In an era of over 100-hour open world campaigns and games as service titles that can be played over and over, WarioWare’s 3 to 5 second microgames almost feel like a commentary on the state of the industry. On the one hand, the microgames from Get It Together require lightning-fast thinking, always offer the unexpected and feel refreshingly original. On the other hand, this ultimately superficial experience made people want more.
Our moustached threat and his eclectic crew have been aggressively developing short games for ages in hopes of making tons of cash. But this time the group only wins one foray into the digital world; Wario and his strange crew are trapped in their own digital landscapes, and the only exit is on the other side of those half-baked amusements.
As always, the mini-games in this WarioWare collection are completely insane. The strange goals of Get It Together are also testament to Nintendo’s creativity. In a moment I plugged in water pipes so someone could wash their hands. The next, I plucked hair from a bodybuilder’s armpits, poured ketchup on a plate of spaghetti, or hit an eggshell to release a trio of terrified squirrels. Achieving these goals is always easy, but the excitement builds quickly when you have seconds to register and achieve each goal. I would often frantically zigzag across the screen with a smile on my face and sometimes fail in hilarious ways.
This setup isn’t new to seasoned WarioWare players, but the big change in Get It Together is that Wario and his companions are now the focus of all games. Each character has its own controls. For example, Wario is equipped with a jetpack so it can fly across the screen and shoot impact objects while 18 volt targets are fired from a stationary position. Each character is easy to control, but some are better suited to specific tasks. For example, dodging objects is easy with a character like Ashley, who can move freely around the screen, but it’s more difficult with Kat, who is constantly bouncing up and down. All characters can complete any game, but you will be randomly assigned a new character for each mini-game, and it always feels unfair when your character is ill-suited to the task at hand.
Another unexpected result of including the WarioWare crew in these microgames is that the entire experience feels unified. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily a good thing. The strength of WarioWare has always been in its unusual antics and how quickly it changes from one wild concept or game mechanic to the next. In the past, you could easily jump from a first person shooter tower defense game to a racing game to a bizarre sequence where you ripped a plaster off someone’s knee. Get It Together’s themes and graphics remain charmingly random, but the game mechanics are more conventional as you always play as Wario or one of his companions. As a result, while the Get It Together mini-games became amusing distractions, I grew tired of them faster than usual.
Get It Together’s local multiplayer mode offers a few reasons to return to these microgames with up to 3 friends. Most multiplayer experiences operate around a theme. For example, Puck ‘er Up is an air hockey game where the player who scores a point each round can play one of the mini-games from Get It Together. I liked the simplicity of Duelius Maximus, however, where two players race through a series of microgames to see who will stay alive the longest.
WarioWare’s vivid graphics: Get It Together are temporarily appealing, but this candy bowl has a hollow center; As with any sugary snack, the experience doesn’t stay with you. Once I completed the short single player Get It Together campaign, I was content to do something else. These microgames are a nice treat if you’re in an eccentric mood, but these miniature experiences only provide short-lived enjoyment.
