When I first gave WarioWare a try on the Game Boy Advance, it immediately became one of my favorites. The idea of microgames was very clever and the quick pick up and go aspect of it all, made a lot of sense for a handheld title. That simple concept just continued to evolve with later entries that used tilting mechanics, touch screen mechanics and even motion controls. That development team also spawned one of my all time favorite Nintendo franchises, Rhythm Heaven. So needless to say, I have a lot of love for WarioWare and always look forward to a new entry to the series. WarioWare Gold nicely captures that feeling of the original games, while also adding some new spin to the mix.

WarioWare Gold is a new WarioWare entry, but it features a lot of the microgames of the past. So it’s part new, part compilation of everything in WarioWare. Featuring the button games from the original title, the tilting from WarioWare: Twisted, and the touch screen functions from WarioWare: Touched. So if you’ve enjoyed the handheld titles, this latest entry brings them all back. Some new things can also be found here, but you can view this as a “best of” type of thing that fully utilizes the feature set of the Nintendo 3DS, except for the 3D feature which this game doesn’t have any.

THE GOOD: With WarioWare in the title, fans of the franchise should already know what to expect. If you enjoyed all that stuff, you will continue to enjoy that in WarioWare Gold. For newcomers, the game does a good job in explaining it’s simple concept to help ease you in, which can take some time to grasp since this game combines button, tilt, and touch. The games are separated into their own categories, so you won’t be doing all three at once, but there are additional game modes that will mix up the controls. These modes can get pretty hectic as you not only have to pay attention to the simple directions given, but also keep in mind the functionality needed to do them.

Probably the biggest change though is with the game’s presentation. WarioWare was always simple with it’s characters, having them show up with their own themes and little sounding grunts, alongside simple story text, in order to help give them personality. This is extremely expanded upon in WarioWare Gold with all the characters now being fully voiced and having full on cutscenes given to them. It brings a lot of life to the game, and to these characters. Really made me love the WarioWare cast even more. Even better is that there is a feature you can unlock in the game that will allow you to provide your own voice to these character cutscenes. So if you wanted to try your hand at dubbing, you can certainly do so.

If you’ve played any WarioWare game before, you already know that it doesn’t take that long to reach “the end” of the game. The microgames are fast paced and once you complete a certain amount, you move on to the next stage. However, if you replay beaten stages, you’ll encounter new microgames that you didn’t previously see, and can play the games non-stop until you lose all your attempts. Simply playing from start to finish, won’t be a long experience. That’s not how to play this game though, as it’s all about replaying beaten levels and trying to uncover all the collectibles in this game. Some of which are actual mini-games themselves. So this is certainly a game that will last as long as what you’re willing to put into it.

THE BAD: Like I mentioned, the game is short. So if you’re looking for something lengthy that doesn’t require the need to replay levels, this isn’t going to be for you. Even more so, if the part about this being a full-priced 3DS title at $39.99 bothers you. I will admit though, the game certainly could’ve been a bit more budget priced. That’s all personal preference, so it’s ultimately up to you to how much the WarioWare experience is worth. I found it fun, so it didn’t bother me much.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: It’s nice to see WarioWare back on a handheld. Took a while though, as it feels like we’re nearing the end of the 3DS and it just adds more fuel to the desire of having WarioWare on Nintendo Switch. Still, WarioWare Gold is a worthy entry that nicely highlights what makes WarioWare so great and adds new life to the varied cast of characters thanks to the great cutscenes and voice acting. If you’re still playing games on your Nintendo 3DS, this is easily one of the top titles you can pick up. It may even be good enough to get you back on 3DS if you’ve already moved on. It’s simple, it’s quick, and it’s satisfying. Hopefully it’s not that long of a wait for WarioWare to make it back on the TV with Nintendo Switch, but WarioWare Gold is certainly good enough to keep you entertained in the meantime.