Highlights

  • WarioWare: Move It brings back the fun microgame experience with a new twist, featuring motion controls and a consistent tempo similar to Rhythm Heaven.
  • Both WarioWare and Rhythm Heaven were developed by Nintendo SPD and share similar gameplay concepts, showcasing fun and wacky ideas in their games.
  • While Rhythm Heaven hasn't seen a new release since 2016, WarioWare: Move It carries on its tempo and design elements, serving as an homage to the dormant project.

After experimenting with a number of different formats, WarioWare: Move It brings in the microgame fun that the series is known for with a brand-new twist: it primarily features motion controls. After Wario wins a vacation for him and his friends, they have to master the hilariously Joy-Con-shaped Form Stones that Caresaway Island is known for to enjoy their getaway. Across the 13 stages in the game, there's a consistent tempo that the music and characters bop to that almost resembles Rhythm Heaven's own stages.

For those unfamiliar, Rhythm Heaven is exactly what it says on the tin; it's a rhythm-based experience where players play mini-games and try to time their actions to the beat. Similarly to the WarioWare series, it was known for presenting fun and wacky ideas for its games, though compared to the microgame franchise, its concepts were considerably more toned down. Still, with how Rhythm Heaven features a game about shooting pegs into rolling cubes and WarioWare: Move It has a microgame about making ladybugs blend in against a polka-dotted wall, the two have always seemed rather similar. This is, of course, because both games were developed by the same studio.

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WarioWare and Rhythm Heaven Were Cut From the Same Cloth

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Nintendo SPD: The Studio Behind Rhythm Heaven and WarioWare

Indeed, both the WarioWare series and Rhythm Heaven roughly began from the same development team over at Nintendo SPD. While it was Nintendo Research and Development that made the first few WarioWare games for the GameCube and Game Boy Advance, mergers within the company eventually put the microgame-filled series in the hands of Nintendo Software Planning and Development, who would go on to begin Rhythm Heaven (or Rhythm Tengoku) three years later.

Truthfully, the developmental history of both games got a bit muddled as the years went by, but Nintendo SPD handled all the Rhythm Heaven and WarioWare games up until 2015 when the studio would eventually be merged into Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development with the company's Entertainment and Analysis Division. This is how WarioWare: Move It ended up in the hands of Fire Emblem developer Intelligent Systems. Despite the changes, many members of the development team would remain with each game, such as Kenji Matsumoto, a programmer who has worked on the series as far back as WarioWare: Twisted.

Rhythm Heaven hasn't seen a new release since 2016, and the creator has been very vocal about wanting to see Rhythm Heaven come to Nintendo Switch for quite some time now.

Analyzing WarioWare: Move It's Rhythm Heaven Elements

While the fact that WarioWare and Rhythm Heaven reference each other frequently is a sign of where both games come from, WarioWare: Move It features the Chorus Boys as an Easter Egg for instance, enough time has passed to where there are not many developers who have worked on both titles in the credits of Move It. Despite that, the direction of the recent Switch entry to the series seems to answer to a consistent beat that players can follow between microgames to stay in the zone. The game also includes "Remix" stages, pulled straight from Rhythm Heaven itself.

These aspects have never been largely seen in other WarioWare titles before. The best way to understand just why WarioWare seems to carry on Rhythm Heaven's tempo and other design elements -- despite not being a rhythm game itself -- is that those working on the game decided to pay homage to their dormant project.

Rhythm Heaven hasn't seen a new release since 2016, and the creator has been very vocal about wanting to see Rhythm Heaven come to Nintendo Switch for quite some time now. Yet, despite the fan and developer demand, the series has remained untouched. As tragic as the situation is, at least WarioWare: Move It carries the torch to this day.