Wario: Master of Disguise

Wario: Master of Disguise is catalogued with 2007, Suzak Inc. as developer, the Mario series and MS-DOS / PC as platform. A correction belongs here: the game was built for the Nintendo DS handheld and its controls are designed around that machine specifically, so the platform field does not match the original release.

The entire design rests on the touch screen. The player draws shapes with a stylus to change Wario's disguise, and each disguise grants a different ability that opens a route which would otherwise be closed. Without a touch surface the mechanic makes no sense at all.

It is an exploratory platform game in which you return to earlier areas once a new disguise is available. The structure therefore sits closer to games about gradually unlocking space than to a straight run to the right.

Wario's games deliberately diverge from the main line. The lead character is greedy and coarse and his goal is loot, which shapes the tone as well: the humour is broad and the game cheerfully mocks itself.

Touch control was still a new idea in 2007 and developers were working out what to do with it. Plenty of games used the stylus as a substitute for a button, and a minority built designs that made no sense without it. This title belongs to the second group, which is historically interesting even though it also means the game cannot be moved anywhere else.

The OldGame.cz catalogue notes the year, the studio and whatever images exist for this title.