I woke up to quite a surprise today, it was an extremely loud pounding on my front door. I’m glad though, because it was the UPS deliveryman. After signing for the package, I noticed that came from Lik-Sang. Upon opening it, I was greeted with the real surprise, a brand new copy of Nintendo’s new MaWaRu Made in Wario! game. The game is the latest in the series (known as WarioWare in the US), and includes a very innovative (PUN ALERT) twist. MaWaRu includes a rotational sensor. The game cartridge, which is quite big (though very light), can detect when it is being rotated left or right. It may be hard to imagine exactly how the game works. If you’re having trouble, watch this video (25KB, WMV format 200KB DivX format). While we're at it, here's a picture of the actual game cart.

Here’s a brief explanation of how it works, for those who can’t access the video. The game’s sensor picks up left and right movement based on where it’s being held at the start of each microgame. It does not require constant rotation to pick up movement. Here is an example. One game shows a little stick figure man with a circular head. During the game, baseballs fly at him and you must move the Game Boy to help him dodge the balls. Moving the GBA to either the left or right will cause the little guy to move his head in the corresponding direction. As long as you keep the GBA away from where it was at the start of the microgame, then his head will stay there. All of this can be done from either a sitting or standing position. While sitting, you can move the Game Boy by simply moving your arms. However, it’s also possible to stand up and spin your entire body (around vertical center axis) to make the game register movement. Certain games are a bit easier while standing.

An example of one such game is 9-Volt’s boss game. 9-Volt’s games are all based on classic NES titles. His boss game is Super Mario Bros… only circular. Imagine a level of Super Mario Bros wrapped around a wheel with the top 70% of the wheel visible and the other 30% cut off so it’s not visible. Mario can run and jump just as he can in the real game, only in this boss game his left/right movement is controlled with the rotational sensor, though jumping is still on the A button. Mario always stays on the same location of the wheel, and the world moves around him. Moving the GBA spins the wheel and as it moves old parts of the levels are thrust below the screen while new ones rise up on the right side. It’s a pretty insane game, and gets quite tough on harder difficulties and faster speeds.

MaWaRu takes this crazy new rotation feature and mixes it into the franchise’s unique gameplay style. For those not in the know, WarioWare games throw tons of rapid fire “micro-games” at the player in a random order. They also increase in speed as the overall game goes on. After completing a certain number of microgames successfully, there is a “boss game” to defeat. Beating the boss game clears the level and opens the next one.

MaWaRu puts a smile on my face a mile wide the entire time I am playing it. One of my roommates flipped out upon playing for the first time. Another roommate mentioned that it reminded him of somebody trying to play a racing game by moving the controller left and right while they steer. The difference is that in this game, it really works.

There are numerous types of microgames available. Some of them use only the rotational sensor, a few use only buttons, and later games use a combination of both. It’s an entirely new experience to take in. It takes some getting used to but is a total blast once you’re accustomed to it.

From what I can tell, the game has a serious amount of unlockables. In addition to unlockable games, there are also crazy things like wind-up musical boxes. What’s neat about them is that you actually have to wind the boxes up by twisting the Game Boy. MaWaRu Made in Wario! is a seriously crazy game and is tons of fun so far. Keep your eyes peeled for a full review of this hot import coming soon.