WarioWare: Touched!

WarioWare: Touched! is a Nintendo DS game and the fourth game in the WarioWare series. The game contains microgames that are based on touching the touch screen with the stylus. There are several characters in the game and each one has their own style of microgames, a concept introduced in its predecessor, WarioWare: Twisted! New major characters, Ashley and Red and Mike, are introduced in this game. In addition, the game includes many "mix characters" - characters whose games are taken from normal characters. Besides the microgames, the game also includes special souvenirs, similar to its predecessor, won by achieving certain tasks (like scoring a certain amount of points in a specific game). Like WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!, and WarioWare: Twisted!, the music and sound effects are taken from Wario Land 4.

The game was released on December 2, 2004 in Japan. In North America and Australia, it was released before WarioWare: Twisted! and with Europe not getting WarioWare: Twisted!, in terms of chronological release dates specifically to these regions, it is the third game in the WarioWare series. The game was re-released as a Wii U Virtual Console title in North American, Japanese, Europe, and Australia in April 2015. My Nintendo members were able to redeem the game as a Nintendo 3DS-exclusive DSiWare download for 1,000 Platinum Points from March until July 2016. The DSiWare version is currently unavailable, with no indication whether it will be re-introduced via My Nintendo at another point in time.

Story
Wario is walking down a street after having proudly stolen a Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP, but then he suddenly trips and drops both systems down a manhole. The Sewer Guru then flies up from the hole holding not only the two handheld systems, but also a Nintendo DS, and he asks Wario which one he dropped. Wario replies, "Gimme all of 'em!" and lunges at the Sewer Guru, knocking both of them down the manhole. After a brief scuffle, Wario emerges with the Nintendo DS. Wario immediately notices that the handheld has two screens, but finds it more peculiar that there are no buttons. Not knowing how to play it, Wario loses a Whack-a-Mole minigame and shakes it angrily, thinking that the device does not work. However, the stylus flies out into his hand, and Wario suddenly realizes that he must use it to tap the bottom screen. He wins the minigame and then realizes he could make double the profit out of this double-screened apparatus, and so he uses it to make touch-style microgames.

Gameplay
WarioWare: Touched! plays very similarly to most games in the WarioWare series: players play a randomized grouping of very small, short minigames (called "microgames") within a small time limit and a very brief set of instructions. Periodically, the game speeds up the microgame, thus shortening the time and making it more challenging and pressuring to complete the microgames within the time limit. Players start with four tries every time they start a stage. If they lose a microgame, they lose a try; when players lose all four of their tries, the game ends and players must start over from the beginning. Players earn points for every microgame that comes (winning or losing the microgame does not factor into points gained); at the fifteenth point, players play a boss microgame, which is considerably longer and more challenging than a typical microgame.

One major change made to WarioWare: Touched! compared to previous games is the duration of the microgames. In WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! and WarioWare: Twisted!, every regular microgame started with a length of 8 beats (with Orbulon's microgames lasting 16 beats and Fronk's games in WarioWare: Twisted! lasting 4 beats). WarioWare: Touched! does away with the concept of microgames having a standardized length, as every microgame in a set are of different duration and are longer on average than those in the previous games.

A unique feature of WarioWare: Touched! compared to other WarioWare games is the touch screen and microphone feature of the Nintendo DS. WarioWare: Touched! does not make use of any of the face buttons (except to pause and a few souvenirs); as such, all inputs by the player are received via touch on the touchscreen or blowing into the microphone.

Characters and stages
The following characters in WarioWare: Touched! get their own microgames. Below is a list of the characters and stages. The first set of microgames the player must complete is always Wario's set. As the player completes more stages, more characters appear in the Games menu. Finally, each stage automatically ends after the player completes the boss stage, but subsequent playthroughs of a stage are continuous, with microgames becoming more difficult after completing a boss stage until the player has no more tries. Players can get more tries by completing a boss stage, but the maximum number of tries is always four.

Each character hosts a set of microgames and comes with an individual story dedicated to them. At the end of each story, the respective character meets with the other ones at the Hawt House.

Characters from microgame sets do not introduce any new microgames or any specific touch control, but they mix up microgames from previous employees as described.

Locations
Each of the character's stories take place in various locations in Diamond City.

Objects
These are objects that appear in the main story and/or play a role of some sort.

Microgames
There are a total of 190 microgames in WarioWare: Touched! Each WarioWare employee has twenty normal microgames (Wario has twenty-one microgames) and a boss microgame. Microgames are categorized by how they are played; for example, Wario's microgames involve tapping or poking objects in the screen, Mona's microgames involve making cutting motions, Jimmy T's microgames involve rubbing the screen the right way, and so on. 9-Volt and Wario-Man are the only two employees that mix up differing microgame styles in their microgame mix.

Souvenirs
Souvenirs can be unlocked in a random order by completing tasks like getting 30 points on a stage or playing all microgames. Souvenirs can both be stored in Games and in the Toy Room. If stored in Games, souvenirs can be found quickly, but amount of souvenirs the player can store here is limited. If the player wants all the souvenirs at one place, the souvenirs can be stored in the Toy Room. Below is a list of the souvenirs.

Note that in the European, Wii U Virtual Console, and 3DS versions, Mona Pizza cannot be unlocked, since players must have a copy of WarioWare: Twisted!, which was not released in Europe and that the game reads very specific data from said cartridge, in the Game Boy Advance slot on the Nintendo DS in order to unlock it. However, it is still present in the game's data, and European players can still play the game if it is present in a copied save file of the game.

Regional differences
As with most WarioWare games, WarioWare: Touched! has undergone significant localization differences, which vary from different regional versions. Some changes are simple as a name change while others have complete graphical overhauls.

Stages

 * The names in the skyscraper for Wario's stage is removed in the European version.
 * In Mona's stage, whenever the player wins a microgame, the "HIT" is changed to a heart in the European and Simplified Chinese versions. Likewise, when players lose the microgame, "MISS" is changed to a broken heart.
 * Dr. Crygor in his stage is silent in the American version for most of the intro after he states he wants to test the machine. In other regional versions, however, he talks more. The dialogue was added back in for the DSiWare download version.
 * In 9-Volt's stage, the Japanese and Korean versions displayed points as "pts.", the American version displayed points in full, and the European version displayed points as "point(s)". The DJ turntable for the Japanese version has the name "Ninevolt" displayed on it, the American version features "Nine-Volt", and the European version has no name on the turntable at all.
 * During Jimmy's intermission, the Japanese version has a jug of milk. It is replaced by a carton of milk in international versions.
 * In the international versions, the touch screen guitar in Mona's stage is changed to match the sprite on the top screen.

Microgames

 * In Big Bang, the Japanese version has 大 ("big") written on the mountain, which is a reference to a Kyoto festival known as Gozan no Okuribi. The character is removed in the international versions, alongside the mountains.
 * In Power Chord, the words "GiG" on the drum set are present in the Japanese version. This is changed to a picture of a face in the international versions.
 * In Washed Up, the girl has black hair in the Japanese version. International versions change the color to red.
 * In Steel Chef, the Japanese and Korean versions displayed "OK!" when players complete the microgame. The American and European versions change the text to "SWEET!" and the Simplified Chinese version changes it to 不错 ("not bad").
 * In Middle Management, the head and body of the tower are completely redesigned in international versions. International versions changed the head from the Japanese version to that of a clown, and the body was changed from a body with red, white, the Japanese character, 愛 ("love"), with bunny legs, to a body with multiple colors and patterns with boxing gloves.
 * In Hookin' Up, the words in the English version is changed to more casual lingo (from "Mad about you!" in Japanese versions to "Whassup baby?" in the English versions). The European version also lacks the small "To be continued..." box on the lower right-hand corner.
 * In Feeling Saucy, in level one, the omelet that is featured in the Japanese version is changed to french fries in the international versions.
 * In Corrections Officer, the thick "100" in the Japanese and Korean versions is changed to an A+ in the American and most European versions. The German version changes it to a "1+" mark, while the Simplified Chinese version has a thinner 100 and the Chinese character 分 ("point").
 * In On Strike, all three matchboxes are changed in the international versions.
 * In Sweet Nothings, the person on the left is replaced by a cat in the Korean version.
 * In Pushing Buttons, the controller featured in the Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Korean versions is a Famicon controller, while the American and European versions feature an NES controller.
 * The Japanese version has a microgame called Famicom Tantei Club 2 in 9-Volt's microgame set. It is replaced by Metroid in the international versions.
 * In Gunslinger, the music is played differently in the international versions compared to the Japanese version. The American, European, and Korean versions also removes the tutorial on the top screen, though the Simplified Chinese version keeps the tutorial from the top screen and the same music effects as the Japanese version.
 * In Ramp It Up, the box door is red with a yellow star in the middle; this was changed to a yellow "V" in the Simplified Chinese version most likely because it coincidentally resembles the flag of Vietnam.

Other

 * The title screen in the Japanese and Simplified Chinese versions is colored yellow, while the American and European versions are orange. The Korean version has a slightly more orangish-yellow color.
 * The Japanese version exclusively featured a souvenir called "Touch Doll", where players tap a photo for various effects. It was replaced in the international versions with They Hunger.
 * European versions are at some points not localized. Despite the European box art being colored yellow, the game's title screen and the menu icon are still orange (while in the Japanese version, the title screen and icon are both yellow). Also, in the explanation of the microgame Gold Digger, the series' first game is referred to as WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, while the British English title of it is WarioWare, Inc.: Minigame Mania. The game also uses American spelling and grammar in both the American and British English versions.
 * In the Japanese version, the music that plays when a boss game is announced is the same as the Speed Up music, while the other versions have original music.
 * There is a billboard saying "NEW!" in the ending cutscene that varies between versions. The Japanese version has a subtitle on the billboard saying "NOW ON SALE!", which the American and Korean versions change to "BUY MY GAME!" The European version removes this subtitle altogether.

Staff
WarioWare: Touched! is developed by Nintendo SPD Group No.1 and Intelligent Systems. As with most WarioWare games, Yoshio Sakamoto alongside Ryoichi Kitanishi produced the game. As the original WarioWare's team was busy on WarioWare: Twisted!, newcomer Ryuichi Nakada was the chief director of Touched!, while Goro Abe, Taku Sugioka, and Teruyuki Hirosawa were the game's other directors.

Development
Around the time WarioWare: Twisted! was in development, the team was presented with the Nintendo DS, who thought the touchscreen and the stylus were a perfect match for developing a WarioWare game. As the series core staff was already busy with WarioWare: Twisted!, the team split, and the game was primarily developed by staff new to the series. Producer Yoshio Sakamoto had to scramble to find a director for the project. At the beginning, there was a lack of unified awareness among the new staff to "what made WarioWare funny" and as such, WarioWare: Twisted!'s staff was transferred to WarioWare: Touched! following the completion of the title to help complete the game for the Nintendo DS's launch. The game was developed in a very short period of time, five months, and was released relatively alongside of WarioWare: Twisted!

Critical reception
WarioWare: Touched! has received generally positive reviews from critics. Aggregate sites Metacritic and GameRankings has given a score of 81 based of reviews of 54 critics and a score of 81.83% from 63 critics respectively. As with most WarioWare titles, it is praised for its addictive nature, its quirky and bizarre theme, the replayability and the intuitive use of the touchscreen and other features of the Nintendo DS. The most common criticism is that the game is very short, where it can be fully beaten within a few hours. IGN writer, Craig Harris, has mostly praised the game, who gave the game a score of 8.5 out of ten, but commented that WarioWare: Twisted! is a superior game to WarioWare: Touched! However, he ended with saying, "Wario Ware Touched! [sic] may be an incredibly brief experience, but it's still one of the top titles in the Nintendo DS library. At the very least it gives a great insight into gameplay ideas that the touchscreen and dual-screen handheld's capable of, even in these quick and extraordinarily brief five-second shots." Stuart Reddick, from Nintendo Life has given the game a 9/10, who greatly praised the game and commented on "how simplicity can still lead to stunning gameplay." and called it one of the best titles on the Nintendo DS.

Sales
As of April and June 2007, WarioWare: Touched! has sold 2.15m units worldwide as reported by IGN.

Awards
The game has received an Editor's Choice award from IGN.

Quotes

 * Wario here! No offense, but you stink! My Touch Training stage is guaranteed to make you 138 percent less pathetic!
 * Just drag stuff. Even you can do that. (Ashley)
 * Wow! That was some serious funkitude. (Jamie T.)

Pre-release and unused content
At E3 2004, the game was titled WarioWare, Inc. DS. To start the demo, the player would touch the bottom screen. In the demo, Wario would throw a 3D crate displaying the number of played microgames towards the screen which would open to start a microgame. When the player touched the bottom screen, a cursor would appear at that position. Successfully beating it would cause the crate to shatter and make Wario stomp in anger. In addition, the microgames lacked a time limit. Instead, there was a 20 second time limit that activated during microgames and displayed "TIME UP!" on the bottom screen once it finished. The crate would then fly back and hit Wario, causing a game over. In the demo, Steel Chef required players to cut 6 objects. Write On, Dude's command was "Write that symbol!", Greedy Hands' command was "Gather!", and Quite Puzzled command was "Arrange!". In a promotional video of gameplay, the text was spaced out much further and the microgames shared the same music and sound effect.

An unused place-holder character sheet can be found in the game's data, most likely serving as a template for the overworld character sprites. Some place-holder graphics for souvenirs serve a similar purpose. TEST_BOSS is a microgame used for testing boss microgames. It is simply Quite Puzzled, but with a different name. BREAK_ELEVATOR is an unused intermission scene for elevator characters (the bear characters). It is a blank pink screen for localized versions of the game, but Japanese versions of the game has Japanese text that translates to "Taking a rest! BREAK!".

Broken microgame
If the player rapidly pauses the game before Spario begins, Wario's arms and mustache may not appear, rendering the microgame impossible to win.

Unwinnable microgames
Three microgames in Kat & Ana's set are impossible to complete on some first-run Japanese DSes. The lines in Bright Idea and The Proud, the Fuse cannot be drawn while the flashlight in Midnight Weirdo blinks on and off. Nintendo provided replacement copies for those affected, and the glitches were corrected for later printings of the game.

References to other games

 * Various games: 9-Volt's microgame mix references various retro Mario games, including Super Mario Bros., Mario Paint, and Donkey Kong 3.
 * Mario Paint: Wario Paint is a souvenir that is based on this game. The main theme is also playable music in the Turntable souvenir.
 * Wario Land 4: Some of Wario's voice clips and other sound effects are recycled from this game.
 * WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!: Gold Digger reappears as a microgame, including in Game Boy Advance format.
 * WarioWare: Twisted!: Souvenirs, which are introduced in this game, make a return. The souvenir, Mona Pizza, plays the same song in Mona's story microgames.

References in later games

 * WarioWare: Smooth Moves: Dr. Crygor initially uses his design from this game rather than his original design.
 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Lose Your Marble and Blowin' Up appear as two of the random microgames in the WarioWare, Inc. stage. Ashley's and Mike's songs also appear as separate music in My Music. Various character artwork also appears as stickers in this game.
 * Game & Wario: The minigame Ashley features a cover version of Ashley's original theme song. The boy and the girl from Hookin' Up occasionally appear after clearing a Patchwork puzzle.
 * Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: Ashley's song returns as a selectable song for the Gamer stage.
 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Ashley's and Mike's songs return in My Music.