Accessories

Decent so far, but hoping it will get better
So I got this game about 4 days ago. I am on episode to now for an hour. Not sure how to end this level? But the game overall is okay. I like changing the disguises to various things. The biggest thing I don't like is not knowing where I am going or what I am suppose to do. I bought it here almost new for $[...] so I figure once I get the hang of it that it's worth about that.

Save your money
If you play video games to relax don't buy this game. The opening story takes a good 15 minutes to get through, if I wanted to read I'd have picked up a book. It uses the stylus a LOT and half the time it doesn't read what you're trying to input. I was looking for an adventure game to relax on a rare day off and I just finished Mario v DK March of the Minis. After a half hour of messing with these rotten controls and the endless tutorial text I tossed the game and gave up. Total waste of 30 bucks and 30 minutes.

Don't Overlook This Gem
Wario: Master of Disguise has been getting a lot of bad press and reviews, and though they are mostly justified I believe this game is still worth a look.

The main complaint, that you have to draw these silly little symbols on Wario, is valid. Sometimes it doesn't work. Personally, I would have prefered the action be on the top screen, like New Super Mario, and have the map and large "buttons" on the bottom screen to tap and change easily, like Super Princess Peach.

But this is not reason enough to completly write this game off. It's level designs are very clever, and the sense of aqcomplishment upon reaching a new, out-of-the-way treasure chest is great.

The humor, while no-where near as good as any Inteligent Systems release, is still great and ads a lot to the game. I mean, who doesn't love seeing poo run across the screen. Seriously.

Anyway, give it a shot. It's a nice little game.

Meh, mediocre
This game was fun... for a while... I began to grow bored and just gave up towards the end...

Still haven't beaten it... I don't reccomend

Great Ideas - Poor Implementation
I have really loved some Wario games in the past. I thought Twisted and Smooth Moves were simply brilliant. I have to say I felt a bit let down by Master of Disguise for several reasons.

First, the basic concept. You are Wario, a bored couch potato. Suddenly you learn about a super-thief and want to be like him. In no time at all you've stolen the thief's secret wand and have begun thieving. The wand lets you instantly don any disguise, as long as you draw the correct symbol with your stylus. Each disguise gives you different abilities - firing a laser, leaping high, etc.

This is problem number one. For some reason, the game just doesn't understand what you're drawing half the time. So you're in the middle of an intricate sequence of movements, and need to switch disguises, and the game simply refuses to understand what you're asking for. If you know what the disguise sequence is to solve the puzzle, the challenge shouldn't be making that circle or check or whatever exactly right so the wand does what you want it to do.

Next, as you go left and right on your little side scrolling screen, sometimes there are places that it seems you should be able to go to - but the game won't let you. Then there are other places that look impossible to get to - but you're allowed to go there. It adds a bit of frustration as you randomly try directions until you find one that works.

I do really like the mini-games in the chest, and how they can challenge you. Some of them are a bit on the gross side - guide the poop pile so it lands in the toilet? I mean, Wario games in the past had a "stick the finger in the nose" puzzle - but handling poop is a whole 'nother level of disgusting.

To go with this, I found some of Wario's incessant (and unskippable) dialogue to be over the line obnoxious. I know Wario is a bad guy and I don't mind at all "playing as him" in some of the other games. But in this one, I really just didn't like being him. I didn't like having to sit through the long cut scenes. I play games to relax and have fun - and the cut scenes were the opposite of fun.

I really appreciate the idea behind this game, and think it's a great setup in general. If a new version came out with the same basic idea but with many tweaks in the stylus recognition and the cut-scene area, I would really love it. This release just doesn't quite make it.