WarioWare D.I.Y (DS) Review

Now all this sounds very daunting doesn’t it? Well, yes it is, but the tutorials are actually quite fun to work through as they’re commentated by the very odourous Wario and Dr. Crygor’s granddaughter Penny. Their various exchanges throughout the tutorials are funny indeed. The translators at Nintendo certainly know how to make something that could be mundane, fun.Games are created in two main parts, the Game Creator and the Music Creator. The games you create in WarioWare D.I.Y.are the 5-second microgames that have been the series’ staple since the first game. These games usually played out with your needing to prod, poke, shake or yell at the Nintendo DS to solve the tiny games. However, despite the depth of the games editor, you’ll only be able tap in these games. That’s sounds negative but the truth is, it’s pretty hard to do that and you do gain an insight into the boring part of gaming, programming.You see, while you do create all of a game’s graphics and even music, it’s the programming behind the game that will take the longest for you to get your head around. Again that sounds daunting, but Nintendo has done well to mask it and turn complicated switches and triggers into simple ideas that any can get without having to look at any code. Really, coding is boring. All games rely on the “win condition”, so while you can only tap on things, that tap could mean you move something in the way, out of the way, get something to drop – the sky is the limit.

The graphics editor, like the game scripting, is very user-friendly but also very in-depth. You can draw everything yourself or there is some clip art available to use, anything from trees to balls and even items from Nintendo games. There are also texture tools along with all the paint tools you can imagine. In-game objects and characters are able to be fully animated as well, with four frames per object and even a frame for when you tap.

For all the tools in the game, you’re only making a 5-second microgame and at times it feels a tab over-engineered. But without the graphics, the animation, the scripting and the music – all parts of a game – you don’t have a game, do you? I would love to see this editor and creator expanded on the Wii or the 3DS in the future for longer games. You’re not ever going to be able to create Zelda, but re-creation of arcade classics could be possible.

I’m not very good at drawing but with the tools available I was still able to make a decent looking game, and with the tools there and the help available at anytime, anyone can make something decent. To prove this point, all of the built-in games, made by Nintendo, have been created using the in-game editor.

The other aspect of making games in WarioWare D.I.Y. is the music creator. While the games only go for seconds at a time, you can create music up to 4 minutes long with 50 different instruments. Anything from a piano to classic 8-bit noises is there. The game music can have up to four tracks along with a rhythm track. Complicated and great sounding music tracks are able to be made. Suck at composing? Sure we’ve all dabbled with the local orchestra but why not get Maestro to make music for you? If that’s not your thing, you are able to even hum a few bars and the game will try to make a track for you based on that.

You can only create two games in progress at any one time; once they’re finished and work fine, there are tons of spots for them (and the downloadable games) however. There are also no DSi features in the game, so no putting your ugly mug in microgames.

So what’s the point of making these games if you can’t share it with others? Well luckily you can, as the Distribution Centre is the hub for all things sharing. Upon entering, you’re given the choice of connecting to the Wii, another DS or the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Connecting to the Wii requires WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase (available from the Wii Shop Channel) where as connecting to the DS requires another copy of the game. The bulk of the sharing tools and fun stuff is online though, and though Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection you can connect to either the Warehouse or the NinSoft store.

The Warehouse is where you can store up to two comics (more on that later), records or games to share with friends. Like all Nintendo games, you’ll need to have a friend code for them. It would be better if the six slots you get could be filled with anything but it’s not a big problem. The NinSoft store, though, is where the fun is, with games for download from not only other people but also famous developers. There is also a challenge up there each week in which you can submit microgames following a specific theme – make a good one and it’ll be featured.

Outside of game creation, there is plenty to do as well; you can finish games as challenges and put the missing parts of the game in. A game is given to you with script missing and you’ll need to put in the appropriate actions to get it working again. This takes place in the Assembly Dojo where the Master will judge your attempt at fixing the game in a very “Professor Layton” way. It even has the three-jump zoom up on his face. A weird addition to the game is the Comics feature. Using the games editor you can create 4-page comics. There are also comics by famous Japanese artists to download as well. Not sure what the point of these is in relation to the game, but they’re there. Finally there is also the Job Centre which sees you drawing art for games that Wario made but can’t be stuffed drawing a box for. He’s fat and lazy, did’t you know?

All of these side additions to the main game unlock more built-in games, comics and music tracks that are in the D.I.Y. Shop. Some of the Nintendo themes remixed using the games editor are quite brilliant – look out for those.