History VideoGame / WarioWare

--> '''[[https://www.nintendo.com/jp/character/wario/en/index.html WarioWare website]]'''

->''WarioWare, Inc. is all about FUN! (And MONEY!)''

->''"Hey! Pay attention when Wario's talking to you!\\
Listen, you better have fast reflexes if you think you can master all of the games I've crammed in here.\\
There're more of 'em than I can count, and they’re the best games ever, baby!\\
And the best thing is, they're all simple enough that even someone like you can figure 'em out!\\
Why didn't I get into the video-game business before now? I'm gonna make a fortune! A FORTUNE!!!"''
-->-- '''Wario''', blurb on the back cover of ''Mega Microgame$''.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In ''VideoGame/WarioLand4'' Cractus had a scaly texture on their body, CrossPoppingVeins, and is foaming at the mouth. When they reappear in ''Move It!'', they lack the scales and veins of their previous depiction, and they have sap coming out of their mouth.

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# They aren't called "minigames": these are "[[InsistentTerminology microgames]]", and they are called that for a very good reason. Each microgame only gives you around '''four seconds''' to beat it. Normal-length games run eight beats; the BPM starts from 120 (140 in the GBA games) and rises from there.

A CreatorDrivenSuccessor to the "Sound Bomber" mode from the little-known ''VideoGame/MarioArtist: Polygon Studio'', ''[=WarioWare=]'' is a MinigameGame series developed by Creator/{{Nintendo}} that has a rather unique take on the concept.

(EXPLAIN!)

A CreatorDrivenSuccessor to the "Sound Bomber" mode from the little-known ''VideoGame/MarioArtist: Polygon Studio'', the ''[=WarioWare=]'' series is essentially a collection of hundreds of mini-games (referred to as microgames in-universe). And the gold-hoarding, gas-cloud-belching VideoGame/{{Wario}} is in charge of it all, aided by a cast of wacky friends and neighbors.

There are three important details to these mini-games:
* Each mini-game lasts for only about ''four seconds'' (normal-length games run eight beats; the BPM starts from 120 (140 in the GBA games) and rises from there).
* In each 'level' you have to complete seven to twenty-five of them in a row, with four chances for failure before game over, and without stopping (and much more if you're going for a high score!).
* And you receive ''no instructions'' on how to play! Your only assistance is a single command that appears on-screen just as the game begins.

That's pretty much the ''[=WarioWare=]'' games in a nutshell. Each game is a handful of about 200 or so "microgames" that come at you in roughly five-second increments, each time prompting you to do a simple task (POUR! STOMP! etc.). The microgames are shuffled at random, so you'll have to react fast to succeed and impress Wario and his cadre of microgame developers. Once you've unlocked everything, the games basically become quests to beat your high scores at all the games.

The plot of the games usually follow a similar through-line: Wario is strapped for cash in some manner, and happens to see a simple video game or console become successful--think of how ''VideoGame/FlappyBird'' became a hit, [[HilariousInHindsight only years before]] ''Flappy Bird''. Wanting a piece of that pie, he grabs his phone and contacts every friend he has to make video games on the cheap for him.

* [[/index]]''[=WarioWare=]: Get It Together!'' [[note]]''Osusowakeru Made in Wario'' (''Sharing Made in Wario'') in Japanese[[/note]] (Platform/NintendoSwitch, 2021): When Wario and his friends get sent into a [[TrappedInTVLand world of microgames]] as a result of another one of the former's harebrain schemes, they must play through 222 Microgames in order to escape. In contrast to previous entries, the cast is fully playable this time (as opposed to just being hosts) as you play as them to complete microgames, each with their own unique abilities. It also features a co-op mode, allowing you and a second player to play through them together.

** The various Jimmy T. interludes (hosted by himself in ''Mega Microgame$!'', his family members in ''Twisted!'' and ''Touched!'', and himself and Jimmy P. in ''Smooth Moves'') play out like this, combining all of the microgames from the previous three stages you played and ramping up the difficulty.

*** As a side effect to the above, the characters who host the microgames in ''Mega Microgame$'' have microgames revolving around a loose aesthetic theme, like Jimmy T. with sports or Dribble & Spitz with science fiction. A lot of the later installments starting with ''Twisted'' would instead focus more of each host having a specific gameplay gimmick, with only the Volts still following the old fashion method of focusing on a Nintendo theme but with miscellaneous gameplay. Interestingly, ''Gold'' and ''Get It Together'' would later compromise with the two concepts. The former separating the gameplay styles into different hosts but unifying them under a specific theme, while the latter has dedicated themes but also introduces new playable character to mix up the gameplay during the first run-through.
** The remix stages for the first few games were hosted by Jimmy T., his family, or someone who coincidentally resembles him. Later games had remix stages hosted by the characters whose microgames are in said remix (for example, the second remix stage of ''Gold'' is hosted by the Volt characters, Ashely, and the non-humans to represent their microgames).

* ShoutOut: [[ShoutOut/WarioWare Has its own page for it.]]

* ''[=WarioWare=]: Move It!'' [[note]]''Chō Odoru Made in Wario'' (''Super Dancing Made in Wario'') in Japanese[[/note]] (Switch, 2023): Direct sequel to ''Smooth Moves'', as shown by its Japanese name. Its microgames are themed around holding and moving the Switch’s Joy-Cons in several different ways, differing from ''Smooth Moves'' by using both Joy-Cons at once instead of only one, similar to Orbulon's stage from said game. It also features a co-op mode, similar to ''Get It Together!''.

** ''Move It!'' is a wholesale sequel to ''Smooth Moves'', as indicated by their Japanese titles (''Dancing Made in Wario'' and ''Super Dancing Made in Wario''). Both games focus on creating poses using the respective controllers for their systems. The English titles are similar, but less closely related than in Japanese; ''Move It!'''s first stage also reprises the first stage of ''Smooth Moves'', with Wario holding stone versions of the controllers used and running toward the camera while being chased by something (a boulder trap in ''Smooth Moves'' and tribe members in ''Move It'') with the microgame transition [[EatTheCamera zooming in and out of Wario's mouth.]] The [[FinalBoss final microgame]] is [[spoiler: Super Wario Dance Company, a direct sequel to the final microgame of ''Smooth Moves'', Wario's Dance Company.]]

** 9-Volt's Fronk was originally called "Shag" in ''Mega Microgame$!'' (a shortened version of his Japanese name, Shaggy). Due to the word being a vulgar swear word in Britain however, his English name was changed to "Fronk" from ''Twisted!'' and onwards.

** [[{{Irony}} Oddly enough]], the microgames in both ''Smooth Moves'' and its sequel, ''Move It''. Neither game involve Wario and his friends making microgames as part of the plot. ''Move It'' has them particularly disconnected due to the game's nature as a VacationEpisode, and either way Wario and his crew wouldn't have known about the Form Baton/Form Stones beforehand and thus make microgames themed around them.

* BeachEpisode: ''Move It'' is set on the tropical Caresaway Island, which Wario won 20 trips to (enough for him and all the other recurring characters) after buying many garlic burgers.

*** As mentioned below, ''Gold'' was the last first party game released on the Platform/Nintendo3Ds to be an original title rather than a port, while ''Touched!'' was one of the first games announced and released for the original Platform/NintendoDS, thus bookending the DS family as a whole.

** At the beginning of Mona's stage in ''Move It'', Lulu is chasing a fish with a squirt gun. In the stage's outro, Mona sees the silhouette of a mermaid, which is revealed to just be the same fish getting its revenge by trying to eat Lulu legs-first.
** Also from ''Move It'', the video in the game's opening talks about how dancing with the Form Stones could calm any evil. [[spoiler:Sure enough, the last stage of the game involves everyone dancing in order to calm down Volcano Wario.]]

* TheBusCameBack: The intro cutscene for Mona's stage in ''Get It Together!'' features her Pig, Elephant, and Monkey friends, all of whom had stopped appearing after ''Smooth Moves''. Cractus from [[VideoGame/WarioLand4 Wario Land 4]] also makes a return in ''Move It''.

** ''Move It!'' is a wholesale sequel to ''Smooth Moves'', as indicated by their Japanese titles (''Dancing Made in Wario'' and ''Super Dancing Made in Wario''). Both games focus on creating poses using the respective controllers for their systems. The English titles are similar, but less closely related than in Japanese; ''Move It!'''s first stage also reprises the first stage of ''Smooth Moves'', with Wario holding stone versions of the controllers use and running toward the camera while being chased by something (a boulder trap in ''Smooth Moves'' and tribe members in ''Move It'') with the microgame transition [[EatTheCamera zooming in and out of Wario's mouth.]] The [[FinalBoss final microgame]] is [[spoiler: Super Wario Dance Company, a direct sequel to the final microgame of ''Smooth Moves'', Wario's Dance Company.]]

* GivenNameReveal: ''Move It'' names the female martial artist often seen with Young Cricket as "Cicada".

* ''[=WarioWare=]: D.I.Y.'' [[note]]''Made in Ore'' (''Made in Me'') in Japanese[[/note]] (DS, 2009): Due to never getting paid, the others have quit working for Wario to instead work at rival game company Diamond Software, forcing Wario to hire the player themselves as a developer. This entry allows you to create your own microgames, with 90 pre-made microgames being available from the start. It also includes functions to create music and four-panel comic strips.

* ''VideoGame/WarioWareIncMegaMicrogames'' [[note]]''Made in Wario'' in Japanese, ''[=WarioWare=], Inc.: Minigame Mania'' in British English[[/note]] (UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2003): Wario is watching television when he sees a news report about a popular game making a lot of money, prompting him to create his own game company and convince his friends to develop the games that he's too lazy to make himself. Introduces Jimmy T., Mona, Dribble and Spitz, Dr. Crygor, 9-Volt, Orbulon, and Kat and Ana as microgame hosts alongside Wario. Features 213 microgames that use the directional pad and A-button (retroactively known as "Mash"-style gameplay as of ''Gold'').
** ''VideoGame/WarioWareIncMegaPartyGames'' [[note]]''Atsumare!! Made in Wario'' (''Gather!! Made in Wario'') in Japanese[[/note]] (UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, 2003): A multiplayer-focused remake of the above game containing 12 multiplayer modes.

* ''VideoGame/WarioWareTouched'' [[note]]''Sawaru Made in Waiario'' (''Touching Made in Wario'') in Japanese[[/note]] (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2004): After a run-in with [[ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext an elderly angel]], Wario finds himself with a handheld device with two screens, but no buttons. Upon realizing the second screen is touch-sensitive, he determines he can make twice as much money with dual-screen games as he could with single-screen ones. Features 190 microgames based around the DS's touchscreen and microphone, with microgames no longer having standardized lengths like previous entries. Introduces Ashley (alongside Red) and Mike as new microgame hosts.
* ''VideoGame/WarioWareSmoothMoves'' [[note]]''Odoru Made in Wario'' (''Dancing Made in Wario'') in Japanese[[/note]] (UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, 2006): Features 205 microgames and is themed around holding and moving the Wii Remote [[note]]referred to in-game as the ''Form Baton''[[/note]] in a variety of different ways. Unlike other entries, it lacks a FramingDevice prologue, though Wario's scenario features him discovering the Form Baton, an ancient Wii Remote that can be held and positioned in various "forms". Introduces Penny Crygor, Young Cricket, and Master Mantis (the latter two sharing a set) as new microgame hosts.[[/index]]
* ''VideoGame/WarioWareSnapped'' [[note]]''Utsusu Made in Wario'' (''Projection Made in Wario'') in Japanese[[/note]] (UsefulNotes/{{DSiWare}}, 2008): Wario opens up his own amusement park, using some of his friends as employees. Utilizes the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoDS Nintendo DSi]] camera to take pictures and features 20 microgames.

** ''[=WarioWare=]: D.I.Y. Showcase'' [[note]]''Asobu Made in Ore'' (''Play Made by Me'') in Japanese[[/note]] (UsefulNotes/WiiWare, 2010): A companion game for the above, featuring 72 unique microgames.[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/GameAndWario'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2013): Wario learns about a new game console that features a controller with a screen and sees it as another money-making opportunity, while the others also show interest in the new device. A GaidenGame that departs from the franchise's signature microgame style, having individual game modes that function more like the boss stages from previous entries (although microgames ''do'' appear in one of the game modes). Features 16 minigames, and properly introduces 5-Volt.
* ''VideoGame/WarioWareGold'' [[note]]''Made in Wario Gorgeous'' in Japanese[[/note]] (UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 3DS}}, 2018): After stealing a golden vase from a small village, Wario starts up another money-making scheme, risking his own fortune by hosting a gaming tournament and seeking to win it himself, with his friends agreeing to help make the games for it. Features an astounding total of ''300'' microgames [[MegamixGame both old and new]], all built around three base styles of "Mash", "Twist", and "Touch".[[note]]"Blow" games are also included, but have no dedicated stages and only appear in levels that use all of the other styles[[/note]] It is the first game in the series to feature fully-voiced cutscenes. It also introduces Lulu.
* [[/index]]''[=WarioWare=]: Get It Together!'' [[note]]''Osusowakeru Made in Wario'' (''Sharing Made in Wario'') in Japanese[[/note]] (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2021): When Wario and his friends get sent into a [[TrappedInTVLand world of microgames]] as a result of another one of the former's harebrain schemes, they must play through 222 Microgames in order to escape. In contrast to previous entries, the cast is fully playable this time (as opposed to just being hosts) as you play as them to complete microgames, each with their own unique abilities. It also features a co-op mode, allowing you and a second player to play through them together.

Other releases include multiple ''[=WarioWare=], Inc.'' trial versions and selected microgames, downloadable to a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance from ''VideoGame/WarioWorld'' and in one case from the ''UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube Preview Disc'', as well as the UsefulNotes/DSiWare games ''Bird & Beans'' and ''Paper Airplane Chase'' (respectively ''Pyoro'' and ''Paper Plane'' in the British English version), standalone versions of minigames from ''Mega Microgame$!'' Wario also appears in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series with his default appearance having him wear his clothes from ''[=WarioWare=]'' (his ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' appearance is available as well), along with two ''[=WarioWare=]''-inspired stages and Kat & Ana and Ashley as Assist Trophies. Diamond City also appears as a course in the two ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' arcade games ''Arcade GP'' and ''Arcade GP 2'', [[InNameOnly though it bears little resemblance to its appearance in these games.]] Ashley has appeared as an unlockable costume in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker'' and downloadable content for ''[[VideoGame/JamWithTheBand Band Brothers P]]''.

*** As mentioned below, ''Gold'' was the last first party game released on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3Ds to be an original title rather than a port, while ''Touched!'' was one of the first games announced and released for the original UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, thus bookending the DS family as a whole.

** In ''D.I.Y. Showcase'', the backgrounds includes landmasses based on the right-hand buttons and C-Stick from the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube controller.

** In-universe, this is what prompted the "Stylus Hunt" microgame in ''Gold''. 9-Volt has every model of the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS line, but keeps forgetting where the stylus is held on each one.

* GrandFinale: One can see ''Gold'' as a grand finale to the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, seeing as how the following first-party games are ports or remakes of older ones.

* OneGameForThePriceOfTwo: ''D.I.Y. Showcase'' was a UsefulNotes/WiiWare companion game for ''D.I.Y.'' that was required for HundredPercentCompletion of the medals in ''D.I.Y.'' and featured some extra games, comics, and records from several of the traditional characters that weren't in ''D.I.Y.'' itself. There's nothing special in ''Showcase'' that really requires ''D.I.Y.'' however, other than being able to play your own creations on the TV screen rather than just the built-in ones and other people's.

* BadassFamily: 9-Volt's family, if only counting his mother 5-Volt. She doesn't look like it, [[HiddenDepths but she's]] ''[[HiddenDepths much]]'' [[HiddenDepths more of an expert gamer than he is, something that she's embarrassed of]].

%% Speculative tropinfg is not allowed on TV Tropes.

%% Speculative troping is not allowed on TV Tropes.

** Series-wide: All games have featured a menu where you can replay the microgames you've unlocked in the characters' corresponding chapters or any of the special unlockable modes. Since you're now playing them outside those chapters and modes, they double as {{Endless Games}}, so when you're in one the game challenges you to clear them as many times in a row as possible before losing four times, increasing the difficulty gradually.
** In ''Smooth Moves'', the theater lets you view the stage cutscenes again, which is handy since the stages switch to endless mode after being beaten once.

* {{Bishonen}}: Young Cricket, the handsome apprentice martial artist, is probably the only one in the entire ''Mario'' franchise.

** ''Move It!'' is a return to the traditional microgame gameplay, but moves the setting away from the "Warioware Inc." company much like in ''Gold'', with its plot instead revolving around the ''[=WarioWare=]'' Crew'' going on an island vacation that just so happens to feature microgames. The cast is also back to being fully voice-acted, and [[spoiler: Wario]] plays the role of the antagonist once more.

** The major reason behind [[spoiler:Lulu's adventure in ''Gold''. The treasure he stole from her village is actually a toilet, and it's the only one they have, meaning that everybody's been holding it up ever since. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted though]], as the elder of the village actually bought a modern toilet [[ShaggyDogStory while Lulu was away]]]].
** A few microgames feature this trope, for example, In "Stalled Out", The player has to press A at the right time to get a man into the available bathroom stall. And in the boss Microgame "Toilet Training", the player has to guide Miis into the bathrooms based in their genders; In the revived version in [[VideoGame/WarioWareGold Gold]] the Player have to use a flag to guide moviegoers into the restrooms based on their needs (with the color of their clothings as a hint)

** A few microgames feature this trope, for example, In "Stalled Out", The player has to press A at the right to time to get a man into the available bathroom stall. And in the boss Microgame "Toiler Training", the player has to guide Miis into the bathrooms based in their genders; In the revived version in [[VideoGame/WarioWareGold Gold]] the Player have to use a flag to guide moviegoers into the restrooms based on their needs.

** The major reason behind [[spoiler:Lulu's adventure in ''Gold''. The treasure he stole from her village is actually a toilet, and it's the only one they have, meaning that everybody's been holding it up ever since. Subverted though, as the elder of the village actually bought a modern toilet [[ShaggyDogStory while Lulu was away]]]].

* RandomEventsPlot: The series is random events distilled into a game. It works on three levels: On the smallest scale are the hundreds of 4-second games the gameplay is made up of, each of which are connected only by art style or by basic gameplay mechanic, and from the second playthrough and onwards, appear in random order. Next up are each chapter in the game, which have different characters acting independently of each other (in the same game, for instance, you have a pizza delivery girl with animal sidekicks shooting soccer balls, and then later you have a mad scientist building a karaoke robot to do janitorial work); their success is somehow determined by the aforementioned 4-second games. At the highest level is the series itself, where not only is there some level of NegativeContinuity (along with some real continuity—it's confusing), every game in the series to date has used a radically different control gimmick.