WarioWare: Get It Together! landed on the Nintendo Switch on September 10, 2021, and it did something the series had never done before: it let you control Wario and his friends inside the microgames themselves. Intelligent Systems developed it, Nintendo published it, and it sold 1.34 million copies worldwide. It was also the last WarioWare game to feature Charles Martinet as the voice of Wario before he retired from the role in 2023.
Trailer, via Nintendo of America.
Release date, sales and the Martinet farewell
- Release date: September 10, 2021
- Developer: Intelligent Systems
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Sales: 1.34 million copies worldwide, as of December 2022
- Score: 8.1/10
Wario gets sucked into his own game
The premise is pure Wario. He finishes a game unit at WarioWare Inc., it won’t turn on, he throws it in the air in frustration, and he and his friends get sucked inside as virtual versions of themselves. The game has been invaded by “Game Bugs” that cause glitches and corruption. Wario and his crew have to clear them out to get home.
Wario, Mona and 18-Volt play differently
This is the real change. Instead of just tapping a button, you control a specific character with distinct abilities. Wario flies on a jetpack and can shoulder charge. Mona rides a scooter automatically and controls a boomerang in the air. 18-Volt fires CDs from a stationary position and can only move by hooking onto rings. Up to 20 characters can be unlocked. Each one clears the same microgame in a different way.
| Character | Movement | Attack |
|---|---|---|
| Wario | Jetpack flight | Shoulder charge |
| Mona | Auto scooter, boomerang | Boomerang |
| 18-Volt | Hooks onto rings | Fires CDs |
Two players, one screen
For the first time in the series, two-player cooperative play is built in. You can play on the same system or via local wireless. Characters randomly alternate between microgames, so you and a friend have to adapt fast. There are also party minigames for up to four players, plus a ranked mode called the Wario Cup.
The Wario Bug and the Supreme Developer
The story mode has a real arc. The final bug is the Wario Bug, a corrupted version of Wario himself. After that, “The Supreme Developer,” a god-like figure with Wario’s nose and mustache, reveals he brought everyone in to clean up bugs Wario caused through poor programming. Then three members — Red, Master Mantis and Lulu — get stuck inside, and the crew goes back in.
The character-swapping is the smartest thing here. It turns a reflex test into a puzzle about who you’re controlling. The co-op is a genuine addition, not a bolted-on mode. This is the best the series has felt in years.
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