sound effect that signifies when the task is completed. The games by themselves are so brief so as to potentially demand the sharp reflexes of a quick-time event. Boss microgames always occur at a set point in a stage. They are usually more challenging than regular microgames, have no time limit (as described below), and give lives back upon completion. If a stage is played for the first time, it is completed after the boss microgame. The sound effect will usually play after the task is fulfilled, and then the score screen will return. On repeated plays, if the player has less than four lives, one will be restored. The unit of time for all microgames is beats. In Mega Microgames! and Twisted!, a standard microgame is 8 beats, double-length microgames (usually IQ-genre games) last 16 beats; Fronk's microgames in Twisted! and Gold only last 4 beats. In most games, the BPM will start out relatively slow and will increase as the player completes microgames. In WarioWare: Touched!, the 8-beat standard has been dropped for all microgames, so many last longer than 8 beats. This may be a way to make the game easier for those unaccustomed to the Nintendo DS's touch-screen interface. To retain pace, the microgames will automatically end if cleared before a four-beat measure is met. To show the time left to complete a microgame, a small "bomb" appears at the bottom of the screen. The fuse and a countdown timer show the amount of time left to complete the microgame. When time runs out, the bomb explodes and in most cases, the player loses a life. The fuse burns faster when the BPM increases. Some microgames are intrinsically harder than others, and an increased BPM (increased speed) will make any microgame more difficult to complete than the same microgame at a slower BPM. This is usually reflected in the microgames' "clear scores"—the score one must reach while playing a microgame in the practice modes to obtain credit for "clearing" it. (Smooth Moves and D.I.Y. lack this feature.) Each microgame features three difficulty levels. Most modes start at the easiest level, and progress to the next upon a "Level Up" (usually achieved after passing a boss microgame). Once the maximum level is reached, sequential "Level Up"s will typically be replaced by "Speed Up"s (an increase in BPM). Using the above The Legend of Zelda microgame as an example, the first version of this microgame usually places Link very close to the cave entrance that he must enter. The second version places the entrance further away and places an enemy that blocks Link, and the last version places the entrance yet further, and has a second enemy that shoots at Link from a lake. ==Characters==

There are two major types of character in the WarioWare series. The first are the WarioWare, Inc. developers, who both create and host the microgames. Each one has a unique theme or twist, depending on the game. For instance, Jimmy T.'s microgames in Twisted! are focused around large spins, while in Touched! his microgames involve rubbing objects with the stylus. The second group of characters often show up within the introduction cutscenes — the most notable being Fronk, who hosts "Pop-Up" microgames in Twisted! and Gold and pops up in the most unlikely of places. Major characters • is 9-Volt's mother and makes a few appearances in the WarioWare games. She is never fully seen until Game & Wario, and is a human like her son. 5-Volt lives along with her son and his pet Fronk in a house in Diamond City. She makes her first appearance in WarioWare: Twisted!, where she shouts at 9-Volt to go to bed since he was playing with 18-Volt all day. 5-Volt is seen only from behind, and from the knees down. After 9-Volt has gone to bed, he still furtively plays with his Game Boy Advance SP under the bedspread, but his mother catches him when she opens his room's door a second time. 5-Volt's silhouette is seen in the doorway. 5-Volt is seen again in WarioWare: Touched!, as a silhouette in the Game Over screen of 9-Volt and 18-Volt's stage. She watches her son and his friend eating cake. In Game and Wario, she has a more major role as the main obstacle in the “Gamer” minigame. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, she appears as a stage hazard in the Gamer stage. She appears again in WarioWare Gold with her own microgames that are all based on Nintendo games, just like 9-Volt's and 18-Volt's. Since Gold, she has been voiced by Cristina Vee in English and Ruriko Aoki in Japanese. • is a young Nintendo fanatic, owning everything ever made by Nintendo. 9-Volt's microgames are all based on Nintendo games as well as toys from when Nintendo was primarily a toy company. Since Gold, he has been voiced by Melissa Hutchison in English and Makoto Koichi Ashley also appears in Super Mario Maker as an unlockable Mystery Mushroom costume. Ashley reprised her role as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Since Gold, Ashley has been voiced by Erica Lindbeck in English and Ayaka Fukuhara in Japanese, while Red has been voiced by Tyler Shamy in English and Mako Muto in Japanese. • and are two developers who speak with Bronx accents. They also work as cabbies, and their cab, which was designed by Dr. Crygor, has the ability to go anywhere in the universe. Dribble is a large anthropomorphic bulldog with red hair. He is large, burly, and seems gruff, but he is actually quite calm and friendly. Spitz is a yellow anthropomorphic cat. He is always squinting and wears goggles. Their levels generally involve picking up a weird customer and forgetting to ask for the fare. Since Gold, Dribble has been voiced by Kyle Hebert in English and Yūma Kametani in Japanese, while Spitz has been voiced by Griffin Puatu in English and Kazuya Yamaguchi in Japanese. • is a quirky scientist whose inventions include his cryogenic suit, Mike, the karaoke robot that would "solve all his cleaning needs", the Super MakerMatic 21, and the Kelorometer diet machine. One of the character card descriptions in WarioWare Gold states that he is over 100 years old. He is the grandfather of Penny Crygor. In WarioWare: Touched, Dr. Crygor accidentally gets caught in his latest invention and is younger and more fit, with red accents to his costume, as well as a full helmet. These changes remain for a part of WarioWare: Smooth Moves. Since Gold, he has been voiced by Kyle Hebert in English and Kensuke Matsui in Japanese. • The are a strange, blocky, yellow species of creatures. They appear constantly throughout all the WarioWare games, both in microgames and cutscenes. 9-Volt apparently even keeps one of them as a pet, calling it "Shag." In addition to several varieties of yellow Fronk, there are also red and blue varieties; their faces vary individually from each other. Since Gold, 9-Volt's pet Fronk has been voiced by Todd Haberkorn in English and Kazuya Yamaguchi in Japanese. • is a man with a large blue afro wig, who is a disco dancing fanatic. Jimmy is always seen frequenting hot Diamond City night spots, particularly Club Sugar. His family, which also dances with him includes Papa T. and Mama T., and his brother and sister, James T. and Jamie T. He also has a doppelganger named Jimmy P. whose hair is a different color to his. Their levels often involve remixing the games from previous stages. Since Gold, he has been voiced by Vegas Trip in English and Yūma Kametani in Japanese. • and are kindergarten-aged ninja twins. Kat has pink hair with a single ponytail, while Ana has orange hair with two ponytails. They have four pets: Don the Sparrow, Shadow the Dog, Shuriken the Falcon, and Numchuck the Monkey. Kat & Ana make a cameo appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as Assist Trophy characters and regular trophies. Since Gold, Kat has been voiced by Stephanie Sheh in English and Maya Enoyoshi in Japanese, while Ana has been voiced by Fryda Wolff in English and Yui Matsuyama in Japanese. • is a young girl who made her appearance in WarioWare Gold and WarioWare: Get It Together!, coming from an isolated town called Luxeville. Despite her age, she is very smart and brave, considering how she's able to battle Wario Deluxe. Her goal in WarioWare Gold is to retrieve an artifact from her village stolen by Wario. She seems to view herself as a hero of sorts, as supported by her saying "Lulu...the greatest hero ever.." in her sleep during one of the cutscenes. She has been voiced by Alex Cazares in English and Mako Muto in Japanese. • is a karaoke robot made by Dr. Crygor. Despite being a robot built for karaoke, the slightly mad doctor programs him to be a cleaning robot. Eventually, Mike overrides his cleaning program with his karaoke program by blowing on a pile of dust. Since Gold, he has been voiced by Robbie Daymond in English and Ryōta Suzuki in Japanese. • is a high school student with different part-time jobs in each game. Mona is quite adventurous, cheerful and culturally savvy. She always seems to be late to wherever she is going, often speeds on her scooter to make up for lost time, and uses the assistance of her animal companions to stop anyone trying to slow her down. Her former occupations include working at a gelato shop, pizza delivery girl on Mona Pizza, bassist, football cheerleader, and a temple explorer. Also, Mona has a crush on Wario. Since Gold, she has been voiced by Stephanie Sheh in English and Ruriko Aoki in Japanese. • is an intelligent alien. He has an IQ of 300. The instruction manual for WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! and WarioWare Gold both imply that Orbulon was born in the year 0. Orbulon first wishes to conquer Earth, but after crash-landing on the planet, he settles into life on Earth and ends his mission of conquest. Since Gold, he has been voiced by Robbie Daymond in English and Shinya Hamazoe in Japanese. • is the granddaughter of Dr. Crygor and dreams of becoming a great scientist. Her stage in WarioWare Gold reveals that she also has a hidden desire to become a singer. Penny sees her grandfather as an excellent scientist, though she also recognizes his eccentric nature. Since Gold, she has been voiced by Fryda Wolff in English and Maya Enoyoshi in Japanese. • is a character that has his own game in almost every WarioWare title, each one varying in style. The original Pyoro game is Wario's inspiration to found WarioWare, Inc.. Pyoro resembles a round red bird with a white belly, short wings, and a very stretchy tongue. Pyoro 2 (from the GBA version) is the only game where Pyoro is yellow with a tail. Pyoro also appears as a title character in Bird & Beans, the DSi re-release. • is first introduced in WarioWare: Smooth Moves. He has flowing black hair with white streaks and a blue outfit. He practices martial arts and trains with his master, Master Mantis, in the hopes of becoming a kung-fu master. Since Gold, Young Cricket has been voiced by Robbie Daymond in English and Ryōta Suzuki in Japanese, while Master Mantis has been voiced by Owen Thomas in English and Shinya Hamazoe in Japanese. Minor characters • is a teenage girl who appears in 18-Volt's stage from WarioWare Gold. She steals a kid's video games, but 18-Volt gives them back after beating 13-Amp in a rap battle. 13-Amp has been voiced by Cristina Vee in English and Yui Matsuyama in Japanese. • 4.1 and 4.2 are Mona's two wolflike pets who made their first appearance in WarioWare: Touched! (2004). 4.1 and 4.2 only appear during Mona's story. When Vanessa sics The Dinosaurs, other members of her band, in their hawk-like plane on Mona when she travels to the Hawt House, they steal Art, a member of Mona's band, from her van. Pizza Joe comes in, along with her three other animals, to reclaim him. Unfortunately, Mona's animals fail miserably. Joe then distracts The Dinosaurs long enough for 4.1 and 4.2 to come in and use their soccer ball launcher on the Dinosaurs plane. Sadly, even they were unable to save Art from the Dinosaurs. 4.1 and 4.2 have not been seen since. • is a robot who appears in WarioWare Gold that was created by Dr. Crygor before Mike. While on an expedition in Agate Forest, Dr. Crygor and Mike encounter Doris 1, who chases Dr. Crygor for abandoning her. After that, they take her back to Dr. Crygor's Lab, where she is forgiven. She was voiced by Fryda Wolff in English and Makoto Koichi in Japanese. • is the owner of the Sweet Spot Bakery that Wario visits in the game WarioWare: Touched! (2004). After the dentist Dr. Payne told Wario to stay away from all sweets, (since he got a cavity from eating too many sweets) he left the Dental Clinic and picked up the scent from the bakery. Ignoring what the dentist said, Wario asked Bridget the Baker to give him 10 pies. After a few bites Wario got another cavity and the pain sent him all the way to the Dental Clinic. While he flew away, Bridget bid him goodbye with a friendly "Thank you, come again." • is a female trainee of martial arts, who battles Young Cricket disguised as the leader of a penguin army in WarioWare: Move It!. She has been voiced by Erica Lindbeck in English and Ruriko Aoki in Japanese. • is a demon who appears in WarioWare Gold who makes a monster very hungry. According to Red, he is never satisfied, mean and breathes fire. After being defeated by Ashley, he changes into a different person. His name is a play on the word "hungry". • is an anthropomorphic beagle who made his first appearance in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! (2004). He usually appears alongside Mona, often as a co-worker. Like Mona, he has several occupations throughout the series, such as a gelato shop worker and clothing store owner. Since Gold, he has been voiced by Kyle Hebert in English and Kō Takeuchi in Japanese. • is a pop singer from WarioWare: Touched!, her main appearance being as the antagonist of Mona's story, Cute Cuts. • is Diamond City's popular singer who made her first appearance in WarioWare: Twisted! (2004). She appears during Mona's storyline as the singer for Mona Pizza's commercial. == Reception and legacy ==

The Guardian likened the series’ format of quick, stripped-down challenges to the “interactive equivalent” of a punk song, emphasizing its speed and compulsive appeal. Commentary has also highlighted WarioWare’s reputation for formal experimentation with game structure and inputs. Writing about the series’ origins, The Guardian described the first WarioWare as an exercise in “gaming deconstruction” built around rapid instructions and five-second micro-games, and characterized later entries as iterating on the idea through different control schemes. In that context, Game Developer described the rapid-fire sequencing of microgames as a test of reflexes and concentration and noted that early entries were received warmly for their “unique and well-implemented” play mechanics. In Game Studies, Chaim Gingold argued that WarioWare functions as a “game about games” that foregrounds and distorts familiar design idioms through compressed, rapidly shifting microgames, making it useful for analyzing game design principles. More broadly, The Guardian has referred to WarioWare as a “popular” series in reporting on Nintendo announcements of new entries, reflecting its continued visibility within Nintendo’s catalog. == External links ==