Islands
Islands is a multiplayer minigame in Game & Wario for the Wii U. The game can have up to five players, all sharing the GamePad having to fight for the highest score. The stages feature Fronks as the main (and the only playable) characters.
Gameplay
The minigame supports 2-5 players. The players can choose the color Fronks at the start. The color of Fronks is the following: Blue, Red, Green (from 3 players onward), Yellow (from 4 players onward), and Purple (only with 5 players). The order is randomly chosen at the start, but after the first turn, the one with the most points start first, the second in place plays second and so on. There are four different stages. The player's five Fronks are all launched at the same time. The Fronks typically remain where they land, though if an external force makes them move the score will increase or decrease depending on where the Fronk's new position is (if they land in water, they are lost forever and are worth 0 points).
Amount of Turns for Number of Players
The number of turns vary from the number of players.
- Five players mean three rounds.
- Three or four players mean four rounds.
- Two players mean five rounds.
Obstacles
Falling islands
In both Roulette Rock and Tippy Tower, when the island has too many Fronks amassed on one side, it will dangerously incline, causing Fronks to slide and fall down. The island can either return to normal if it becomes more balanced (in both levels) or completely collapse (Tippy Tower only). The color of Fronk who makes the island collapse will automatically place last, ending the game (in this case, the precedent points are counted as all Fronks will be in the water).
Seagull
The Seagull is the main hazard in all the stages, either moving a single Fronk elsewhere or adding a random-colored Fronk to the board. The seagull thus adds suspense and luck to the game. The seagull acts when all the players have launched.
Hazards in Roulette Rock
Bonus Roulette: The seagull usually drops this after the first turn. It originally shows a ?, but when a Fronk touches it, it will spin around the island, likely pushing Fronks into the water in the process. When it stops, the display of it will randomize, causing the section where it stands to double (x2) or quadruple (x4) its value or divide it by half (x½). It never lands on the 30-points zone, thus making that section the safest.
Hazards in Tippy Tower
Special cage: Usually on the first turn, the seagull drops a liquid into one of the small cages, making it worth 100 points. A golden flag will appear inside, signaling to get there to get a lot of points.
Stages
There are four unique stages. While the gameplay is the same, there are different ways to score better.
Roulette Rock
- “A revolving island that tests both skill and luck.”
- —Stage description
This stage is a round platform that comprises various sections of various points. Four big sections are worth 10 points, marked by a light blue color. Two other slightly thinner sections are orange, worth 50 points. Other two very thin sections are purple and worth 100 points. For a safe shot, the player can aim to the middle, which is deep blue and worth 30 points. The platform moves around, making it harder to center the high-points sections.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ルーレッ島[?] Rūrettō |
Pun on ルーレット [rūretto], meaning roulette, and 島 [tō], meaning island |
Arrow Atoll
- “A set of islands that bumps the action in new directions.”
- —Stage description
In this stage there are four small platforms that are all worth 10 points at the start. There is a red arrow printed on them that slowly spins stationary with the island: when a Fronk lands on an island, the arrow will stop. When all the launched Fronks have settled, the island(s) touched will move in the direction of the arrow. When an island hits something or gets hit, its value will change value randomly from 10, 30, 50, or 100 points.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ポッコリ島[?] Pokkorijima |
Caving-In Islands |
Tippy Tower
- “A wobbly island designed to really shake things up.”
- —Stage description
This island is very dangerous to manage, and will likely collapse in a turn or two, so the players have to be careful. The islands have three floors (the highest being the smaller) which score may automatically vary from 30 to 50 to 100 (score can't be changed) and three little cages, one in the middle floor and two in the lowest, worth 10 points. The players usually are safe in these. The island will always dangerously incline, and too many Fronks in one place means total collapse.
Salty Scales
- “A balanced island perfect for back-and-forth battles.”
- —Stage description
This island is unique in that the players have to balance the number of Fronks on either side of the scales (how many Fronks are on both platforms is shown at the top) to vary the value of the platforms. For preventing amassing Fronks, the platforms are donut-shaped. The score varies as the following:
- 5-7 Fronks of difference: 10 (higher), 100 (lower)
- 1-4 Fronk(s) of difference: 50 (higher), 30 (lower)
- 0 Fronks of difference: both 0
- At least 8 Fronks of difference: The lower zone's Fronks will go into water. The balance then returns to 5 Fronks of difference automatically.
The player may choose instead to launch them onto the land at the base of the scales, which is always worth 10 points and is completely safe.
Hint cards
The minigame's hint cards:
- Islands 1: "Pulling Back Fronks — If you pull back strongly when launching us Fronks, we'll stay grouped close together. If you pull back softly, we'll spread out!"
- Islands 2: "Fronk Launch Angles — If you hold
close to vertical when you launch us, we'll arc way up high. If you hold more flat, we'll fly pretty straight." - Islands 3: "Seagulls?! — Sometimes a crazy seagull will fly by and grab one of us or cause something cool to happen."
- Islands 4: "Outsmart the Scales — The solid ground at the bottom of Salty Scales is a guaranteed 10 points if you land there. Who cares where the scales tip?!"
Gallery
The game card that flies into the TV
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish (NOE) | Islands[?] | - |
Trivia
- The sound that makes after touching another platform in Arrow Atoll is the bell sound that the cow bells make in Moo Moo Meadows.
- According to the "Mona Superscoop 20" souvenir, there is a small seaside area nearby with simple cottages, one of which Mona stayed in during a vacation there.
