WarioWare: D.I.Y.

WarioWare: D.I.Y. turns the series' concept upside down – instead of playing dozens of lightning-fast microgames, the player is given the tools to design their own microgames. The 2009 Nintendo DS title from Intelligent Systems includes simple editors for drawing graphics, composing music and setting rules, which let even a player with no programming knowledge put together a working game in just a few minutes directly on the console's stylus-operated touch screen.

The game guides the creation process through characters from the series and a range of pre-made templates to build on, or you can start completely from scratch – it just takes four steps: draw an image, define movement, add sound and set win conditions, after which the game automatically fills in the rest of the logic. The music editor also works as a standalone simple sequencer, so the player can compose their own tune for a microgame, or just for fun, without needing to know musical notes or theory. Finished microgames can be arranged into custom collections, given short comic-style intros, and shared with other players via local wireless connection between Nintendo DS consoles.

Unlike the rest of the series, D.I.Y. isn't primarily about playing but about creating – the classic Wario humor and visuals remain in the form of characters and hints commenting on the creation process, but the main focus is creative and open-ended rather than reflex-driven. Thanks to the editor's constraints, even players' own creations still stay recognizably in the spirit of the series – short, clear and focused on one simple idea that can be grasped within a few seconds, exactly like the classic WarioWare microgames.

Why play it: It will appeal to players who want to try making games without writing code and enjoy experimenting – it's more of a creative toy and idea-sharing tool than a classic WarioWare collection of finished microgames, and parents looking to gently introduce kids to the basics of game design will appreciate it too.