WarioWare: Twisted!
Encyclopedia
WarioWare: Twisted!, known in Japan
as is a video game for Game Boy Advance
by Nintendo
. The game is of a variety and puzzle genre. It was released on October 14, 2004 in Japan, May 23, 2005 in North America, and May 19, 2005 in Australia. It was not released in Europe, despite having been announced for release there.
In the game, Wario
and his friend Dr. Crygor invent a Game Boy Advance that only reacts when tilted around. The game follows the WarioWare formula with a variety of games that lasts 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.
during rotation). Most of the microgames are played by rotating the entire handheld device. The gyro sensor uses a piezoelectric gyroscope
developed by NEC to detect angular movement. The gyroscopic sensor does not contain mercury
, notwithstanding a persistent rumour that mercury in the sensor resulted in the game's being banned under European environmental regulations.
Because the game automatically calibrates the gyro sensor when the game is turned on (and after every microgame), it works with both top-loading (like the Game Boy Advance
) and bottom-loading slots (like all other models after the 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
; 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.
. While playing with his Game Boy Advance, Wario
becomes frustrated with a particularly hard game on it and throws the system at a wall, causing it to hit him on the head. After his temporary rage, he notices his GBA is broken. He requests Dr. Crygor's help in mending it. Crygor, however, places it in his new invention, the Gravitator, which spits out dozens of buttonless objects similar in form factor to a Game Boy Advance. It transpires that in order to play, the device must be physically moved. Mona and 9-Volt arrive and toy 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 recruits his friends to design Microgames based on this concept.
provided half of the work force including several programmers.
testing and approval for Europe. There has been no further official information since this statement. European copies of the 2008 game Super Smash Bros. Brawl
for the Wii list the title in the included database of Nintendo games as "Not Released", while that year also saw the game's page on the Nintendo of Europe website removed.
. In Japan, it won Grand Prize for Entertainment at the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival
. Craig Harris from IGN
channel named Twisted! the #1 GBA game of all time, and gave it a rating of 9.5/10.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as is a video game for Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
. The game is of a variety and puzzle genre. It was released on October 14, 2004 in Japan, May 23, 2005 in North America, and May 19, 2005 in Australia. It was not released in Europe, despite having been announced for release there.
In the game, Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
and his friend Dr. Crygor invent a Game Boy Advance that only reacts when tilted around. The game follows the WarioWare formula with a variety of games that lasts 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.
Gyro sensor
The WarioWare: Twisted! cartridge has a built-in gyro sensor and rumble feature (for feedbackFeedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
during rotation). Most of the microgames are played by rotating the entire handheld device. The gyro sensor uses a piezoelectric gyroscope
Vibrating structure gyroscope
A vibrating structure gyroscope is a type ofgyroscope that functions much like the halteresof an insect.The underlying physical principle is that a vibratingobject tends to continue vibrating in the same planeas its support rotates...
developed by NEC to detect angular movement. The gyroscopic sensor does not contain mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
, notwithstanding a persistent rumour that mercury in the sensor resulted in the game's being banned under European environmental regulations.
Because the game automatically calibrates the gyro sensor when the game is turned on (and after every microgame), it works with both top-loading (like the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
) and bottom-loading slots (like all other models after the GBA: Game Boy Advance SP
Game Boy Advance SP
The , released in February 2003, is an upgraded version of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The "SP" in Game Boy Advance SP stands for Special. The SP was marketed at US$99.99 at launch. In September 2004, Nintendo lowered the price to US$79.99...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, Game Boy Micro
Game Boy Micro
is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in September 2005 in the market. The system is the last console of the Game Boy line...
, and Nintendo DS Lite
Nintendo DS Lite
The is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It is a slimmer, brighter, and more lightweight redesign of the Nintendo DS, designed to be aesthetically sleeker, while taking styling cues from the Game Boy Advance SP, and to appeal to broader commercial audiences...
). The manual states that Twisted! is not compatible with the Game Boy Player
Game Boy Player
The is a device made by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube which enables Game Boy , Game Boy Color, or Game Boy Advance cartridges to be played on a television. It connects via the high speed parallel port at the bottom of the GameCube and requires use of a boot disc to access the hardware...
; 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, Wario is asleep, then his bubble pops and he awakes. He picks up his Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. While playing with his Game Boy Advance, Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
becomes frustrated with a particularly hard game on it and throws the system at a wall, causing it to hit him on the head. After his temporary rage, he notices his GBA is broken. He requests Dr. Crygor's help in mending it. Crygor, however, places it in his new invention, the Gravitator, which spits out dozens of buttonless objects similar in form factor to a Game Boy Advance. It transpires that in order to play, the device must be physically moved. Mona and 9-Volt arrive and toy 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 recruits his friends to design Microgames based on this concept.
Gameplay
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. 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. Like other previous titles, each character has their own style of gameplay.Development
Nintendo programmer Kazuyoshi Osawa took lead of developing the game engine with several members of the original Wario Ware staff. Intelligent SystemsIntelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
provided half of the work force including several programmers.
European release
This game was originally set to be released in Europe on June 24, 2005; however, it was later pushed back to February 24, 2006, before Nintendo of Europe changed its release date to "TBD" on the company's website. In the January 2008 issue of the Official Nintendo Magazines "Ask Nintendo" section a Nintendo-Europe representative shed some light on the situation and claimed the WarioWare: Twisted! delay was because Twisted! was still undergoing the compulsory LGALandesgewerbeanstalt Bayern
Landesgewerbeanstalt Bayern or LGA is a certification company based in Nuremberg, Germany. It specializes in toy and furniture testing.-History:...
testing and approval for Europe. There has been no further official information since this statement. European copies of the 2008 game Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
for the Wii list the title in the included database of Nintendo games as "Not Released", while that year also saw the game's page on the Nintendo of Europe website removed.
Reception
WarioWare: Twisted! currently has an aggregate 88% rating on Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
. In Japan, it won Grand Prize for Entertainment at the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival
Japan Media Arts Festival
The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs since 1997. The festival for a nominal year was usually held during February or March next year, rather than at the end of the nominal year. For instance, the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival, where...
. Craig Harris from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
channel named Twisted! the #1 GBA game of all time, and gave it a rating of 9.5/10.