WarioWare: Smooth Moves

WarioWare: Smooth Moves is the fifth game in the WarioWare series, released as a launch title for the Wii initially in Japan on December 2, 2006. The game showcases and takes full advantage of the Wii Remote and its motion sensor, as microgames are played by placing the controller in numerous positions, called "Forms" in the game, which often invites the player to perform odd actions. All major characters from the previous games return, in addition to the new characters Young Cricket, Master Mantis, Penny, and Jimmy P. Alongside the microgames and some longer minigames, the game includes a multiplayer mode with several subgames. This was the first WarioWare game to receive an E10+ rating from the ESRB. The game received a successor, WarioWare: Move It!, which will be released in November 2023.

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 into 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 (dubbed "forms") being progressively introduced.

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

Between each set, 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 difficulty level.

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

Microgames
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!, can appear in two specific sets and only appears after a specific microgame in those stages.

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

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).

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. Players compete in these minigames as Miis.

Regional differences
Similarly to previous installments in the series, the localization of WarioWare: Smooth Moves includes not only text adaptation, but graphical and sound changes as well, which are listed below.

Forms

 * Out of the 19 forms featured in the game, 13 were adapted for the international versions. In most cases, elements from Japanese culture or history were replaced with more global or Western concepts. Consequently, the artwork used for their respective form explanations was also either edited or completely remade. The complete list can be found here.
 * The Form Explanation music uses Japanese instruments in the original game. The localization exchanges it for a different track, which uses piano and digital sounds instead. Also, the Form Explanation music in the Korean release uses Korean instruments.
 * Each language features its own voice actor for the Form Explanations and slight variations in style. According to series developer Goro Abe, the Japanese version was intended to emulate "Japanese language courses that are broadcast on TV abroad", with a native English speaker providing the voiceover.

Microgames

 * In the Japanese and Korean versions, the narrator announces the form to be used before each microgame along with the visual card. The American and European versions drop the audible cue entirely.
 * In the Japanese and Korean versions, the microgame speed-increase prompt says "Speed Up!", while in the English version, it says "Faster!", similar to WarioWare: Twisted!
 * In the first level of Stir Crazy, the Japanese version has the player grinding rice for soba. This was changed to grinding herbs for spaghetti in the localized versions.
 * In the second level of Extreme Patty-Cake, the volcano is replaced by a big flower.
 * In the international versions of Biggest Fan, the image of the fan was changed from the Japanese kanji 祭 (festival) to an image of a bird.
 * In Produce Stand-Off, the international versions changed the color of the suit the enemy wears for all three levels. In addition, the Korean version changes the weapon that the player and enemy wield from swords to wooden sticks.
 * The Korean version of Cold Call changes the people who pick up the phone from Japanese medieval nobles to Korean medieval nobles.
 * Level 2 of Teeth Polithe ends with the old woman biting a corn cob, which in the Japanese original is a . The background and her clothes are also traditionally Japanese in the original, while the localization sets the game at a beach and dresses the woman in a pink jacket and visor.
 * In the Japanese version of Saving Face, the woman wears a red dress. Other versions have her wearing a turtleneck sweater and jeans instead.
 * In most international versions of Bell Captain the player hits the bell with a mallet, which replaces the suspended wooden beam from the Japanese game. The Korean version keeps the beam but changes the background to a red gate in front of the night sky.
 * In the first level of the Japanese version of When in Rome…, the hands wield . These were replaced with candy canes for international releases.
 * Super Nostalgic Entertainment System features a Famicom and Famicom games (Super Mario Bros., ', ' and ') in the Japanese and Korean versions, which were changed to a SNES and SNES games (Super Mario World, Mario Paint, Wario's Woods, ', and Super Metroid) in other versions.
 * The Korean version has a unique design for Three's a Crowd. Replacing the traditional Japanese setting for a jungle, the microgame involves a regular Wario whacking a monkey (originally a ninja) before it steals his pile of bananas (originally a woman).
 * The first opponent of Boom Box originally wears a turban and sports a mustache and a goatee, while in the international games he wears an afro with a bird's head popping out and no facial hair. The third opponent wears this same afro in the Japanese version and has pinkish lips, while other versions make him bald and his lips darker to closely match his skin tone.

Other

 * The music played on the title screen is different in the Japanese version of the game, which uses the Temple of Form theme. 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 version of Smooth Moves, all the artworks of the Wii Remote (Form Baton) include a Wii Remote Jacket. All other versions of the game got artworks of Wii Remotes without protection jackets.
 * The note attached to the package Wario got in Tiny Wario's opening cutscene says "From Penny". The "From" part of it is removed in the European version, most likely to accommodate for the fact that the game was released in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish there.
 * In the opening and closing cutscenes from Kat and Ana's sequence, the man has a long gray beard in the Korean versions and a samurai ponytail in other versions.
 * In Ashley's opening cinematic, Red blows a bubble out of his nose while sleeping in the Japanese and Korean versions.
 * In 9-Volt's opening cinematic, the Japanese version has a Famicom while international versions have an NES. Additionally, the phrase that appears with 9-Volt saying the first part and 18-Volt saying the other part is "Love Game" in the Japanese version and "Game Boys" in international versions.

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. The game's development started with around twenty people, with others coming and going, but the number remained relatively consistent. 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. 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".

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 would not work. 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. The developers and designers were often asked to create a unique design for the microgames, giving the desired effect of having a wacky environment. Feedback about the previous WarioWare games and suggestions for improving them were looked into but were disregarded if they did not fit with their idea.

Critical reception
WarioWare: Smooth Moves received generally favorable reviews, holding a score of 83 on Metacritic and a score of 82 on GameRankings. Many critics complimented the game on its controls and its multiplayer, though it was criticized for its short length. It received a score of 34/40 from Famitsu (around 85%), 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". 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".

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. 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. In the UK, the game debuted at the No. 2 spot, behind . In Europe, the game was re-released 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.

Awards
It won IGN's Best Action Game award at its Wii Best of E3 2006 Awards and was later named the site's Game of the Month for January 2007. It has also received an award in the Trend and Lifestyle category at the 2007 Nuremberg International Toy Fair.

Quotes

 * "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
The E3 2006 demo did not feature the Elephant form and some of the microgames featured different graphics and instructions. The "Big Cheese" form was originally named "The Big Kahuna".

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 he departed 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

 * Donkey Kong: Opening Night uses the level start song from Donkey Kong as well as Donkey Kong and Mario's sprite, as well as a recolored version of Mario's sprite made to resemble Luigi.
 * Tetris: Except for Bowser, all the characters from the Hard B mode of Tetris make a return doing various musical instruments in level 3 of Opening Night. Of them, only Samus retains her instrument.
 * Super Mario Bros.: A microgame titled Super Mario Brothers involves Mario hitting a set of blocks to obtain coins. Opening Night reuses Toad and Peach's sprites as well as the overworld theme. Super Mario Brothers, Sifty Character, and Super Nostalgic Entertainment System also use the game's theme; in the last, the game itself may also appear as one of the cartridges used.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: Opening Night reuses several themes from Super Mario Bros. 3.
 * Dr. Mario: The level settings song is used in Opening Night.
 * Super Mario World: The game's cartridge is one of the ones used in the microgame, Super Nostalgic Entertainment System.
 * Mario Paint: The game's cartridge is one of the ones used in the microgame, Super Nostalgic Entertainment System.
 * Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3: A microgame named Wario Land revolves around Wario throwing a Pirate Goom.
 * Wario's Woods: The game's cartridge is one of the ones used in the microgame, Super Nostalgic Entertainment System.
 * Paper Mario: A microgame's title, Paper Wario, is based on Paper Mario ' s title.
 * Super Mario Sunshine: One of the microgames, called Super Mario Sunshine, has the player extinguish a fire with Mario and FLUDD.
 * WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!: The Balloon Bang multiplayer minigame returns in the form of Balloon. Balloon uses rearranged jingles and the same air pump sound as Balloon Bang.
 * WarioWare: Twisted!: Three microgames from Twisted! are included in the microgame WarioWare: Twisted!: Iron Stomach, Cutting It Close, and Hat's Off.

References in later games

 * WarioWare: D.I.Y.: During the break scene in Ashley's stage, she can wear a mask which looks identical to the skull on Chatty Mr. Spell Book.
 * Game & Wario: A Call Code features a group of people playing the game while talking to the player via telephone.
 * WarioWare Gold: Music from Smooth Moves reappears as souvenirs. In Mona's character trailer, the Smooth Moves version of her is shown as a cameo.
 * WarioWare: Get It Together!: Mona's cheerleader baton and a football appear in her room during the intro of her story. The man from Wet Your Whistle and Boom Box appears in Blended? Splendid! When the "Boss Stage" text appears in Jimmy T's stage, the five figures in the background do a dance from Wario Dance Company.
 * WarioWare: Move It!: This game is a successor to WarioWare: Smooth Moves, with the Japanese name of WarioWare: Move It! (Chō Odoru Meido in Wario, "Super Dancing Made in Wario") being based on the Japanese name of WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Odoru Meido in Wario, "Dancing Made in Wario"). The microgames in WarioWare: Move It! are again controlled with motion controls; in particular, the simultaneous usage of one controller in each hand is similar to the microgames in Orbulon's stage in WarioWare: Smooth Moves.

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".
 * On the Nintendo Channel, one video incorrectly named the game as WarioWare: Smooth Grooves.
 * 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.
 * It is revealed that Wario is wearing a white pair of underpants with blue polka-dots if the player clicks the Wario icon and waits for a few seconds.
 * This is the first WarioWare game to give Wario unique voice clips instead of recycled ones.