From R.O.B. the Robot, to Wii Music, to ARMS, Nintendo is no stranger to all things weird. Back in 2003, their most unusual contribution to gaming was WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! In a time when mini games were still hot, Wario and his new friends starred in a Gameboy Advance game would push the genre to ridiculously short lengths.
WarioWare featured over 200 micro games. They differed from standard mini game fare in that each game was only 3-5 seconds long. Tasks were as simple as to pick your nose, dodge incoming traffic or to jump on a goomba. After completing a set of games, the pace would pick up, until you eventually mess up too many times and the game would end.
The game featured a number of different levels, though my favourite will always be the 9-Volt section. In his stage, you’re playing micro games based on Nintendo’s history. Everything from shooting a duck in Duck Hunt to swatting flies in Mario Paint are here as a cool love letter to the past.
For its time, it was a charming and addictive game wrapped up in some of Nintendo’s wackiest presentation at the time. I adore everything about it, to the point where it still holds a place in my heart over a decade later. Since then, the series has seen many sequels that have varied in quality. Still, I hold out hope that Nintendo can find a cool way to bring WarioWare back on the Switch.