Wario Ware is a series well known for its insane mini games that are thrown at the player quickly one after the other. This doesn’t differ in the Wii iteration of the game and is if anything exemplified by the use of the Wii control. Much like the Gamecube version of Wario Ware, Smooth Moves puts the focus on multiplayer, which is perfect for a system like the Wii.
When you first start the game you’ll see that there’s a multiplayer and single player option. However, the multiplayer is locked until someone clears the single player mode. It’s not necessarily a bad thing though as the single player is a bit like an extended tutorial that you’ll finish up pretty quickly. Going through the one player mode is hardly a chore though, and it’ll have you smiling all the way to the end.
What you first notice about Smooth Moves is the first-rate presentation. Each level preludes and ends with a small movie revolving around whatever character’s level it is. These movies are great, colourful and sharp, very much like a Saturday cartoon. The stories are extremely well executed with great animation and humour. Keeping to the humour of the game, each time a new way to use the Wii remote pops up, it is introduced by a rather depressed sounding man talking a load of nonsense. It’s incredibly simple yet genuinely funny at the same time. They do slow the pace of the game down a bit, but it’ll only happen the first time you come across a new form (a way to hold the Wii remote). You’ll even unlock a movie theatre to watch most of these movies in. I say most because unfortunately for some reason you can only watch introductions to characters and the resolution of each story. The sound is also up to par with a good quality sound track and satisfying uses of the Wii remote’s speaker.
The levels themselves consist of micro games that last about 5 seconds each. Each game has a great art style, ranging from hand drawn stuff to real life pictures. The eclectic mix of different art directions really helps the game not to get boring and grab the player’s attention. These games get the player to hold the Wii remote a variety of different ways, or forms as the game calls them. Each game is unique and entertaining, not only for you but also for those watching you. With over 200 micro games, you’ll be doing everything from jumping over a skipping rope to pulling out the master sword. You also wont see every game on your first time through, so if you want to get the most out of the game, you’ll go back to see everything. They’re all fun to do and some will even make you laugh out loud from the zaniness. The boss battles are also pretty well thought-out, superb sequences. You’ll be driving cars, having sword fights and even dancing, just to name a few. You’ll want to replay some
of these - because they’re just that good.
There are a few problems with some of the micro games though. At some point you’ll encounter at least two were you won’t know what you’re supposed to do, no matter how hard you try. To help solve this there’s a ‘dojo’ where you can practice all the games you’ve encountered and eventually work them out. A small number of games don’t seem as responsive as well, but this isn’t really a problem for the most part, and they still work to some degree anyway. It can be a bit frustrating though, when you only have one life left and you just happen to get that micro game you can’t get to work quick enough. Overall though the games are solid and fun, with only probably 5% not being the best they could be.
As you go through the story mode, which will take around 2 hours, you’ll unlock some mini games similar to what you do in the main game. One game Tower Tennis sees you bouncing a tennis ball up a tower, breaking through blocks and avoiding obstacles on the way. None of these games are particularly good though and you’ll want to just play the normal game instead.
When you do finish the story mode, the multiplayer is unlocked. Multiplayer is where this game shines. It’ a laugh making your mates look like idiots trying desperately to pass their micro game. Like the story mode, there’s more than just the standard game to play. You won’t play all of them that much, but they are nice additions to the game. There are three modes that are unique from each other in the game. These are Darts, Star Nose and Bungee Buddies. Darts is simply a game of darts. You use the remote to throw the darts, like in real life. It works well and is pretty fun. Star Nose is a game that requires the nunchuck to be attached. One player holds the nunchuck and the other, the Wii remote. The game pits players against each other in a race to eat fruit… in… noses. You’ll have to avoid crashing as well otherwise you lose. It’s pretty simple and entertaining for the first couple of times you do it, but ends up a bit boring. Bungee Buddies also sees two players sharing the nunchuck and the Wii remote. On screen you’re represented together as two small people tethered together by the Wii remote. You’ll have to jump over holes and see how far you can get together. This game is fun and actually a bit challenging.
The other three multiplayer modes are all different takes on the main game. All of them use Mii functionality well. Survival is where everyone takes turns to do a micro-game and if you fail, you’re out. This is a great pick for parties as it supports up to 12 players. Lifeline has players taking turns to again, but this time there’s a set number of levels and you accumulate points till the levels are over. When it does finish depending on how well you’ve done, you’ll have a number of ropes holding you up above water. Each player takes turns to cut a rope, however nobody knows what rope leads to what person. Bomb, again has the players taking turns. Like in Survival mode if you mess up your turn, it’s game over. However players get to choose what from their opponent has to do and once a form’s already been chosen, it gets increasingly difficult. This adds strategy to the game, but you have to choose quickly otherwise the bomb will go and you’ll lose. These three modes are pretty much the same thing but with different variables to suite every player’s needs. For example, if you have a lot of friends over, you’ll want to choose Survival. Whereas if you have fewer friends round you might want to choose Bomb instead. All these modes are seriously fun to play with your mates and make the game shine.
Wario Ware is a great game that reminds you why you bought the Wii, which is pretty important during the slow winter of gaming. It uses the Wii remote in a terrific number of excellent ways, offering a glimpse of what’s to come in the future of Wii gaming. Not only that, but it’s incredibly fun to play, especially with friends. However, if you’re looking for a game that’ll last you a while, your mileage may vary. For a lot of people if you don’t have a lot of friends, you’ll finish this game and probably not pick it up again for a long time. That being said beating high scores and unlocking aver last micro game will lengthen the longevity of the game quite a bit. If you do think this game will bore you after a while, it’s at least worth a rental, just to experience what the Wii is about – new ways to have fun.
Gameplay: 9 – Great use of the Wii remote, couple with fun and engaging games
Graphics: 8 – This game isn’t trying to push polys but it defiantly looks great in a number of ways
Sound: 8 – Great sound throughout with an exceptional soundtrack to boot
Content: 7 – The game attempts to lengthen itself quite a bit and succeeds for the most part
Replay Value: 6 – A ton of multiplayer fun to be had, but if you’re by yourself there’s not a great reason to come back to it
Final Score: 8
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