Video Game Review – WarioWare DIY

I have been a fan of WarioWare franchise video games since the Gameboy advance. These games are very casual arcade style “micro-games.” A micro-game is one screen where you must accomplish a goal. It’s impossible to capture what this is to do it justice. My favorite example is when you must insert a laterally moving finger into a stationary nose by hitting a button at the right time.

Needless to say, with the quirk factor very high, these games are always fun. They are also rare to find years after their release. So whenever I see a new installment, I always buy it right away. (for example, the Wii Version – WarioWare Smooth Moves retails for far much more than a standard Wii game right now – $73.99 on amazon.com)

I saw WarioWare D.I.Y. for Nintendo DS in Best buy for $34.99 two weeks ago, and, on impulse, I bought it.

The game is really geared toward making your own micro-games. I will return to this point later. As far as pre-programmed micro-games, alot of the standard games and characters reappear, and a few new ones join the party. All of the games, for the most part, focus on touching the stylus to the touch screen at the perfect time. None make use of the microphone or any of the buttons (or for that matter the cameras on the DSi, not that this was a DSi game). Every day that you play, you unlock a different characters levels. My favorite is 9 Volt, who’s micro-games are basically classic NES and SNES games. There are a few more unlockables if you find all of the microgames for a character or reach certain levels.

What’s included out of the box is formidable and kept me busy for a good week to unlock everything, but there is a whole world in designing your own games that I was just not ready for. There are a bunch of tutorials and even modules where you create games based on a template. The main tools are a port of Mario Paint from SNES; it would make alot of fanboys happy to hear that. They even set you off on your own with a blank canvas and let you do whatever you want. You can save and even upload your levels.

When I went to download levels, I found that there weren’t many up there, they must be moderating them to keep the quality high. The ones I did download were actually not bad. For these two features, the replay factor is high for someone who would want to dedicate time to making levels and critiquing levels made by other users.

I just don’t have the time for all that.

I give WarioWare D.I.Y. 3 out of 5 stars.