WarioWare Twisted! GBA: Gaming Revolution in Every Spin

Wario, Mario's malevolent and avaricious adversary, proves to be a gaming genius. Why endure lengthy gaming sessions when you can conquer numerous quick five-second challenges? Unfortunately, the third installment in the WarioWare series, WarioWare Twisted!, never saw a release in Europe, which is regrettable as it stands out as one of the most unique entries in an already innovative series.

After a gaming defeat, Wario vented his frustration by angrily destroying his Game Boy Advance. Opting not to purchase a new one, he sought the assistance of his eccentric scientist friend, Dr. Crygor, to repair it. The outcome was a version of the handheld console with buttons replaced by motion controls. Ever eager to seize any opportunity for profit, Wario enlisted the help of his friends once again to create over 220 microgames for his revamped system.

Each installment in the WarioWare Twisted series typically introduces a unique feature.

In WarioWare Twisted!, you can manipulate the game by gently tilting the console left and right, simulating a steering wheel experience without the concern of colliding with other drivers. The game cartridges incorporate a built-in gyroscope sensor, offering a genuinely innovative way to play compared to traditional button controls.

The mentioned sensors are highly functional, maintaining the perfect balance between responsiveness and stability. While gyroscopic controls are now commonplace in today's mobile games due to the presence of accelerometers in phones and tablets, their integration in 2004 was truly groundbreaking.

WarioWare Twisted! Mini-Games

In WarioWare Twisted!, the majority of games last a mere five seconds, hence the name "microgames." A command flashes on the screen, and your task is to complete it—quickly! Whether it's saying hello to aliens, shaving, shaking hands with Mario, or guzzling wine, each microgame is a rapid-fire challenge. Each stage in WarioWare Twisted! grants you four lives, and losing a game deducts one life. Lose all four lives, and it's game over.

Winning a boss fight, however, replenishes one life. Wario's surreal sense of humor shines through with absurd scenes, such as rockets devouring noses and the Earth getting a shave. Some goals or outcomes might tickle your funny bone. All these microgames boast excellent graphics, accompanied by just the right mix of amusing sounds and fitting music.

Levels in WarioWare Twisted!

Most of the stages in WarioWare Twisted! tend to have a specific control style tailored to their gameplay. All are led by Wario and his eccentric and wonderful cohorts, and upon completing them for the first time, they each unfold a theatrical story and ending. The scenes are quite silly and entertaining. The disco dancer Jimmy's set needs a big spin, while the student Mona's stage requires a slight twist. The weaker scenes belong to the kindergarten ninjas Kat and Ana, as you only have to press the A button, making most of their game quite easy.

Other scenes have some cool twists. The old-school kid 9-Volt has all the Nintendo games he's accustomed to and tweaks the gameplay. For instance, his boss level is a Super Mario Bros game, but with a twist—each level is curved. Turning the GBA to the right allows Mario to move and speed up the environment, requiring perfectly synchronized jumps.

The super-smart alien Orbulon has his usual array of challenging puzzles, but his game takes twice as long to challenge players. These are the stronger stages as they are significantly more difficult and require a variety of moves to conquer.

There are unlockable levels in WarioWare Twisted that bring life, keep all the games in play, and even crank up your speed to the max, perfect for gaming enthusiasts. All of Wario's stages have time limits, no lives, where winning rounds are given extra time, and losing ones are halted. They are vastly different from the other stages but remain very interesting. A peculiar inclusion is the Fronk microgame.

Fronks are tiny pixelated creatures that appear in the WarioWare series. The trick here is that each Fronk game offers half the time to complete it and can appear in any stage since it doesn't have one of its own. Because of this, playing them can be frustrating as they can catch you off guard and cost you a life if you're too slow or clumsy.

After passing the boss stage, the machine can be spun to unlock souvenirs. There are over 130 in total, ranging from not-so-funny trinkets to more intriguing items like stereos and game song discs, featuring iconic melodies like Mona Pizza's and the catchy Wario De Mambo theme. Some microgames turn into longer minigames, like ice hockey, which has high replay value and is a lot of fun.

Sometimes a phone number appears, which can be used on unlockable phones to receive a silly message. If you unlock all the goodies, all you'll get are numbers, so you'll likely see the same message over and over.

All of this might seem daunting, so each microgame can be played individually, allowing players to adapt to the increasing difficulty. If you surpass the high score, a crown will appear on the game. Earn crowns with all of them to unlock a super-secret souvenir.

Gameplay of WarioWare Twisted! GBA

Bezel

You can download the game's bezel or overlay by clicking here.

In Conclusion

Certainly, WarioWare Twisted! stands out as one of the series' most impressive additions, offering a wealth of microgames and unlockables that contribute to its substantial replay value. The game features excellent graphics, complemented by extravagant sounds and catchy jingles. Although a few stages may be weaker compared to others, and the final unlockable might feel somewhat time-consuming, there's no denying that this game marks a considerable advancement from the already outstanding first entry in the series.