Software:WarioWare: Twisted!

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Short description: 2004 video game

WarioWare: Twisted!
North American box art
Developer(s)Nintendo SPD
Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Goro Abe
Osamu Yamauchi
Teruyuki Hirosawa
Producer(s)Yoshio Sakamoto
Ryoichi Kitanishi
Artist(s)Ko Takeuchi
Composer(s)Kenichi Nishimaki
Masanobu Matsunaga
Yasuhisa Baba
SeriesWario
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Release
  • JP: October 14, 2004
  • AU: May 19, 2005
  • NA: May 23, 2005
Genre(s)Action, puzzle, rhythm
Mode(s)Single-player

WarioWare: Twisted![lower-alpha 1] is a video game for the Game Boy Advance, developed by Nintendo SPD with Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It was released on October 14, 2004 in Japan; May 19, 2005 in Australia; and May 23, 2005 in North America. The third game in the WarioWare series and the seventh in the Wario series overall, Twisted! was the last Wario game to be released on a Game Boy family system.

Wario and his friend Dr. Crygor invent Game Boy Advance games and units that only react when tilted around. The game follows the WarioWare formula with a variety of games that last for only a few seconds. The cartridge utilizes a gyro sensor and players must spin and twist in order to play the games.

Twisted! was critically acclaimed and has won numerous awards. Reviewers found the gyro sensor to be innovative and adding to the gameplay aspect.

It is one of only two Game Boy Advance games to include force feedback, the other being Drill Dozer.

Gameplay

Twisted follows a similar format to its predecessor, Software:WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!, in which players must play through a series of "microgames"; short minigames that require the player to understand and clear its objective within a few seconds. Twisted! features unique gameplay thanks to its built-in gyro sensor, which detects the rotation of the handheld system. As such, many of the microgames require the player to physically rotate the system in order to clear. For example, players may have to empty a bin's contents, steer a plane, or guide something through a maze. Microgames become more complex as the game progresses, with later microgames requiring more time to complete, sometimes requiring the player to fully rotate their system.

This game changes the scoring from the other WarioWare titles. Previously, the score was the number of games that were played, but Twisted only counts the number of games that the player won. Failing a microgame does not delay the boss stage. The game features items called "souvenirs", which are unlocked after boss stages in story mode. Records, musical instruments, figurines, games, and many quirky items are possible to unlock.

Gyro sensor

The Twisted cartridge has a built-in gyro sensor and rumble feature (for feedback during rotation). Most of the microgames are played by rotating the entire handheld device. The gyro sensor uses a piezoelectric gyroscope developed by NEC[1] to detect angular movement.

Because the game automatically calibrates the gyro sensor when the game is turned on (and after every "micro-game"), it works with both top-loading slots (like the Game Boy Advance) and bottom-loading slots (like all other models after the original GBA: Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Micro and Nintendo DS Lite). The manual states that Twisted! is not compatible with the Game Boy Player;[2] although the game loads as normal, players would have to carry and tilt the connected GameCube console and use its controller for button presses, thus it is simply not practical.

Plot

One day, while Wario is playing with one of his Game Boy Advance consoles, he becomes frustrated with a particularly hard game on it and throws the system at a wall, causing it to bounce back and hit him on the head. After his temporary rage, he notices his GBA is broken. He goes to Dr. Crygor's Lab and requests his help in mending it. Crygor, however, mistakes it for a test subject for his new invention, the Gravitator—a device that is shaped like a washing machine, which has the power to manipulate gravity, change gravity's direction, and cause gravity distortion. Crygor places the GBA in the Gravitator, causing it to spits out dozens of units similar in form factor to Game Boy Advance units and versions. He demonstrates that in order to play the GBA games with them, the device must be physically moved or/and by pressing the buttons. Mona and 9-Volt arrive and play with these new units, enjoying themselves. Wario, taking note of their reaction, decides to take advantage of these motion-sensing abilities as a selling point, and gets his friends to design GBA games based on this concept, and they make the game WarioWare: Twisted!.

The rest of the game features stories of all the characters in the game, each one going to Club Sugar once their stage is complete. Wario chases a mouse that almost breaks his WarioWatch (Smorgasbord Sampler). Mona tries to deliver pizza from her business, Mona Pizza, while avoiding a rival restaurant, Pizza Dinosaur (Mini Spin). Jimmy T. and his parents play on their phones at Club Sugar (Big Tipper). Kat and Ana encounter a troll after getting lost on a field trip (Tapped Out). Dribble and Spitz fix their taxi and use a feature that allows it to travel through space (Steer Clear). Crygor attempts to upgrade the Gravitator (Gravitator). Orbulon tries to figure out the password to initiate the warp drive of his ship, the Oinker, in order to escape a black hole (Time Warp). 9-Volt becomes friends with a new student named 18-Volt at his school, and 18-Volt is initiated into the crew (Spintendo Classics).

In the final level, Spandex Challenge, WarioWare: Twisted! becomes a big success in the end, and the Gravitator is used with to keep up production of the GBA units by using various objects everywhere to turn them into more units. One day, after an accident in the Gravitator involving Wario sitting on the conveyor belt to play his game, Wario is trapped and merged with the Gravitator, its powers, his unit, and the production line, causing the Gravitator to malfunction and corrupt itself and Wario, turning the machine evil and giving it more powers, and transforming Wario into a powerful and unbeatable supervillain version of Wario named Wario-Man, who then plots to save the world of its money. He steals the corrupted Gravitator from Crygor, merges himself with it, and takes control over the Gravitator, causing it to grow a jetpack and gain even more powers. He takes it to outer space, where he turns himself and the Gravitator into an also unstoppable giant robot suit. Wario's friends use Dribble and Spitz's Taxi and Orbulon's new ship, the Oinker 2, to catch up to Wario-Man, but the ship's defense system is activated upon sight of Wario-Man's suit, deeming him foreign, and it makes the ship's cannons easily blast the robot, destroying the Gravitator and its effects, and reverting Wario back to himself, not knowing he was inside. After crashing with the remains into the ocean and is saved by Crygor, Wario jokingly decides to fire everyone for destroying the Gravitator and his robot.

Development

Nintendo programmer Kazuyoshi Osawa took the lead of developing the game engine with several members of the original WarioWare staff.[3][4] Intelligent Systems provided half of the workforce including several programmers.

European release

Despite initially being announced for a European release, WarioWare: Twisted! has never been released in Europe.[5]

After its Australian and North American releases, WarioWare: Twisted! was originally scheduled to be released in Europe on June 24, 2005.[6] It was later delayed to September 2005,[7] then to February 24, 2006,[8] then to December 8, 2006.[9] Nintendo of Europe later changed its release date to "TBD" on the company's website. In the January 2008 issue of Official Nintendo Magazine, in the "Ask Nintendo" section, a representative for Nintendo of Europe stated that the delay was because Twisted! was still undergoing the compulsory LGA testing and approval for Europe.{{citation needed|date=April 2015} th still no release in the region, Nintendo removed the page for the game from its European website, following the discontinuation of the Game Boy Advance.[citation needed] Contrary to a popular rumor that the lack of a European release is due to the game cartridge's gyroscope using mercury,[10] it uses a piezoelectric gyroscope that does not contain mercury.[1] European copies of the 2008 Wii game Super Smash Bros. Brawl list the title in the GBA section of the included database of Nintendo games as "Not released".

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic88/100[11]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM9/10[12]
Eurogamer9/10[13]
Famitsu36/40[14]
Game Informer7.75/10[15]
GameSpot8.8/10[16]
GameSpyStarStarStarStarHalf star[17]
GameTrailers9/10[18]
GameZone9.5/10[19]
IGN9.5/10[20]
Nintendo LifeStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar[21]
Nintendo Power8.5/10[22]
Nintendo World Report(JP) 9.5/10[23]
(US) 9/10[24]
X-PlayStarStarStarStarStar[25]
The Sydney Morning HeraldStarStarStarStar[26]

WarioWare: Twisted! received "generally favorable reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[11] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 36 out of 40.[14] GamePro called it "an odd and amusing challenge. It is simply twisted."[27][lower-alpha 2] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it universal acclaim while it was still in development.[12]

IGN named Twisted! the No. 1 GBA game of all time,[28] as well as its "GBA Game of the Month" for May 2005.[29]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Mawaru Made in Wario (Japanese: まわる メイドインワリオ, Hepburn: Mawaru Meido in Wario; lit. Turning: Made in Wario)
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the game three 4/5 scores for graphics, sound, and fun factor, and 4.5/5 for control in an early review.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ceramic Gyro". http://www.nec-tokin.com/english/product/piezodevice2/ceramicgyro.html. , NEC-Tokin
  2. ↑ WarioWare: Twisted! manual. Nintendo. p. 4. "THIS GAME PAK WILL ONLY WORK WITH THE GAME BOY ADVANCE OR NINTENDO DS VIDEO GAME SYSTEMS. NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE GAME BOY PLAYER ACCESSORY." 
  3. ↑ "Iwata Asks – Rhythm Heaven". http://www.rhythmheaven.com/iwata1.html. 
  4. ↑ "Kazuyoshi Osawa". Atari SA. https://www.mobygames.com/person/158061/kazuyoshi-osawa/. 
  5. ↑ Donlan, Christian (July 29, 2018). "The best WarioWare was the one we never got in Europe". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/the-best-warioware-was-the-one-we-never-got-in-europe. 
  6. ↑ "Wario Becomes Even More Twisted Than Ever Before!". Gamer Network. May 4, 2005. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/wario-becomes-even-more-twisted-than-ever-before. 
  7. ↑ Reed, Kristan (June 1, 2005). "WarioWare Twists to Sept". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/news010605warioware. 
  8. ↑ "Early 2006 release dates announced". November 3, 2005. https://www.nintendo-europe.com/NOE/en/GB/news/article.do?elementId=9TA2NvSq759EAVZS_bLf2SWsZQTLWXpw. 
  9. ↑ rawmeatcowboy (October 9, 2007). "Wario Ware Twisted finally makes it to Europe". https://www.gonintendo.com/s/6379-wario-ware-twisted-finally-makes-it-to-europe. 
  10. ↑ Brown, Mark (September 30, 2010). "Top 10 GBA games we want to play on the 3DS". Steel Media Ltd. https://www.pocketgamer.com/features/top-10-gba-games-we-want-to-play-on-the-3ds/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Warioware: Twisted!". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/warioware-twisted/. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 EGM staff (April 2005). "WarioWare: Twisted!". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (190): 135. 
  13. ↑ Reed, Kristan (June 8, 2005). "WarioWare Twisted! [Import Review"]. Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/r-wariowaretwisted-gba. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "まわるメイドインワリオ" (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=1101. Retrieved September 21, 2024. 
  15. ↑ Juba, Joe (May 2005). "WarioWare Twisted". Game Informer (GameStop) (145): 128. https://archive.org/details/game-informer-issue-145-may-2005/page/128/mode/2up. Retrieved September 21, 2024. 
  16. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (May 13, 2005). "WarioWare: Twisted! Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/warioware-twisted-review/1900-6124308/. 
  17. ↑ Theobald, Phil (May 26, 2005). "GameSpy: Wario Ware Twisted! [sic"]. IGN Entertainment. http://gba.gamespy.com/gameboy-advance/mawaru-wario-ware/619291p1.html. 
  18. ↑ "WarioWare: Twisted!". Viacom. May 27, 2005. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec2AymTvMFw. 
  19. ↑ Hollinsghead, Anise (June 24, 2005). "WarioWare Twisted! - GBA - Review". https://gamezone.com/reviews/warioware_twisted_gba_review/. 
  20. ↑ Harris, Craig (May 11, 2005). "Warioware Twisted". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/05/12/warioware-twisted. 
  21. ↑ Parr, Jake (June 26, 2015). "WarioWare Twisted! Review". Hookshot Media. https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/gba/warioware_twisted. 
  22. ↑ "WarioWare: Twisted!". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) (193): 101. July 2005. 
  23. ↑ Sklens, Mike (November 10, 2004). "Mawaru Made in Wario". NINWR, LLC. https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4288/warioware-twisted-game-boy-advance. 
  24. ↑ Metts, Jonathan (May 11, 2005). "WarioWare Twisted!". NINWR, LLC. https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4363/warioware-twisted-game-boy-advance. 
  25. ↑ Speer, Justin (June 17, 2005). "WarioWare: Twisted! Review". G4 Media. http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/51992/WarioWare_Twisted_Review.html. 
  26. ↑ Hill, Jason (May 26, 2005). "Unsettling Thriller". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/unsettling-thriller-20050526-gdle2d.html. 
  27. ↑ Bro Buzz (May 2005). "WarioWare Twisted!". GamePro (IDG) (200). http://gamepro.com/nintendo/gameboy_advance/games/reviews/43569.shtml. Retrieved September 22, 2024. 
  28. ↑ IGN staff (March 16, 2023). "Top 25 Game Boy Advance Games of All Time". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/best-game-boy-advance-games. 
  29. ↑ Nix (May 19, 2012). "GBA Game of the Month: May 2005". https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/06/01/gba-game-of-the-month-may-2005. 
  • Official website (in Japanese)
  • WarioWare: Twisted! on IMDb
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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