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WarioWare: Smooth Moves

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Template:Infobox WarioWare: Smooth Moves, known as Odoru Made in Wario (おどるメイド イン ワリオ Odoru meido in Wario, lit. "Dance! Made in Wario") in Japan, is the fifth game in the WarioWare series. It was released for the Wii, in Europe on January 12, 2007 and in North America on January 15, 2007. It features many of the characters from previous games in the series, such as Mona and 9-Volt, while also including new characters, such as Young Cricket and Master Mantis. This game takes full advantage of the Wii Remote. Microgames are played by placing the Wii Remote in numerous positions, called Forms in-game, which often results in the player being required to perform odd actions. Alongside the microgames are several longer minigames, some of which can be played with friends.

Story

Image Host/Microgame Set Name Host Greeting
Wario's title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Wario
Mysterious Form Baton Found!
"BWAHAHAHA!!! Waaaario here! The other day, I found this crazy stick-thing in these old ruins. I just KNOW it's worth something! All I gotta do now is figure out how it works."
Wario's Story:
One day, while Wario is at home, eating a pile of cakes, a creature called a Splunk suddenly steals all of his food. Angered, Wario chases the Splunk all the way to the Temple of Form and comes across the Form Baton. Wario picks the strange object up and inadvertently sets off a boulder that starts rolling after him. He narrowly escapes the rock and as he leaves the temple, he gloats about his newly-discovered treasure.
Mona's title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Mona
Cheerleading to Victory
"Ciao! I'm Mona! I'm captain of the cheerleading squad, so I know all about form AND batons! Now all I need is an awesome finishing pose!"
Mona's Story:
Mona, late for an American football game with the Diamond City Roughs against The Dinosaurs, speeds down the streets on her scooter. As she leads the cheerleading routine alongside the rest of the Monettes, one of the football players (who has a crush on her) gets momentarily distracted before returning his focus on the game. As the Monettes finish their routine, the game is down to only a few seconds. The football player receives the ball and, through the motivation of his crush on Mona, charges through the opposing players and scores a touchdown, winning the game for his team. Later, he tries to admit his attraction for Mona, but gets too nervous and ends up startling another Monette while Mona rides off on her scooter.
Kat & Ana's title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Kat and Ana
Evil Attacks Diamond Dojo!
"Hiya! It's me, Kat!" "Ana's here, too!" "We're practicing our forms, 'cause serious ninjas have to know how to move fast!"
Kat and Ana's Story:
An enormous, red monster called an Elephant Ogre is shown attacking the Diamond Dojo, with the Sensei looking worriedly. Kat and Ana immediately start running towards the dojo and split up. Ana enters the dojo and uses her ninjustsu to split herself into four turtles. After navigating the rooms of the dojo, Ana enters the Sensei's room to find a small, red monster called a Little Ogre pulling at the Sensei's hair. Meanwhile, Kat is in the middle of fighting against the Elephant Ogre when the Little Ogre calls out for the fighting to stop. Afterwards, the Elephant Ogre goes off with what looks like the Little Ogre as Kat waves them goodbye. It is soon revealed that the Little Ogre is with Kat and that Ana was mistakenly taken by the Elephant Ogre.
Young Cricket & Master Mantis's title card in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Young Cricket and Master Mantis
Enter Young Cricket
"Good to meet you! People call me Young Cricket. As part of my kung-fu training, Master Mantis and I travel around in search of new stances."
Young Cricket and Master Mantis' Story:
Young Cricket and Master Mantis, hungry from their travels, smell a nearby stand, run by Mona, Mona's Elephant, Mona's Monkey, Mona's Pig, Art and Deco, and Manager Joe, selling pork buns, with a long line of people waiting to be served. Young Cricket quickly starts to run across the heads of the waiting people to get to the front. As he makes it to the front, the people behind him become annoyed due to their bruised heads. Young Cricket realizes this and walks over their heads again, back to the end of the line, and tells Master Mantis to get in line with him.
Jimmy T.'s title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Jimmy T.
Feline Fever
"YO! YO! Jimmy T. in the house! I remixed all the moves you've learned so far! Get ready to get down!"
Jimmy T.'s Story:
While walking down a rainy street, Jimmy sees a cat hiding behind a trash can. Smiling, he props his umbrella above the cat so that it is protected from the weather. As Jimmy continues to walk down the street, the same cat starts to follow him before a bunch of other cats do the same. Soon enough, Jimmy starts to dance, with all of the cats acting as background dancers. They soon take their dancing to Club Sugar. After they finish dancing, all the cats walk out of the club, and as Jimmy watches them leave, the first cat taps him on the back and gives him back his umbrella.
Ashley & Red's title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Ashley and Red
The Loquacious Spell Book
"I'm Ashley. This is Red. I know all about forms, but who needs forms when you have magic? I'll watch you do them instead."
Ashley and Red's Story:
Inside the library of Ashley's House, Ashley and Red try to figure out how to make a monster plant. After reading through a book, Red turns into a magic wand that Ashley uses to zap a potted plant. The sapling in the plant quickly grows into a normal flower. Ashley gets irritated by the failure of her experiment, but the Chatty Mr. Spell Book enters and says that he has an idea. A bit of times passes, and the Spell Book says that she's now ready. She fires the spell at a second potted plant, which very quickly grows into a monstrous plant that grows so large, it breaks through the walls and roof of the mansion. As Red cowers in fear, Ashley gives a little smile.
Dribble & Spitz's title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Dribble and Spitz
Tomorrow Hill
"Dribble here. Good to meet ya." "Yeah, and I'm Spitz." "Our cab will take you anywhere you wanna go! So, where to today?"
Dribble and Spitz's Story:
As Dribble and Spitz wash their taxi, a young woman walks up to them and asks if she can get a ride. When they're all in the car, she says that she wants to go to Tomorrow Hill. Dribble revs up the car and takes it on the road while Spitz turns on the radio. Once they've arrived at their destination, the woman leaves the taxi and starts to walk towards the edge of the hill. Dribble and Spitz are soon stupefied when an enormous UFO flies in front of the hill and the woman transforms into an alien. As she's beamed back onto the ship, she waves goodbye to her drivers before the ship flies away. As the spaceship leaves, Spitz realizes that the woman didn't pay her fare.
Penny's title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Penny
The Invent-Off
"Hi there. I'm Penny Crygor. You probably know my grandpa 'cause he's a famous inventor. I wanna be just like him, so I spend most of my time in the lab at school!"
Penny's Story:
At the Diamond Academy, Penny and her grandfather, Dr. Crygor, prepare for a competition known as the "Invent-Off" in a wrestling ring. Penny tells her uncle to watch out after initiating her competition sequence. Mike is seen cheering from Dr. Crygor's side of the ring, and an audience of what appear to be Mr. Game & Watches are cheering from outside the ring. A screen in the middle starts to display Penny's invention, a Wario-themed motorbike. After some time has passed, Penny shows off her completed invention, wowing her grandfather and causing him to admit defeat. With Penny declared the winner, she, her grandfather, and Mike all start to sing while her invention rides around.
9-Volt and 18-Volt's title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves 9-Volt and 18-Volt
The Multiplayer Test
"'Sup! 9-Volt here. I'm Nintendo's #1 fan! I've got a ton of old games! Stop by and give 'em a whirl!"
9-Volt and 18-Volt's Story:
At 9-Volt's House, 9-Volt is showing off his new Game & Watch to 18-Volt. 9-Volt starts to play it, and 18-Volt gets jealous, causing him to grab one of the sides. As the two of them pull, the Game & Watch breaks in half. Angered, 9-Volt shouts at 18-Volt to get out his house. Later, 18-Volt goes to Toy Express to look for a replacement Game & Watch, but does not find one. Across the street, he notices a shop (run by Shop Manager Iwata) that has gained some attention. Soon enough, Iwata shows off a Game & Watch, and 18-Volt reaches for it. He then notices that 9-Volt is next to him, also reaching for it, and the two soon reconcile.
Jimmy P.'s title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Jimmy P.
Canine Crazed
"YO! YO! Jimmy P. in the house! I remixed all the moves you've learned so far! Get ready to get down! What's that? I remind you of someone? I have no idea what you're talking about."
Jimmy P.'s Story:
While walking down a sunny street, Jimmy sees a dog hiding behind a trash can. Smiling, he gives a bone to the dog, and the dog happily barks in response. As Jimmy continues to walk down the street, the same dog starts to follow him before a bunch of other dogs do the same. Soon enough, Jimmy starts to dance, with all of the dogs acting as background dancers. They soon take their dancing to Club Spice. After they finish dancing, all the dogs walk out of the club, and as Jimmy watches them leave, Jimmy T. taps him on the back and gives him an odd look.
Tiny Wario's title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Tiny Wario
Forever Form Baton
"BWAHAHAHA! I'm Wa- - Hey?! What's that over there?! STRAWBERRIES?! My favorite! They're mine! Mine mine MINE!"
Tiny Wario's Story:
Wario is at his house when he gets a package in the mail. Inside the package is the pink bike that Penny made at the Invent-Off. Wario gleefully takes it out for a ride, despite him being much too large for it, but he suddenly starts shrinking before eventually getting sucked into the bike. Out of its exhaust pipe, the bike shoots out a bunch of Tiny Warios. The Tiny Warios start to roam around before they notice a field of strawberries, and they soon swarm it. After a while, they all jump into one pile and become the standard Wario. However, he is soon chased by the Splunks, who want their Form Baton back. Wario is eventually chased into the Temple of Form buts ends up tripping, dropping the Form Baton, and inadvertently placing it back where it belongs. A Splunk thanks him for giving it back.
Orbulon's title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Orbulon
The Secret of the Balance Stone
"Greetings, earthling. I am Orbulon. My stage requires that you connect the Balance Stone to the Form Baton. I will show you a mysterious form I learned on a remote planet. It's called The Diner!"
Orbulon's Story:
Orbulon is flying his Oinker in Outer Space when a Balance Stone suddenly comes rocketing at him, hitting his ship and causing him to crash into the Temple of Form. Inside the temple, he is flung out of his ship and lands right in front of the Balance Stone and the Form Baton. When he picks up both of the objects, the temple suddenly emerges from the ground and starts floating. Orbulon panicks, but notices some writing on the wall that explains how to use the Form Baton and Balance Stone. Afterwards, he takes control of the temple and brings it to space. Once in space, he claims it for himself, but the Splunks, still inside the temple, tell him to give it back, and as they fight, the temples crashes back on the ground. Orbulon and his Oinker are soon jettisoned back into space.

Gameplay

As with previous WarioWare titles, Smooth Moves is structured around completing short, simple tasks (dubbed "microgames"), which increase in speed and difficulty as the player progresses. The various microgames are divided in sets hosted by a WarioWare character. Unlike previous WarioWare games, most of the character sets do not have a clear differentiation in theme or control method, apart from ways to hold the Wii Remote (dubbed "forms") being progressively introduced.

Most microgames solely use motion controls, though an handful of games require pressing A Button and one set uses the Wii Remote + Nunchuck combo. Before each microgame, a "form card" appears briefly to show the player how to hold the Wii Remote.

Between each sets, the player can select a map icon named "Temple of Form" to practice unlocked microgames, which are grouped by both microgame sets and forms. Unlike previous WarioWare games, the player cannot set scores for individual microgames as the session automatically ends after going through each three difficulty level.

Wii Remote Forms

Main article: Form Baton

In the game, the micro-games use different variations of holding the Wii Remote, called Forms. These positions are the following:

  • The Big Cheese – The hands are held at the hips, with the Wii Remote in the dominant hand
  • The Boxer – The Wii Remote is held horizontally from above in the dominant hand, buttons facing up
  • The Chauffeur – The Wii Remote is held by both ends horizontally, buttons facing the player
  • The Diner (A) – The Wii Remote and Nunchuk are held with the tops facing up
  • The Diner (B) – The Wii Remote and Nunchuk are held with the tops facing the screen
  • The Diner (C) – The Wii Remote and Nunchuk are held with the tops facing each other
  • The Discard – The Wii Remote is placed face-down, only to be picked up when suggested by the game
  • The Dumbbell – The Wii Remote is held horizontally from underneath in the dominant hand, buttons facing up
  • The Elephant – The Wii Remote is held in both hands up to the nose
  • The Finger Food – The Wii Remote is held from the base by the thumb and index finger of the dominant hand
  • The Handlebar – The Wii Remote is held horizontally from above with both hands, buttons facing up
  • The Janitor – The Wii Remote is held vertically with both hands
  • The Mohawk – The Wii Remote is held with both hands, atop the head
  • The Mortar and Pestle – The Wii Remote is held with the dominant hand, with the base resting in the non-dominant hand
  • The Remote Control – The Wii Remote is held with the dominant hand facing the screen, with the thumb resting on the A Button
  • The Samurai – The Wii Remote is held by both hands to one side of the body, to be moved by the dominant hand
  • The Sketch Artist – The Wii Remote is held with the thumb and index finger by the middle
  • The Thumb Wrestler – The Wii Remote is held in the dominant hand near the top, thumb resting over the sensor
  • The Tug-of-War – The Wii Remote is held by both hands, with the top facing the screen
  • The Umbrella – The Wii Remote is held by the dominant hand vertically, thumb resting on the A Button
  • The Waiter – The Wii Remote rests in the dominant hand, face-up

Microgames

Main article: List of microgames in WarioWare: Smooth Moves

The game features 205 microgames in total, all of which have three difficulty levels and various speed settings. The microgames are divided by characters, which host a varying number of microgames each. One game, Bungii!, is not tied to any specific set and has a chance of appearing in any stage after they've been beaten once.

Microgame sets

In addition to the stages played during the course of the storyline, there is a handful of microgame mixes with special characteristics. None of these sets feature boss microgames or games from Orbulon's set.

Image Name Description
Dr. Crygor and Mike's title page in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Kelorometer Hosted by Dr. Crygor and Mike, this set features a random assortment of microgames featuring a higher-than-average amount of physical movement. After playing 20 microgames, the player is graded on how much "kelories" they've lost.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves's All Mixed Up Mode All Mixed Up Represented by a blue elephant building, this mix features almost every microgame played at increasing speed and difficulty. Scoring 30 points or more unlocks the Super Hard set.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves's Super Hard mode Super Hard Represented by a red elephant building, this set is played at the highest speed setting from the start. Scoring 20 points unlock the Sudden Death set.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves's Sudden Death mode Sudden Death Represented by a yellow elephant building, this set gives the player one life and has every microgame starting at Level 3 difficulty. Scoring 10 points unlocks the Thrilling set.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves's Thrilling mode Thrilling Represented by a green elephant building, this set does not show Form cards before playing each microgames. Scoring 20 points or more unlocks the Sound Studio.

Minigames

In addition to microgames, there are Minigames which can be unlocked by completing a certain stage in story mode. These minigames are extended versions of existing microgames (excluding Pyoro S).

Minigame Description
Tower Tennis title screen. The player controls a disembodied hand holding a ping-pong paddle which is used to bounce a ball. The screen scrolls vertically and the player has to use the ball in order to destroy or avoid blocks barring the way. The game is lost if the ball falls offscreen
Title screen of the Block Star minigame from WarioWare: Smooth Moves. An extended version of the boss minigame Block Party, the player maneuvers a platform on the bottom side of the screen in order to catch falling shapes and hold the complete structure for 3 seconds without having any of its componement falling offscreen. The game features 50 levels divided in 5 sets of 10, whose individual stages can be completed in any order before moving on to the next set.
The title screen of Can Shooter. A shooting gallery-style game, the player has to shoot cans and other objects while destroying enemy projectiles and making sure to stay within the time limit. Floating power-ups cans periodically appear and can be destroyed to extend the timer, slow down time or upgrade the crosshair.
Title screen of Balloon Trip. A 3D version of Balloon Fight's Balloon Trip mode, the player controls the Balloon Fighter by flapping the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. The goal of the game is to collect balloons while avoiding floating sparks, enemy balloon fighters and fish jumping out of the water.
Title screen of Tortoise & Hare from WarioWare: Smooth Moves. Also played using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck combo, the player has to maneuver the two controllers in accordance with on-screen prompts.
File:PyoroS.PNG A vertical shoot'em-up-like game where the player controls Pyoro. Pyoro attacks enemies by sticking out his tongue. Gulping an entire formation of enemies gives a point bonus and make apples appear, which have different effects depending on their colour. The minigame is unlocked after unlocking every microgame.

Multiplayer

Alongside the single-player minigames are a set of games meant specifically for multiplayer. These games are unlocked naturally as the game progresses. Some of them are based around playing sets of microgames (besides boss microgames and Orbulon's microgames), while others are separate minigames.

Image Name Description
WarioWare: Smooth Moves's Lifeline minigame Lifeline Players compete for points by trying to win microgames. Winning the microgame gains points (dependent on how much the microgame was worth), while losing it gains nothing. After a handful of rounds, the players are tied up and suspended over a lake of crocodiles. The players take turns cutting ropes, and the last man standing wins.
Survival from WarioWare: Smooth Moves Survival The players are angels flying above the clouds. Each player plays one microgame. If they win, they continue to survive, but if they lose, they start to fall and are eliminated. After every player has played once, the difficulty and speed increase. The last person remaining wins.
The Balloon minigame in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Balloon At the beginning of the round, the first player gets a chance to fill a balloon with air. Afterwards, they play a microgame, while the other players fill it with air. If they win, someone else goes to fill the balloon, and if they lose, they play another microgame. If the balloon pops, that player loses and the others win.
Screenshot of Bomb, a multiplayer minigame in WarioWare: Smooth Moves. Bomb A player is randomly chosen to play a microgame. If they win, they choose another player and what form their microgame will use. Repeating a certain form will increase its difficulty. If a player loses a microgame or if they take too long to choose someone, they lose and the other players win.
Bungee Buddies in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Bungee Buddies Two players use a connecting Wii Remote and Nunchuk to progress through a path. Along the way are various pits and other obstacles, which they need to avoid by physically jumping. At the end, their total distance and their compatibility are shown.
Star Nose in WarioWare: Smooth Moves Star Nose Two players pilot a nose-shaped spaceship using a connecting Wii Remote and Nunchuk. They gain speed by eating food scattered along the way. Whoever makes it to the end first or doesn't crash wins, at which point they place themselves on the nose of a couple.
Darts' title screen from WarioWare: Smooth Moves Darts Up to four players compete in a game of darts; each player takes turns throwing darts at a board, each section of the board corresponding to different point values, with the goal of reaching exactly 301 points. Whoever gets there first wins.

Development

The idea for a WarioWare game on the Wii came shortly after WarioWare: Smooth Moves's director, Goro Abe, and producer, Yoshio Sakamoto, first saw the Wii's controller.[1][2] The game's development started with around twenty people, with others coming and going, but the number remained relatively consistent.[3] From the start, multiplayer was a big aspect in the development of the game, and the idea was that one person would play the game while the others around them enjoyed the comical positions.[2][3] While teams working on other projects were worrying about how to fully utilize the Wii controller, Abe and Sakamoto had great optimism for the system, saying that "If you’ve got one of these Remotes, you can pretty much do anything".[1]

The various positions came into play when the development team realized that restricting the Wii controller's to one way limited the amount of entertainment, which led to the discussion of which positions would and wouldn't work.[2] Microgames were decided mostly by the developers writing down ideas, sending them to Abe, and having him pick out the ones he liked, after which they began to design the ones that were picked.[2] The developers and designers were often asked to create a unique design for the microgames, giving the desired effect of having a wacky environment.[2] Feedback about the previous WarioWare games and suggestions for improving them were looked into, but were disregarded if they didn't fit with their own idea.[2]

Reception

Sales

For its US launch, WarioWare: Smooth Moves was the best-selling Wii game of January 2007 and the fourth best-selling game of the month according to NPD data[4]. Smooth Moves debuted in Japan with around 63.000 units sold. By 2014, the game had sold around 658.000 units in the region according to Famitsu sales data[5]. In the UK, the game debuted at the No. 2 spot, behind Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions[6]. In Europe, the game was rereleased as part of the Nintendo Selects range, budget rereleases of commercially successful titles.

By the end of the first quarter of 2007, Smooth Moves had sold 1.82 million units worldwide[7].

Critical reception

WarioWare: Smooth Moves received generally favorable reviews, holding a score of 83 on Metacritic[8] and a score of 82 on GameRankings[9]. Many critics complimented the game on its controls and its multiplayer[10], though it was criticized for its short length[11]. It received a score of 34/40 from Famitsu (around 85%)[12], while the Official Nintendo Magazine gave it a 92%, commenting that Wario should "take his place alongside Mario and Link as a true Nintendo great"[13]. Eurogamer gave the game a 70%, complimenting the game's "beautiful" use of the controls and "superb" humor, but criticizing that it is "short on long-term appeal" because it does not "dare to test players"[14]. It won IGN's Best Action Game award at its Wii Best of E3 2006 Awards[15], and was later named the site's Game of the Month for January 2007[16]. It has also received an award in the Trend and Lifestyle category at the 2007 Nuremberg International Toy Fair[17].

Gallery

Template:Morepic

Quotes

Main article: List of quotes in WarioWare: Smooth Moves
  • "BWAHAHAHA!!! Waaaaario here! The other day, I found this crazy stick-thing in those old ruins. I just KNOW it's worth something! All I gotta do now is figure out how it works."
  • "Letting the Form Baton fall is like letting a mohawk droop: shameful and forbidden."
  • "This stance honors the CEO, unsung hero standing proud on the backs of his employees."
  • "Like riding a bicycle, perfecting this stance requires grace, steadiness, and tight shorts."
  • "Remember, cans are your mortal enemies!"

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of WarioWare: Smooth Moves pre-release and unused content

The E3 2006 demo did not feature the Elephant form and some of the microgames featured different graphics and instructions.

Staff

Main article: List of WarioWare: Smooth Moves staff

The game was a coproduction between Intelligent System and Nintendo SPD Group No.1. Goro Abe is the director and Yoshio Sakamoto is the producer, as with most WarioWare games. The game was Yoichi Kotabe's last credited work as a full-time employee of Nintendo before his departure from the company.

During the credits, each member of the development team is represented by a Mii avatar. The player can place a hole under each Mii as they take a bow, the amount they trap is recorded and kept as a high score.

References to other games

References in later games

  • Game & Wario: A Call Code features a group of people playing the game while talking to the player via telephone.

Trivia

  • The instruction guide is presented as a newspaper called "The Weekly Wario", and explains several elements of gameplay under the guise of random "stories", though it only has one issue because Wario was too lazy to write a second one. On page 18 of the instruction booklet for the game, Wario says the next issue will be out "whenever he feels like it".
  • The music played on the title screen is different in the Japanese version of the game. In the Japanese edition, the music has the same theme as the Temple of Form. In other editions of the game, the title music is a cover version of the title theme from WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!.
  • With the release of the Korean edition of Smooth Moves, all the artworks of the Wii Remote (Form Baton) have a Wii Remote Jacket to protect the remote.[18] Other editions of the game got artworks of Wii Remotes without protection jackets.
  • On the Nintendo Channel, one video incorrectly named the game as Wario Ware: Smooth Grooves.[19]
  • The instruction booklet released in North America has a mistake on page 22. The bottom of the page is written in English while the section of the instruction booklet is supposed to be in French.

References

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