WarioWare: Get It Together Review – Nintendo bad boy back to his best

Wario is back for his tenth WarioWare outing, and the garlic-loving madman is bringing over 200 microgames with him.

While Mario (justifiably) gets all the love, Wario has been somewhat absent throughout the Switch’s lifetime so far. Sure, he’s appeared in Super Smash Bros and Mario Sports titles, but the world wanted more – and they’ve got it with WarioWare: Get It Together.

Despite offering a somewhat limited experience playing solo, there’s nothing quite like it on Nintendo Switch – not only in terms of its vast collection of microgames but its absurd tone, too.

WarioWare: Get It Together – Key Details

• Price: $49.99
• Developer: Nintendo/Intelligent Systems
• Release Date: September 10, 2021
• Platforms: PS5 and PC

WarioWare: Get It Together Trailer

Wario’s startup company

Things kick off with Wario and his team of developers finishing up their work on a new game, but predictably go south when the mustachioed menace can’t get the thing to turn on. After being dragged into the game world, along with his team, Wario needs to work his way through the game’s story mode to recruit his team’s virtual selves and clear out bugs.

As is par for the franchise, this involves playing a series of elaborate microgames that involve such bizarre tasks as plucking armpit hair, blocking noses, and removing face masks from people. It’s bizarre, colorful, and uniquely Wario, and while each of the microgames features a new objective, controlling Wario and his team is simple since each one uses just a control stick and a single button – perfect for the Switch’s detachable joy-con controllers.

The formula here is much the same as it’s always been – players complete each task within a few seconds, and it’s onto the next. Once you’ve completed the required number, you can take on the boss. These last a little longer than microgames, but they’re just as fun – it’s a strange feeling to get to a boss battle and know you have a few extra seconds to plan your next move.

Microgames are a team sport

The biggest difference from the franchise’s prior entries are the addition of Wario’s cohorts as playable characters. These are no mere reskins, either, as characters have not only their own unique moves, but each handle movement in a different way, too.

Take early-game addition 18-Volt, for example. While Wario can jetpack around, 18-Volt is a completely stationary character that fires off projectiles. Then there’s Mona, who can fling a boomerang that can actually grab objects for her in some microgames, or hit enemies in others, but she can’t stop – she has to keep moving.

It adds a whole new dimension to each microgame, whether you’re playing cooperatively or competitively because while you pick your team at the start of a section, they’ll rotate throughout. So while you may be a dab hand at the toothpaste squeezing microgame when you have Wario’s jetpack, you’ll need to think differently (in the space of a few seconds) when using a character like Dribble or Spitz that can only fire in one direction.

It does make the first time completing any of the game’s tasks feel a bit like re-learning how to play from scratch, only with a very short timer, but it adds to the frenetic pace of WarioWare. Thankfully, you can get some practice in with any character on any stage in the Break Room, and with over 200 to choose from, there are bound to be more than a few favorites.

The spice of life

Aside from the story mode and Break Room, there’s plenty more here. The game’s Variety Pack, perfect for four-player party sessions, features a mix of more traditional multiplayer modes (including volleyball) and some of WarioWare’s more bizarre options like a commuting-themed platform adventure called Daily Grind.

WarioWare’s strength has always been in its gameplay variety, and that’s aptly felt here, and makes it a perfect palette cleanser for friendship groups that are done with Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

Sadly, online play is a little limited, with just one mode – Wario Cup. While much of WarioWare’s madness ensues from having multiple players on-screen at once, Wario Cup eschews this in favor of a score attack style where you compete on online leaderboards and attempt to knock off weekly challenges. It’s not bad, it’s just not WarioWare – although it does open up additional customization options for your motley crew.

Rating: 8/10

WarioWare: Get It Together is absolutely full of content that ranges from the ridiculous to the sublime and marks the franchise’s strongest entry yet. Additional playable characters increase the chaos, while a huge number of microgames and modes are a great way to spend the upcoming Autumn nights with friends. While we’d have liked more in the way of online functionality, Wario is definitely back – and better than ever.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch