WarioWare: Move It! Needs a Full Room
WarioWare: Move It! is a party game that happens to be a WarioWare game, and buying it to play alone is a mistake. The story mode is three to four hours long. The microgames are the point, and they need people in the room, a Joy-Con pair for each of them, and floor space to swing their arms in.
If you have all three, it is the easiest game on Switch to hand to someone who does not play games. If you do not, buy something else.
Overview
WarioWare: Move It! is the latest addition to the beloved WarioWare series. Known for its fast-paced, microgame madness, this installment throws players into a whirlwind of quirky challenges that will have you flailing, wiggling, and dancing your way to victory. Whether you’re playing solo or with friends, be prepared for non-stop laughter and a fair bit of sweat.
Gameplay
Microgame Mania
The core of WarioWare: Move It! is its collection of microgames, each lasting mere seconds. You’ll be tasked with completing hilariously absurd objectives like dodging flying fruit, shaking bugs off your screen, or even pretending to be a sumo wrestler. The frantic pace and sheer variety keep you on your toes.
Overthinking is the losing strategy. Each microgame gives you a one-word instruction and a couple of seconds, so the instinctive movement is usually the right one and hesitation costs the round outright.
Multiplayer Madness
WarioWare: Move It! shines brightest when played with friends. The multiplayer mode offers a range of competitive and cooperative challenges that will test your reflexes and your ability to laugh off embarrassing moments. It’s the ultimate party game for those who want to turn game night into a workout session.
Graphics and Sound
Visuals
The graphics are vibrant and cartoonish, perfectly matching the game’s chaotic vibe. Wario and his gang look better than ever, with exaggerated animations that add to the hilarity.
Audio
From catchy tunes to quirky sound effects, the audio in WarioWare: Move It! enhances the experience. Each microgame has its own unique soundscape that pulls you into its crazy world.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Good
- Variety: over 200 microgames, each a few seconds long, and the pool is wide enough that repeats do not start grating until well into a session.
- Multiplayer Magic: Perfect for parties and game nights.
- Quirky Humor: Wario’s antics will leave you in stitches.
The Bad
- Joy-Con Fatigue: Your arms might feel like jelly after a long session.
- Short Sessions: Each microgame is brief, which may frustrate those looking for longer challenges.
The Ugly
- Room for Chaos: Playing this game in a crowded room can lead to broken belongings and bruised friendships.
Should You Buy It?
If you’re a fan of the WarioWare series or love party games that combine laughter with a bit of physical activity, WarioWare: Move It! is a must-have. It’s not just a game; it’s a full-body experience that’ll have you and your friends laughing until your sides hurt.
The Form Stones
The structural idea that separates this from the rest of the series is the set of poses. Before each microgame the screen shows you a stance — arms out, Joy-Con held at the hip, hands above your head — and you have to be in it before the microgame starts. The microgame then reinterprets that pose as something absurd. A few of them use the infrared camera in the right Joy-Con instead of the motion sensors.
It solves the problem that killed motion controls in most party games, which is that players cannot tell what the game expects of them. Here the game puts your hands in the right place first, and the joke is what it does with them afterwards. It also means someone who has never touched a Switch can be handed a Joy-Con and be competitive inside thirty seconds, which is the entire job description of a party game.
This is the same idea WarioWare: Smooth Moves had on the Wii in 2006, where the Remote was held in named forms. Move It! is a direct follow-up to that game rather than to the handheld entries, and Intelligent Systems developed both.
Where it falls down
The Joy-Con requirement is strict: one in each hand, per player. Two people can play with the pair that came with the console, but a four-player Party Mode session needs four Joy-Con and a way to keep them charged, which is a real cost on top of the game.
There is no handheld mode worth the name. A game built on standing up and moving your arms cannot be played on a train, which removes the single biggest advantage the console has over the alternatives.
And the story mode is short and not especially good on its own. It exists to unlock content, and the writing between stages is thinner than in the better entries in the series.
Content and Longevity
The game includes over 200 microgames spread across multiple themed stages, each introducing new motion poses that players must adopt before the microgame begins. The story mode takes approximately 3 to 4 hours to complete on a first playthrough, unlocking all microgames for freeplay and multiplayer modes afterward. Once story mode is finished, the replay value comes from chasing high scores, competing in multiplayer challenges, and discovering the hidden microgame variations that only appear at higher difficulty levels. The synced co-op mode is built for exactly two players, each holding one Joy-Con and having to match the other’s movement, while Party Mode takes up to four and rotates the controllers between rounds. The rotation works socially, but it does mean part of the room is watching at any given moment.
Physical Space Requirements
Unlike typical Switch games played from the couch, WarioWare: Move It demands significant physical space. Players need roughly 2 meters of clearance in all directions to perform the required poses safely without striking furniture, walls, or other players. The game’s motion detection uses both Joy-Con gyroscopes simultaneously, requiring players to hold one in each hand for most microgames. For families with limited living room space, relocating to a larger room or moving furniture before sessions is practically mandatory. The game does include seated alternatives for some poses, but the full experience requires standing and moving freely.
Who Should Buy This
WarioWare: Move It is best suited for social gatherings where physical comedy and competitive energy are the goal. Groups that enjoy games like Just Dance or Ring Fit Adventure will find familiar appeal here, though the format is faster-paced and less structured. Solo players will exhaust the story content relatively quickly, making this primarily a multiplayer purchase for most buyers.
Verdict
Eight out of ten as a party game, and considerably less than that as a purchase for one person. Buy it if you host, if you have the Joy-Con and the floor, and if the people you play with are the sort who will stand up. It asks nothing of them and gets more out of a room than almost anything else on the console.
Skip it if your gaming happens on a sofa, if you own two Joy-Con and no more, or if you are buying it to play alone. None of those are edge cases, and the game accommodates none of them.
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