WarioWare Twisted! Review

By Kristan Reed Published 8 June, 2005

Handheld game of the summer.

Version tested: GameBoy Advance

What a year it's been for Nintendo. These days, when the reborn, revitalised Japanese gaming veteran proclaims in its blurb that its latest GBA game is "unlike anything else out there" you'd better believe it.

If Nintendo is not busily commissioning arch music experimental weirdness like Electroplankton and Jam With The Band, it's reinventing the control system and user interface entirely with games like Yoshi's Universal Gravitation or producing touch-screen consoles with a microphone for voice input. Goodness only knows what it's got in store for the Revolution, but we'll be among the first in the queue to find out.

While we await that particular phase of its ongoing attempt to completely differentiate itself from everyone else, what better than a GBA title featuring over 200 microgames controllable via a gyro sensor built into the game's cartridge, which the player literally twists to navigate around the field of play?

Spirit of crazy adventure

Has this craziness gone too far, or is Nintendo to be applauded for its spirit of adventure? That, we intended to find out.

To put things in perspective, this is actually the fourth WarioWare title of the last two years (if we add the Cube version to the equation), with Twisted arguably the 'proper' follow up to our favourite handheld game of 2003, WarioWare Inc. following the slightly disappointing DS experiment that was WarioWare Touched!, a somewhat unsatisfyingly easy touch-screen take on the alarmingly addictive microgame concept.

But although Twisted is also similarly shackled with a degree of novelty value that slightly contrives the gameplay in a specific direction, the challenge and invention is simply that much greater to make it a somewhat longer lasting affair. As such, just a few minutes in its company marks it out as the perfect companion to see any handheld gamer through the (hopefully) hot summer months ahead.

At this point we ought to clarify that Nintendo has recently seen fit to delay the European release until September, but for English speakers it's well worth considering picking this newly released US version up from your favourite importer - at probably no more than you'll pay for it in three month's time, bear in mind. Cough, splutter, etc.

Wariode

'WarioWare Twisted!' Screenshot 1

For newcomers to this whole WarioWare affair (and the depressingly low sales of the 2003 original and Cube companion release suggest this is most of you, so get to the back of the class!) it's probably only fair we explain what the fuss and general degree of dewy-eyed reverence is all about. Essentially all you do is play through a sequence of five-second 'microgames' or short, haphazardly presented snatches of gameplay from a bizarre array of contexts, which you must successfully complete one after the other. These are generally so simple (in both a presentational sense and in terms of concept) as to be laughable out of context: when literally 20 seconds of gaming can amount to wafting a butterfly net, pulling an alien's mouth to one side to feed it, shooting an alien in an old NES game, waving a windscreen wiper left and right, and shaving a man's chin you know this is no ordinary game we're dealing with.

At the start of each 'round' (if that's even relevant or appropriate here) you have four 'lives' which gives you the chance to progress to the inevitable boss face off, which normally kicks in somewhere between the 15 and 25 point mark. As with the Microgames, the boss encounters are every bit as randomly surreal as anything else. One time you might be faced with guiding a plane between basic obstacles, another time trying to keep a man from toppling over. It's such a completely random selection of half-baked ideas you'd imagine it could never work. But precisely the thing that makes it work is that it's such a random selection of half-baked ideas. It's like you and you mates got together with a beermat and a pen and scribbled down the first things that came into your head and just went home that night and made little Flash games out of them for fun.

Of course, it's not quite as simple as that - although the concepting process reputedly was. The intoxicating structure that worked so brilliantly last time out, with the pressure of time and giddy excitement makes it something that literally anyone can pick up, play and understand within seconds. It's like a sort of quickfire test of our gaming skills that a mad professor would come up with to profile our hand to eye co-ordination, only with a sense of humour.

Twisting the night away

'WarioWare Twisted!' Screenshot 2

What makes Twisted more intriguing than any previous WarioWare is the way the gyro sensor has been seamlessly integrated into the gameplay, how beautifully sensitive it is, how beguiling it becomes and how much twisting your GBA around makes you look like a prat. As Rob so eloquently observed: you look like a moron playing it. You can't help but laugh at not only what you're seeing, but what you're doing. There are few handheld games that have ever done this, that's for sure.

But it's so much more than a mere novelty. It's a game that measures your responses so well it makes other analogue systems feel genuinely clumsy. Even tiny movements are picked up, so twisting your GBA in a full 360 motion (as is required at times) is picked up exactly, at precisely the rate you move it.

One game even requires that you simply stay still. Again, the slightest twitch sends the balancing act awry, and no other control system could have ever managed that. In many senses WarioWare Twisted is utterly unique, brilliantly implemented and full of surprises. As GBA purchases go, the recommendation comes no higher than this. It may not be the longest lasting game ever, you might rip through the main story modes and roll your eyes at the silly unlockables that are among the most pointless items ever seen in a videogame, but it's a game you'll always remember with a smile - and that's all you can ask from a game.

9 / 10

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Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (34) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • steven #1 7 years ago

    Hmmm now if only it were out here.

    I really liked Touched, so hearing that this is much better just makes me shiver with excitement.

  • JHuxley #2 7 years ago

    Almost makes me want to buy a DS (no, I don't own a PSP either...not enough games I really want to play to quite justify buying either system yet).

  • trevd72 #3 7 years ago

    go to www.importmadness.co. uk they have it for £20 with postage. the game price is under £18 so no customs sting. dont complain about september do something about it and buy it now. I have.

  • abeit #4 7 years ago

    Does this work on a DS?

    with all the tilt sensor required for the game.

  • mechamonkey #5 7 years ago

    yes it does, perfectly

  • Fozzie_bear #6 7 years ago

    DS version disappointing? I loved it! As did Mrs Bear and the kids. Much better than the original i thought.

  • #7 7 years ago

    Ordering now... Thanks for the 'cough', 'splutter', etc :)

    EDIT: I ordered it on tromix(AKA 'Cough'), $30 + $13 For International Fedex (They claim it's 3 day delivery!)

    /never imported before.

    OMFG! Have you seen the games they have there?!
    Edited by 2 at 08/06/05 @ 13:40

  • Tabasco #8 7 years ago

    So this is pretty much the same game as WW Touched but using the gyro instead of the touch screen yes? Touched was a good little game that just did not last at all...Took me 2 nights (Not days) to unlock everything....Bloody 30 quid my arse!

  • krudster #9 7 years ago

    Well, it's the same *type* of game - but all the microgames are new and the control system is completely unique.

  • JayG #10 7 years ago

    I ordered it on Import Madness on Thursday, and recieved it yesterday. (In Switzerland). Probably would have spent the day playing except that I got GTA:SA yesterday as well.

  • bionutz #11 7 years ago

    Djinni where did you buy it from, that's a very good price?

  • Tweakmonkey #12 7 years ago

    I'm ashamed to say I'm still playing the original although I've nearly unlocked everything now at least :-)

  • FairgroundTown #13 7 years ago

    I love the original (it is in my GBA right now) and this is great in principle, but... I fear I'd be unable to play it on the train/ at the airport/ while driving*, so I guess I'll be giving it a miss.

    (* Joke)

  • FairgroundTown #14 7 years ago

    One other thought - how many times can you drop a GBA-SP before it becomes... how shall we put it... "unhappy"? Because I fear this might be an issue too.

  • Zuiyo #15 7 years ago

    I dropped mine once, and not from my hand to the floor but from the upper deck of a London bus to the ground. It even hit the steps a couple of times. It hit so hard the cartridge was expelled. It was barely scratched and has continued to work perfect. They are tough built.

  • Dougs #16 7 years ago

    Mine's on its way from VGP as we speak. Can't wait, didn't play the original, but loved Touched on the DS. Had me grinning like an idiot as never before, so I expect big things from Twisted!

    Edit: Speeling.
    Edited by 1 at 08/06/05 @ 15:44

  • #17 7 years ago

    BIONUTS... I got it from:
    http://www.tronixweb.com/shopsite_sc/store/htm l/gbasoftwarq-z.html (Scroll down)

  • Indigo #18 7 years ago

    I've decided to import. I've ordered my copy from Import Madness

  • Tweakmonkey #19 7 years ago

    I dropped mine once, and not from my hand to the floor but from the upper deck of a London bus to the ground

    lol - i can't even imagine how that is possible but well done!

  • Huntcjna #20 7 years ago

    Well I have ordered the new fire emblem because I have twisted already and its pretty damn sweet but thanks for the link to tronix never knew they existed

  • Burton2000 #21 7 years ago

    you have the new fire emblem is it available in america now im definatly getin it

  • otto #22 7 years ago

    Was sooo tempted to pick this up at lunchtime, but... I didn't. I did fondle the box for a minute or two though... (matron).

  • chronom4n #23 7 years ago

    this is the perfect game to play during loading screens of lets say.... gta sa

  • beep #24 7 years ago

    this is the perfect game to play during loading screens of
    lets say.... gta sa

    ...or a PSP game ;)

  • wyldkard #25 7 years ago

    What's the deal with September? Warioware Twisted has been released over here (Australia) I saw in on the shelves at EB and Big W the other day! I thought we only received games after they are released in Europe...

    BTW my fiance and I love Touched and are continually playing it constantly trying to get higher scores.

  • krudster #26 7 years ago

    "Localisation issues" says the Big N. We did a story on this last week in fact.

  • Darkedge #27 7 years ago

    localisation? for an identical console to the rest of the world, the same language as america and australia (spelling problems yanks have aside) its purely nintendo don't give a shit about europe - or more accurately the UK as the english version could be launched but not a european one.

  • krudster #28 7 years ago

    Very good point. Personally I think it's less to do with localisation and more to do with making sure Nintendo has a strong line up when PSP launches in Europe.

  • smelly #29 7 years ago

    "Personally I think it's less to do with localisation and more to do with making sure Nintendo has a strong line up when PSP launches in Europe."

    Wouldnt blame them if that were true...

    Have you seen the DS launch lineup for september?!?

  • #30 7 years ago

    Nintendo worried about the PSP release? that's 'easy' to fix:

    Release Nintendos, Pink DS and Animal crossing. Add Advance Wars DS too maybe.

    Oh wait a minute....!

  • captain-future #31 7 years ago

    and I still don't get it. I never warmed to games like WarioWare yet many people seem to genuinely like it.

    /shrugs.

  • Burton2000 #32 7 years ago

    warior ware inc on cube is awsome in 4 player god playing the turtle tower game is sooooo fun

  • #33 7 years ago

    Look how fast you can get it from the States! It's already in my Town (It may already be at home for all I know)...

    Ordered on June 8th (at lunchtime). Here in England in my town on the 10th since 7:30am this morning.

    Edit: It was here waiting when I got home... Fantastic so far...
    Edited by 1 at 10/06/05 @ 22:18

  • #34 7 years ago

    I still don't get it. I never warmed to games like WarioWare yet many people seem to genuinely like it.

    /shrugs.

    Aye aye captain! (sorry).

    Just got my hands on WarioWare Touched (my first WarioWare game and prob. my last) and....meh.

    /scratches head and wonders what all the fuss is about

    There's just no sense of achievement or progress whatsoever. I think it would've worked better had there been no time limit and more points are awarded the faster any given micro-game is completed. But even then I doubt it would hold my attention for anything longer than a couple-of-minutes.

    I think this kind of game would work perfectly in an amusement arcade.

    Oh well - back to eBay it goes, from whence it came....