WarioWare: Move It!
- This article is about the Nintendo Switch game. For the digital soundtrack album on the Nintendo Music app, see WarioWare: Move It! (Nintendo Music).
| WarioWare: Move It! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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For alternate box art, see the related gallery. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developer | Intelligent Systems[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform | Nintendo Switch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Engine | NintendoWare Bezel Engine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Languages | English (United States) English (United Kingdom) Japanese Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Dutch French (Canada) French (Europe) German Italian Korean Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Europe) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Party | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Modes | Single player, local multiplayer[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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- “Think Fast and Move Faster”
- —Game tagline
WarioWare: Move It! is the twelfth installment in the WarioWare series, released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch on November 3, 2023. First announced during the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, it is the second game in the WarioWare series to be initially released for the console, following WarioWare: Get It Together! The game returns to the traditional gameplay style of the series after WarioWare: Get It Together!'s departure and utilizes the Switch's Joy-Con motion sensor as its main mechanic.[3] As indicated by its Japanese title, WarioWare: Move It! is a successor to WarioWare: Smooth Moves, which showcased the Wii's motion controls in a similar manner.[2] It is also the first game in the Super Mario franchise to feature Kevin Afghani as the voice of Wario, succeeding Charles Martinet,[10] and the first game in the WarioWare series to be fully dubbed in Dutch (as the Dutch version of the previous game instead reused the English voices).
Like all other Nintendo-developed games on the Nintendo Switch, this game is playable on the Nintendo Switch 2; microgames that make use of the IR Motion Camera require the original right Joy-Con, however, because the console's own Joy-Con 2 lacks the camera.[11]
Overview
WarioWare: Move It! is, like other installments in the WarioWare series, a party game consisting of various microgames with distinct art-styles. Being a successor to WarioWare: Smooth Moves, its gameplay utilizes motion controls, with the Joy-Con (referred to in-game as the Form Stones) as controllers. Unlike previous installments in the series, which primarily take place in Diamond City, the game mostly takes place on a new tropical location, named Caresaway Island. As such, the characters of the game wear tropical outfits. The cutscenes of the game make use of full-motion video animation with full voice-acting, like WarioWare Gold.
In the game, the story mode can be played either single-player or multiplayer. Its level selection screen is reminiscent of WarioWare: Smooth Moves and WarioWare: Get It Together!; each level is represented by one to three character heads, while the remix stages are represented by jeepneys that hold select characters. Story multiplayer returns from WarioWare: Get It Together! with slight differences. When playing in multiplayer, players take turns playing single-player microgames, and if one player fails, the second player can preserve the life at stake in a tag-in challenge by playing the same microgame. If the second player fails the tag-in, the life is lost. Occasionally, the players will play a two-player microgame simultaneously and must complete the microgame together.[12]
The party mode of the game features five multiplayer modes (two returning from WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!) which can be played with up to four players, who each choose a crew member to play as.
Story
The game begins with a short video about the history of the Form Stones, followed by an advertisement for Caresaway Island shown on a television by a burger vendor. Wario, driving his bike in Diamond City, notices the vendor and orders fifty garlic burgers, granting him fifty chances to draw tickets. He ultimately gets the winning ticket, a voucher for a free vacation to Caresaway Island with twenty of his friends, much to his dismay. The other nineteen characters of the cast overhear his victory and they all set off to the island via a yacht.
Levels
- This section is about the stages in WarioWare: Move It!, including Dribble and Spitz's. For the minigame in Mario Party 4, see Makin' Waves.
| Level/Host(s) | In-game descriptions | Story | Forms | Unlock criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stone-Cold Welcome Wario Intro Games |
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When the cast finally arrives at the island, they are welcomed by the locals. As a welcome gift, the cast is given Form Stones, which are said to bring good luck. Wario, unimpressed, throws his away, causing a chain of events, leading to an elephant sending him flying into a shrine at Perspiration Peak Volcano, where he is chased by the Woods Watchers for trespassing.
Later, Wario escapes the inhabitants of the temple, but falls off a cliff. He lands on the same parrot he accidentally hit with the Form Stones earlier. Wario is delighted at his luck, and takes a liking to the Form Stones. He laughs as the parrot carries him off. |
Choo Choo | Available from the start |
Mermaid Meet and Greet Mona Sky Stretch |
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Mona is relaxing on the sand reading a magazine while Lulu is swimming with a fish. She discovers a scuba-diving experience, and notices what appears to be mermaids in one of the photos. Excited, she then calls Joe and picks her up on a plane. While on the plane, Mona switches to her scuba diving gear and parachutes from the plane into the water, hoping to find these mermaids.
Later, Mona discovers the silhouette of a mermaid, which happens to be Lulu being caught in a fish's mouth. Mona frantically proceeds to rescue Lulu, just missing a group of real mermaids. |
Knight | Clear Stone-Cold Welcome |
A Curious Case of Cave Art Crygor, Penny & Mike Massage |
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While observing some cave paintings in Underarm Jungle, Dr. Crygor, Penny and Mike find a painting of a strange creature. Since none of them can figure out what the creature is, Dr. Crygor uses his latest invention, the Time Obliterator 5.0, to travel back in time to the Stone Age to see how the painting was made. There, the trio meet the actual creature and an ancient Caresawayan who is in need of new ideas for what to draw. After being struck by creative inspiration after meeting the colorful trio, the Caresawayan asks the trio to make poses as inspiration for his art.
The trio starts to get tired until the caveman fervently draws them on the wall, which they are impressed at. Later on, Wario walks by the cave paintings and notices paintings of Dr. Crygor, Penny, and Mike, much to his confusion. |
Big Cheese | Clear Mermaid Meet and Greet |
Caveat Imptor Ashley & Red Tug-of-War |
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Ashley and Red are making a sandcastle at Sandboxer Beach when Red notices some delicious blue berries nearby and eats them. He shrinks down to the size of a bean and pleads Ashley to restore him back to normal. After multiple unsuccessful spells, Ashley decides to summon some red, cubed berries and feed them to Red to restore him back to normal size.
Later, Red successfully returns to normal size, but then suddenly continues to grow until he becomes a giant. Red asks Ashley what she has done to him, but she only smiles. |
Scales | Clear Mermaid Meet and Greet |
Sweet Dreams, Sweeter Fruit Orbulon Lifter |
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Orbulon is eating fruit while making a mess onboard his Oinker. Irritated, the Oinker shakes off the mess but accidentally throws Orbulon out. A group of nearby Woods Watchers are worshipping a statue of their god, the Voice from above, when Orbulon crashes into it and loses his memories. The Woods Watchers mistake Orbulon for the Voice, and begin to serve him. Shocked at the sight of Orbulon being overstuffed with fruit, the Oinker emits a signal into his brain where tiny versions of Orbulon work together to restore his memories.
Later, Orbulon's memories are eventually restored and he suddenly remembers the times he and the Oinker spent together. Orbulon proceeds to hug his Oinker but ends up losing his memories again after slipping on a banana peel. |
Give Giver, Ba-KAW | Clear Mermaid Meet and Greet |
Not-So-Relaxing Rapids |
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Inside a riverside cottage, Mike's loud singing irritates Mona and Red, Lulu activates Orbulon's Oinker and flies all over the place, and Dr. Crygor, Penny, and Ashley accidentally set off explosions with their experiments. The ensuing chaos eventually causes the cottage to break off into the rapidly flowing river where it goes over a waterfall, throwing everyone out. Luckily, the gang lands safely on top of a tour bus.
Later, the gang gets off the tour bus and gazes at a statue of King Caresaway the First, until it is destroyed by the falling cottage. |
Multiform | Clear A Curious Case of Cave Art, Caveat Imptor, and Sweet Dreams, Sweeter Fruit |
The Grand Parfait Adventure Kat & Ana |
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Kat and Ana are looking at a map on a parchment, where they find an ice-cream shop advertising a Caresaway Parfait. While they are thinking about the parfait, Leo steals the parchment from them, and they give chase to him into a forest. Deep in the forest, Kat and Ana search for Leo, and find him high above, but he is then eaten by Cractus. Kat and Ana defeat some of the plants surrounding Cractus, but it becomes enraged and sends out more to fight them.
Later, Kat and Ana defeat Cractus, and it coughs up Leo and the parchment. Kat and Ana take the parchment and hurry off to the ice-cream shop, leaving Leo behind. At the ice-cream shop, Kat and Ana receive the Caresaway Parfait and are delighted, but Leo is “still salty” about the incident. |
At Attention, Fashionista, Hand Model | Clear Not-So-Relaxing Rapids |
Battle on Flashfreeze Cape! Cricket & Mantis |
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The scene takes place on Flashfreeze Cape with Master Mantis overlooking the cliff. Young Cricket is standing on a float, using a special technique to make fish fly up. Cricket then kicks the fish so they land next to Master Mantis. As the two were roasting the fishes, the place suddenly starts to snow. Several penguins began ambushing Cricket and Mantis, which they dodge just in time. They are approached by more penguin warriors, as the head warrior challenges Cricket to "micro-combat." Cricket gladly accepts the challenge.
Later, Cricket defeats the head penguin warrior who turns out to be a fellow disciple Cicada in disguise. She states that she'll have to train harder and runs off. Cricket asks Mantis who she was, but Mantis cannot remember exactly. |
Crocodile, Squat | Clear Not-So-Relaxing Rapids |
Surfin' Surprise Jimmy T |
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Jimmy T walks on the sand with a surfboard in his hand. He goes out surfing alongside some dolphins. Eventually, he realizes that he had lost his surfboard at some point, and he is currently surfing on a shark, much to his shock. The shark speeds off, leaving Jimmy to hang on for dear life.
Later, Jimmy T waves goodbye to the shark as it swims off. He strikes a pose, which causes a wave of water to rise up behind him. As Jimmy T's wig droops slightly, he declares that the experience was "groovy." |
Archer, Lovestruck, Pounce | Clear Not-So-Relaxing Rapids |
Makin' Waves Dribble & Spitz |
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Dribble and Spitz are relaxing in their taxi out in the water. They eventually drift into the Caresaway Grand Prix, where everyone assumes that they are a last-minute entry in the race. They are surprised about their predicament, but with little other choice, Dribble takes control of the taxi, and all the racers speed off when the race starts, with the High-Octane Hippo slowly following.
Later, a seagull sits on a directional sign, causing it to change direction. Nearly every racer ends up going the wrong way, Dribble and Spitz included. The seagull leaves the sign, which brings it back to normal just in time for the High-Octane Hippo to take the right path and be declared the winner. Later that night, the other racers are still racing, with Dribble confident that the finish is near. |
Multiform | Clear The Grand Parfait Adventure, Battle on Flashfreeze Cape!, and Surfin' Surprise |
Quest in the Dark 9-Volt |
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The scene takes place at Pack-'Em-In Plaza. 5-Volt gives everyone time to go shopping, but 9-Volt chooses to stay behind to reach a saving point for his game. Meanwhile, 5-Volt comes across a seemingly abandoned shop. After watching the display TVs, she is lured into the stop, and the door shuts behind her. Later, 18-Volt and 13-Amp approach the shop as well, and are lured in, with the former losing his hair disk. As they go in, a shadowy figure shuts the door behind them. Later, 9-Volt goes looking for the others, and find 18-Volt's disk outside the shop. After hearing screaming from the inside, 9-Volt forces himself to go inside the dark, abandoned shop to save the others.
Later, 9-Volt enters the backroom of the shop and it turns out that the room has tons of video games. 5-Volt, 18-Volt, and 13-Amp are all playing a Pyoro game while Shopkeeper Polario greets 9-Volt. 9-Volt is promptly distracted by the video games, much to Polario's dismay. He wonders if 9-Volt is even gonna buy anything at all. |
Multiform | Clear Makin' Waves |
Pool-Party Panic Remix 2 |
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Kat, Ana, Young Cricket, Master Mantis, Jimmy T., Dribble, Spitz, 9-Volt, 18-Volt, 5-Volt, and 13-Amp are all hanging out together at a swimming pool when a ball they're playing with gets stuck in Poolopus's mouth. They try to pull the ball out, but it slips from their grip and slams into Poolopus's head, upsetting her. She throws everyone into the air and they all land on top of a tour bus.
Later, the gang gets off the tour bus and eagerly asks Poolopus to throw them again, which she does. |
Multiform | Clear Quest in the Dark |
Lava at First Sight Volcano Wario Anything Goes |
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At nighttime, Wario sneaks into the shrine at Perspiration Peak Volcano and attempts to steal all the gold there. He removes a golden statue of the Voice from above, unaware that it was plugging a hole from which a giant lava hand emerges and snatches him. Wario is pulled into the hole and merges with the volcano, causing his face to appear on it as it erupts, endangering Wario's friends and other people below. The elder of the Woods Watchers urges everyone to start dancing in order to calm the volcano down.
Later, everyone celebrates after succeeding in making the volcano stop erupting with their dancing, thus lifting the curse. Just then, the volcano shoots Wario back into the shrine where he lands on top of the hole where the golden statue was. Wario realizes that he is stuck and struggles to get out while the shocked Woods Watchers begin to serve him as their new god. In the end, Wario criticizes Caresaway Island for being the worst vacation. |
Multiform | Clear Pool-Party Panic |
Characters
Gameplay
Microgames
- Main article: List of WarioWare: Move It! microgames
There is a total of 223 microgames across 11 stages, tied with WarioWare: Twisted! in having the second largest number of microgames in a WarioWare series game. Wario's first stage has 13 microgames, and all others have 21 each.
Forms
- Main article: Form Stones
In the game, the microgames use different variations of holding the Joy-Con controllers, called Forms. These positions are the following:
Extra stages
| Minigame | In-game description | Gameplay | Unlock criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megagame Muscles | "It is I, Dr. Crygor. All this time soaking up these island pleasures has made me weak. Perhaps a dancercise routine is called for here... Let us engage in further experiments with innovative muscle-building techniques!" (1 player) "It is I, Dr. Crygor. All this time soaking up these island pleasures has made me weak. Perhaps a dancercise routine is called for here... Let us engage in further experiments with innovative muscle-building techniques along with my assistant Mike!" (2 players) |
A stage hosted by Dr. Crygor, Mike, and Mr. Sparkles that tracks the player's movement, similar to the Kelorometer mode from Smooth Moves. The stage can also be played as a competitive two-player stage, with Mike representing P2. | Clear Lava at First Sight |
| All Mixed Up | "Welcome to this island's main draw, the Temple of All Mixed Up. All of the microgames you've played here on the island are shuffled together. Try for a high score, and remember to have fun." | All the microgames from all stages are mixed. | Clear Megagame Muscles with 4400 mus. or more |
| Super Hard | "Here we have the storied Temple of Super Hard. The microgames here move at an incredible speed right from the get-go. Keep your wits about you as you go for a high score." | All the microgames are mixed at high speed. Unlike the previous WarioWare games, except Touched! and Gold, this tower is orange rather than red. | Clear All Mixed Up with 30 points or more |
| Thrill Ride | "Presenting the esteemed Temple of Thrill Ride. It starts off hard as nails--and it's all over if you fail even once. Try for a high score, and remember to have fun." | All microgames from all stages are mixed and only one life is available. Microgames are at Level 3 and never speed up. | Clear Super Hard with 20 points or more |
| Double Act | "You see before you the Temple of Double Act, which can only be entered by pairs of seekers. Only two-player Co-op microgames are available here. Find a friend and venture inside!" (1 player) "You see before you the Temple of Double Act, which can only be entered by pairs of seekers. Only two-player Co-op microgames are available here. Find a friend, and seek a high score together!" (2 players) |
This stage consists entirely of two-player microgames and select Boss Stages. | Clear Lava at First Sight |
| Switching Gears | "It's us, Kat and Ana! This is your chance to take turns. While one person is playing, the other uses the contraption to make the games easier to see. Try it with your family or friends!" (1 player) "It's us, Kat and Ana! This is your chance to take turns. While one person is playing, the other uses the contraption to make the games easier to see. After a while, you'll switch jobs! How far can you get working together?" (2 players) |
A two-player stage hosted by Kat & Ana where one player plays microgames while the other tries to keep the screen open. | Clear Lava at First Sight |
| Showdown | "I am Master Mantis. I present to you this two-player battle mode. Both challengers play the same game side by side. The first to lose all their stock will know defeat. Test your skill against only the worthiest of opponents." (1 player) "I am Master Mantis. I present to you this two-player battle mode. Both challengers play the same game side by side. The first to lose all their stock will know defeat. Come, Cricket. Face me without hesitation!" (2 players) |
A two-player battle stage hosted by Young Cricket (representing P1) and Master Mantis (representing P2) resembling Battle Time from Gold and Duelius Maximus from Get It Together! | Clear Lava at First Sight |
Minigames
| Minigame | In-game description | Gameplay | Unlock criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dirty Job | "I'm Mona! My gig today is cleaning dirty kitchenware. Good thing I've got my Mona Soaker to keep them sparkling! This can be a two-worker job if you want. When 5-Volt and I team up, the work goes even faster!" | A vertically-scrolling shoot-'em-up minigame where the player controls Mona cleaning dirty kitchen utensils and dishes by shooting at them with water guns. Can be played in co-op, where P2 controls 5-Volt. | Clear Thrill Ride with 10 points or more |
| Pyoro W | "This is a secret hangout where you can enjoy Pyoro W. Tilt the islands to roll Pyoro around. Power up Pyoro on the left island, and guard the flowers on the right island." | A minigame where the player controls two islands with their Joy-Con controllers by tilting them. The goal is to defend flowers on the right island by rolling Pyoro into enemies that move towards the flowers. Can be played in co-op, where P2 controls a second pair of islands with a female Pyoro. | Unlock all microgames |
Party Mode
| Minigame | In-game description | Gameplay | Number of Players |
|---|---|---|---|
Galactic Conquest |
"Reaching the goal isn't everything. Points are the key to victory in this dice game! Everyone will play microgames against one another. Whoever wins rolls the die to advance. Points can swing back and forth depending on how the microgames go, and tiles have an effect too! Once someone reaches the goal, the player with the most points wins!" | A mode where the players earn points by playing multiplayer microgames, and traverse a game board by rolling dice. When a player reaches the goal, the player with the most points is the winner. | 2-4 |
Listen to the Doctor! |
"The doctor at this hospital is a bit of an oddball. They prescribe behaviors for you as you play microgames. Whoever follows the doctor's orders best is the winner!" | A remake of the mode of the same name from Mega Party Game$!. Players take turns playing microgames while performing a secondary action, and are judged by the other players based on their performance. The player with the most votes at the end is the winner. | 2-4 |
Medusa March |
"Dare to face the terrifying Medusa! No, not FACE her face her! Clear microgames to close in on the Medusa. When she turns around, STOP! Move one iota while her gaze is on you, and you'll be turned to stone. Whoever makes it to the Medusa first is the ultimate hero!" | A mode where the players must reach Medusa by running in place and clearing microgames. The player that reaches Medusa slays her and wins. | 2-4 |
Go the Distance For Experts |
"Ever wonder who's the best at a microgame? Wonder no more! Take turns at challenging games. With every loss, your stock goes down. Whoever's left with stock to spare is the champion!" | A survival mode that resembles Survival Fever; players play microgames either together or by taking turns. The last player standing is the winner. | 2-4 |
The "Who's in Control?" Show For Experts |
"Split four players into teams of two, and try to trick each other! Two teammates will both play a microgame. However, one of them is pretending to play! The other team must guess who is really playing. Whichever team sees through the shenanigans the most times is the winner!" | A 2v2 mode where players are split into two teams. One team is chosen to play microgames and reach four successes, the catch being that one player is in control of the microgames; while the other player is only pretending to play. The other team must then guess which player was actually playing the microgames. | 4 |
Copycat Mirror
Copycat Mirror is an additional game mode hosted by Ashley and Red involving one player standing with their back to the TV and copying the other player's movements.
Staff
- Main article: List of WarioWare: Move It! staff
Like its predecessor, WarioWare: Move It! was primarily developed by Intelligent Systems and supervised by Nintendo. Goro Abe, the series' lead developer, continued to serve as the chief director. Waki Shigeta, who was the art director for the previous installment, also directed the entire game development. Ko Takeuchi once again worked on the character art and illustrations. The characters' English voice actors from WarioWare: Get It Together! all return except Charles Martinet, who was succeeded by Kevin Afghani. In the credits, there is also a list of the developers’ favorite foods. The game was made with the NintendoWare Bezel Engine.[13]
This was the final WarioWare game and final Nintendo game overall to feature Abe's involvement, as he left the company in February 2026.
Promotion
By pre-ordering the game through the My Nintendo Store in Europe, customers received a lunch box.[14]
In Japan, Nintendo ran an ad campaign for the game featuring the comedy duo Chidori.[15][16]
On the day of the game's release, Nintendo released a parodic launch trailer in the form of a "Launch WAHmmercial" on its YouTube channel.[17] This trailer parodies TV infomercials by introducing how the game can help the player through typical life situations. Within the trailer, fake testimonials are made for the game from fake sources such as Toilet Tribute, Dr. W.A. Rio, and Someone Named "Dan". In this scene, some testimonials tease the viewer for pausing the trailer to try to read through them.
Reception
WarioWare: Move It! received generally positive reviews. Critics largely praised its microgames and controls, with some even deeming it better than WarioWare: Smooth Moves. However, the game was also criticized for its scarcity in post-game and multiplayer content, such as the number of minigames and multiplayer modes available.
| Reviews | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release | Reviewer, Publication | Score | Comment |
| Nintendo Switch | Shaan Joshi, | ||