''WarioWare: Touched!'' is a
minigame
A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...
compilation
party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
video game released by
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
for the
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
. The fourth installment of the
''WarioWare'' series, and the first of three on the Nintendo DS, the game involves rapidly completing "microgames" — simple minigames lasting extremely short periods of time — as quickly as possible. The microgames are exclusively controlled with the Nintendo DS's
touchscreen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...
and
microphone
A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public ...
.
Developed by
Intelligent Systems
is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games with Nintendo and the ''Fire Emblem'', ''Paper Mario (series), Paper Mario'', ''WarioWare'', and ''Wars (series), Wars'' video game series. Originally, the company was headqua ...
and
Nintendo SPD
commonly abbreviated as Nintendo SPD, was a Japanese research, planning and development division housed inside the Nintendo Development Center in Kyoto, Japan. The division had two departments: ''Software Planning & Development Department'', wh ...
and published worldwide by
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
, the game was developed simultaneously with ''
WarioWare: Twisted!'' The game was created to utilize the touchscreen functions of the Nintendo DS. ''WarioWare: Touched!'' was released in December 2004 in Japan, in February 2005 in both North America and Australia and in March of the same year in Europe. ''Touched!'' was a launch title for the Japanese, Australian, and European markets.
The game was positively received upon its release, with reviewers praising it for its fast-paced gameplay akin to other ''WarioWare'' titles, but disappointed by its brevity. ''Touched!'' introduced recurring character Ashley to the series and used the
touchscreen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...
and
microphone
A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public ...
for the first time. Many of the microgames in ''Touched!'' reappeared in ''
WarioWare Gold
''WarioWare Gold'' is a minigame compilation co-developed by Nintendo EPD and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS family of video game consoles. The ninth installment in the ''WarioWare'' series, it was released i ...
''. The game was re-released on the
Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
The W ...
Virtual Console
A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
service in 2015 and briefly on the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
the following year. The North American and Australian box arts are colored orange, while the box art for all the other regions are colored yellow.
Plot
In the game's opening cutscene, Wario finds a
two-screened console and decides to develop games for it to make money. The rest of the game features self-contained stories for every character in their stages. Wario gets a toothache after eating chocolate. Jimmy T. gets a bug in his hair while dancing. Mona plays in a concert. Ashley sends her demon, Red, to capture Orbulon. Kat and Ana try to locate their stolen bananas. Dr. Crygor upgrades himself with a new invention. Mike does karaoke for a planet of alien bunnies. 9-Volt and 18-Volt play a video game. In the game's final level, Wario eats some "nasty garlic" and turns into a superhero, Wario-Man.
Gameplay
The game uses the same type of gameplay as in past ''WarioWare'' titles; the player must complete "microgames", a variation of "minigames".
The player is given brief instructions before each microgame, such as "Find!", "Rotate!" or "Shoot!".
Beating a microgame results in the game continuing to the next one, while losing causes the player to lose a
life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
.
If four lives are lost, the game ends in a
game over, with the player's three previous highest
scores being displayed.
The game speeds up as it progresses.
After every fifteen points scored, the player must complete a "boss stage"; a longer, typically more difficult microgame.
''Touched!'' introduced
touchscreen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...
and
microphone
A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public ...
controls to the ''WarioWare'' series; all microgames can only be controlled with either of the two.
The game has 180 microgames, not including boss stages. The game's nine stages have 20 microgames in each.
Each level has a different theme, character, stage intermission and input style.
All input styles use the stylus to interact with the touch screen in various ways, such as poking or dragging.
Some microgames use the system's microphone; the player controls the game by blowing into it.
In addition to the main stages, the player can access "toys" by completing a stage. These toys are simple minigames, sometimes based on microgames from the main stage.
Development and release
The game, developed by
Intelligent Systems
is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games with Nintendo and the ''Fire Emblem'', ''Paper Mario (series), Paper Mario'', ''WarioWare'', and ''Wars (series), Wars'' video game series. Originally, the company was headqua ...
and
Nintendo SPD
commonly abbreviated as Nintendo SPD, was a Japanese research, planning and development division housed inside the Nintendo Development Center in Kyoto, Japan. The division had two departments: ''Software Planning & Development Department'', wh ...
, began its development during the development of ''
WarioWare: Twisted!''.
The team working on ''Twisted!'' was split in two; one to continue work on ''Twisted!'' and the other to begin ''Touched!''.
In the game's inception, the development team wanted to use the technology of the Nintendo DS in the next iteration of the series like how ''Twisted!'' uses game cartridge's vibrating structure
gyroscope
A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in which the axis of rota ...
as a key game mechanic.
The game was first revealed alongside the first Nintendo DS public demonstration in the form of a short
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
.
''Touched!'' was produced by Yoshio Sakamoto and Ryoichi Kitanishi and directed by Goro Abe, Taku Sugioka and Teruyuki Hirosawa. The game's music was composed by Masanobu Matsunaga and Yashuhisa Baba.
Published worldwide by Nintendo, it was released as a
launch title
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
for the Nintendo DS in Japan on December 2, 2004, among ''
Super Mario 64 DS
''Super Mario 64 DS'' is a 2004 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was a launch game for the DS. ''Super Mario 64 DS'' is a remake of the 1996 Nintendo 64 game ''Super Mario 64,'' with new graphics, charact ...
'' and other titles.
It was released two months later in North America on February 14, 2005, and in Australia on February 24, 2005, as the second first-party title published on the system for the regions.
It was released on March 11 in Europe in the same year, as a launch title for the region.
It is the third installment of the series, and the first of three to be released on the Nintendo DS.
The game was re-released on the
Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
The W ...
as part of its
Virtual Console
A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
service in Europe and Australia on April 2, 2015, on April 9 in North America and on April 15 in Japan in the same year.
It was released on the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
as a limited-time reward for
My Nintendo
is a loyalty program provided by Nintendo and the successor to Club Nintendo. The system rewards allows players to earn points from using software or purchasing games, which can then be spent on rewards such as digital games or discounts. The ...
members on March 17, 2016, in Japan and March 31 of the same year in North America, Europe and Australia.
Reception
''WarioWare: Touched!'' received generally favorable reviews, receiving a score of 81 on review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
The game was praised for its visual style, microgame-based gameplay and callbacks to retro Nintendo games, as it was criticized for its brevity and enjoyability in comparison to past titles in its series.
''Touched!s use of touchscreen mechanics was polarized amongst reviewers. Ben Kosmina writing for ''Nintendo World Report'' found that the stylus and microphone controlled the game "flawlessly", and applauded the inclusion of a mode for left-handed people.
Other reviewers also applauded the game for its touchscreen controls.
However, other reviewers criticized the control scheme.
Jeff Gerstmann reviewing the game for ''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' stated that the game "leans way too heavily on the touchscreen for its own good", citing that many of the methods to complete the game's microgames are too similar.
Despite this, critics praised the game's use of the Nintendo DS' dual display.
The game's visual style was commonly lauded by critics. Kosmina described the game as having "a potpourri of different styles", referencing the non-conforming nature of the game's artstyle.
Craig Harris, writing for ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'', stated that "the variety of styles and graphic techniques work to the game's advantage".
Another common point of praise amongst critics was the game's references to past Nintendo games and systems in the character 9-Volt's stage "Retro Action" in its microgames and its sound effects.
The game references ''
Super Mario Bros.
is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for th ...
'', ''
The Legend of Zelda
''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...
'', ''
Metroid
is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirate (Metroid), Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the powe ...
'' and the
Game & Watch
The Game & Watch brand ( ''Gēmu & Uotchi''; called ''Tricotronic'' in West Germany and Austria, abbreviated as ''G&W'') is a series of handheld electronic games developed, manufactured, released, and marketed by Nintendo from 1980 in video gam ...
series, among other classic titles. The game's soundtrack was also praised, specifically "Ashley's Song" and "Mike's Song" for its full localization to English.
The microgame-based gameplay in ''Touched!'' was commended for its unique nature,
but many reviewers found that the game was less enjoyable in comparison to the series' past iterations, ''
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!'' and ''WarioWare: Twisted!''. In addition, Kosmina expressed concern about the future gameplay possibilities of touchscreen controls as the microgames "Pro Bowling" and "Galaxy Bounce" were similar to that of other minigames in ''
Feel the Magic: XY/XX'' and ''
Super Mario 64 DS
''Super Mario 64 DS'' is a 2004 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was a launch game for the DS. ''Super Mario 64 DS'' is a remake of the 1996 Nintendo 64 game ''Super Mario 64,'' with new graphics, charact ...
'', other early titles for the Nintendo DS. Another common point of criticism for ''Touched!'' was its short length.
Kosmina called the game a "fairly short version of the
GBA
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
game
'WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames''with not much replay value".
The game's Wii U re-release was applauded for its variability in its display options, with critics stating that the vertical GamePad-only display was the best choice.
However, James Charlton writing for ''Nintendo World Report'' stated that the game's touchscreen controls had aged poorly, citing that "in the era of capacitive touch screens, the sluggishness of using a stylus
an makethese touch microgames frustrating."
Legacy
The touchscreen and microphone-based gameplay first implemented in ''Touched!'' has become a recurring mechanic in the ''WarioWare'' series and is present in most subsequent titles.
Many microgames featured in ''Touched!'' make appearances in ''
WarioWare Gold
''WarioWare Gold'' is a minigame compilation co-developed by Nintendo EPD and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS family of video game consoles. The ninth installment in the ''WarioWare'' series, it was released i ...
''.
''Touched!'' also marks the first appearance of the recurring ''WarioWare'' character
Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
...
, who has since appeared in ''
WarioWare: Smooth Moves'', ''
WarioWare D.I.Y.'', ''
Game & Wario
''Game & Wario'' is a 2013 party video game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published for the Wii U console, named after LCD Game & Watch titles. It is the eighth installment in the ''WarioWare'' series and part of the larger ...
'' and ''
WarioWare Gold
''WarioWare Gold'' is a minigame compilation co-developed by Nintendo EPD and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS family of video game consoles. The ninth installment in the ''WarioWare'' series, it was released i ...
''. Ashley has also made regular appearances in the ''
Super Smash Bros.
''Super Smash Bros.'' is a Crossover (fiction), crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objectiv ...
'' series; in ''
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 List of crossovers in video games, crossover fighting game, fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros., ''Super Smash ...
'' as a sticker and in ''
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS'' as an assist trophy, wearable
Mii
A Mii ( ) is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console in 2006 and later appeared on the 3DS, Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices. Miis c ...
outfit and trophy. She has also made cameo appearances in ''
Nintendo Badge Arcade
''Nintendo Badge Arcade'', known in Japanese as , is a freemium application developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS, allowing players to customize the 3DS home menu with badges. The game launched in Japan in December 2014, and worldwide in No ...
'', ''
Rhythm Heaven Megamix
''Rhythm Heaven Megamix'', known in Europe and Australia as ''Rhythm Paradise Megamix'', and in Japan as and ''Rhythm World: The Best Plus'' in Korea, is a rhythm game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the fourth g ...
'' and ''
Super Mario Maker
is a 2015 side-scrolling platform game and game creation system developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, released worldwide in September 2015. Players can create, play, and share courses online, free of charge, based on the styles o ...
''.
Versions of "Ashley's Song", which plays during Ashley's stage in ''Touched!'', appear in ''Brawl'' and ''for Wii U and 3DS'' as selectable songs. "Mike's Song" also appears in ''Brawl''. The songs can be played in both English and Japanese.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Intelligent Systems
2004 video games
WarioWare
Nintendo DS games
Nintendo Research & Development 1 games
Intelligent Systems games
Video games about video games
Video games developed in Japan
Virtual Console games
Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS
Virtual Console games for Wii U
Party video games
Single-player video games
Nintendo DS-only games
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