Gold Digger
Gold Digger is a recurring microgame in the WarioWare series. It appears in the Strange folder in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! and returns in WarioWare: Touched! in the Retro Action stage; WarioWare: D.I.Y., WarioWare Gold, WarioWare: Get It Together!, and WarioWare: Move It! as one of Mona's microgames; and Game & Wario in the Gamer mode. Nose-picking is a recurring theme in the WarioWare series, as it is one of Wario's various unhygienic habits. With a total of eight appearances, this microgame has made the most appearances of any microgame in the WarioWare series.
History
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! / WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!
| Gold Digger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appears in | WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! |
| Type | Strange |
| Command(s) | Pick! |
| Info | "This one needs no introduction. Just pick me a winner!" |
| Controls |  / - Pick
|
| Points to clear | 10 |
At the top of the screen, there is a large nose. At the bottom of the screen, there is a hand with a finger sticking up moving back and forth. The player must press the button when the finger lines up with a nostril to "dig for gold". If the player does so, the game is won. However, if the player does not put the finger into the nostril, or if time runs out, the player will lose the microgame.
- 1st level difficulty: The player must pick the nose with the pinky finger.
- 2nd level difficulty: The player must pick the nose with the index finger.
- 3rd level difficulty: The player must pick the nose with both the index and middle fingers.
WarioWare: Touched!
| Gold Digger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appears in | WarioWare: Touched! |
| Type | Retro Action |
| Command(s) | Pick! |
| Info | "Push the button to dig for gold! Ooooh, that's a big one! 2003: WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! / Game Boy Advance" |
| Controls |  - Tap button
|
| Time limit | 8 beats |
| Points to clear | 15 |
The WarioWare: Touched! version is based on the original microgame, and the level difficulties are the same. The objective is similar to the version in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!; this time using the stylus to tap the button on the pink Game Boy Advance to pick the nose.
The concept of using the touch screen to tap would later be revisited in the Nintendo 3DS souvenirs in WarioWare Gold, with Gold Digger returning as one of the 18 microgames that can be played on the souvenirs, but the souvenirs do not count towards Story Mode or challenge scores.
WarioWare: D.I.Y.
| Gold Digger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appears in | WarioWare: D.I.Y. |
| Type | Mona |
| Command(s) | Pick! |
| Info | "Get in there and pick a good one!" |
| Controls | - Make the hand move
|
To win this microgame, the player has to put the moving finger in one of the nose's nostrils. To do so, they must tap the finger at the right time. If the player does not put it in the nostril or when time is up, they will lose the game.
A variant of the microgame with the command "Pick wisely..." appears as the final step when deleting save data in this game.
WarioWare: Snapped!
| Gold Digger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appears in | WarioWare: Snapped! |
| Type | Jimmy Coaster |
| Command(s) | Insert! |
| Controls | (DSi camera) – Insert |
| Time limit | 14 seconds |
One of the five microgames in Jimmy's level involve using the system camera to place a finger either into a nose, or through a silver ring. The exact target object is picked at random, with an approximate 25% chance for the nose target to be selected.
While microgames in Snapped! do not have official names, the nose version strongly resembles the Gold Digger microgame concept.
Game & Wario
| Gold Digger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appears in | Game & Wario |
| Command(s) | Pick! |
| Info | "Everyone's favorite tried-and-true finger-in-the-nose game is back! But these honkers have got flair and originality!" |
| Controls |  – Pick
|
| Time limit | 8 beats |
A version appears in Game & Wario in the "Gamer" mode and can also be unlocked as a solo game in the "Cluck-A-Pop" machine. Like usual, the player must pick a nose to win the game.
- 1st level difficulty: The player has to pick one nostril of a nose with a pinky finger.
- 2nd level difficulty: The player has to pick one nostril of a nose with an index finger.
- 3rd level difficulty: The player has to either pick two nostrils of one nose or one nostril each on two noses with two fingers.
Sometimes, the nose is replaced with a mouth. In this case, attempting to pick the mouth results in a loss.
WarioWare Gold
| Gold Digger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appears in | WarioWare Gold |
| Type | Mona |
| Command(s) | Pick! / Don't pick! |
| Info | "Noses are meant to be picked! Don't hesitate–stick those fingers right up those nostrils!" |
| Controls |  - Pick
|
| Time limit | 8 beats |
| Points to clear | 20 |
This microgame appears in WarioWare Gold as one of Mona's microgames, with the objective not changing from the original. This version has the same music and visuals as the Game & Wario version.
- 1st level difficulty: The player has to pick one nostril of a nose with a pinky finger.
- 2nd level difficulty: The player has to pick one nostril of a nose with an index finger.
- 3rd level difficulty: The player has to pick two nostrils of one nose with two fingers.
There is also a chance the nose that has to be picked is a camel's instead. Sometimes, the nose is replaced with either a pierced nose or an open mouth. In either case, picking it will result in a loss, as the spike on the pierced nose will hurt the hand while the open mouth will bite the hand.
The regular nose belongs to Mr. Schnozz, while the pierced nose belongs to his son, Son of Schnozz (or Schnozz Jr.).
The microgame also appears within the "New Nintendo 3DS" souvenir.
WarioWare: Get It Together!
| Gold Digger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appears in | WarioWare: Get It Together! |
| Type | That's Life |
| Command(s) | Plug it! |
| Info | "Every nose needs a finger to keep it company, don't you think? Tee-hee! Well, don't delay! Jump inside that lonely nostril! Oh, and empty nostrils are a good place for boomerangs and other projectiles too." |
| Points to clear | 20 |
This microgame appears in WarioWare: Get It Together! as one of Mona's microgames. This time it does not involve fingers picking the nose, but rather characters either fly into a nostril or shoot it, which causes the music to stop. If a player is able to complete the game by shooting a nostril with an ammo-type projectile, nose hairs grow. If the player or a projectile collides into the nose itself, a man's moan can be heard, the music stops, and the game is lost.
- Level 1: The nose is wide and stands perfectly still.
- Level 2: The nose is narrower and blows air slowing down flying characters.
- Level 3: The nose moves side to side.
If two players are utilized, only one of the players has to plug the nose to win. The player who plugs the nose receives a point for effort or, in the case of Rising Star, a star, and the player who hits the nose loses an effort point or star.
Mission
- Pick Your Battles (one player only): Using all crew members, the player must plug the left and right nostrils nine times each without making a single mistake.
Suitability
| Good Fit |  |
|
|---|---|---|
 |
  
| |
 |
       
| |
 |
     
| |
| Bad Fit |  |
|
- 9-Volt's constant movement requires him to time his attack, making him a slightly bad fit.
- Mona and her boomerang's constant movement as well as Jimmy T, Lulu, and Penny's unusual movements make it difficult for them to enter a nostril, making them below-average fits.
- Pyoro's tongue travels at a diagonal trajectory, which makes it more difficult to aim at a nostril, making him a below-average fit.
- As Kat & Ana constantly jump, they can potentially collide into the nose itself accidentally.
WarioWare: Move It!
| Gold Digger | |
|---|---|
 1 player  2 players | |
| Appears in | WarioWare: Move It! |
| Type | Mona |
| Command(s) | Clog! |
| Info | "Adjust the angles of your hands, and plunge them into the giant nostrils! Watch the stripe designs in the background to help your aim. Why is this important? Uh... I'm not sure." |
| Controls | 
|
| Form(s) | "Sky Stretch" |
This microgame appears in WarioWare: Move It! as one of Mona's microgames. This time, the player controls a full character who needs to angle their arms so that they align with the giant nose's nostrils when it drops down. If the player does not clog the nose properly, the sound of a man moaning can be heard.
- Level 1: The character must plug their arms into both of the nose's nostrils.
- Level 2: There are two noses, each having a cork in one nostril while the character must plug their arms into the open nostrils, which are spaced further apart.
- Level 3: Same as Level 2, but at least one nose is smaller, and the noses are at uneven heights.
In multiplayer, the players are side-by-side, with the first player controlling a blue character and the second character controlling a red character. An extra nose appears in each level, with the nose in the middle being smaller in Level 3.
Development
- “I figured the player’s eyes would focus on the moving finger, and the act of pressing the A Button to make the finger thrust forward would read naturally as syntax for a game. [...] I made the thickness of the finger the same size as the nostril, thinking how satisfying it would be to have the finger go into the nostril when you succeed, and I made the nose deform a little bit when you fail.”
- —Goro Abe
"Gold Digger" was created by WarioWare developer Goro Abe, based on a whiteboard note made by the game's director depicting a finger, a nose and the caption "Pick!"[1] After seeing the note, Abe thought up the concept of the game and believed the nose-picking premise would be immediately and universally understood by players, a necessity for the nature of WarioWare's gameplay.[1] The first version of the game only featured the index finger; to make the game easier for beginners and make difficulty levels more interesting than simply increasing the speed at which the microgame is played, Abe created the smaller pinky finger for the first difficulty level and made the third difficulty level the insertion of two fingers into the nose.[1] After feedback from testers stating that the game was still too difficult, Abe tweaked the earlier difficulties to have the finger start closer to the nose.[1]
Gallery
2004 nengajō for Nintendo Dream based on WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!, with a scene based on the microgame
Within the "New Nintendo 3DS" WarioWare Gold souvenir, with the same touch controls as in WarioWare: Touched!
See also
Additional names
Internal names
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$! | NOSE |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | はなのあな メイドインワリオ (Touched!)[?] Hana no ana Meido In Wario |
Nostrils WarioWare, Inc. Mega Microgame$! (lit. Made in Wario) |
|
| Chinese | 戳鼻孔[?] Chuō bíkǒng |
Poke the nose | |
| Dutch | Neuspeuteren[?] | Nose picking | |
| French | Chercheur d'or[?] | Gold seeker | |
| German | Bohrexperte (Get It Together!)[?] | Drilling Expert | |
| Italian | Caccia all'oro Cercatore d'oro (Gold)[?] |
Gold hunt Gold seeker |
|
| Korean | 콧구멍 메이드 인 와리오 (Touched!)[?] Kotgumeong Meideu In Wario |
Nostrils WarioWare, Inc. Mega Microgame$! (lit. Made in Wario) |
|
| Russian | Соблазнительный нос[?] Soblaznitel'nyy nos |
Seductive nose | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Hurgador[?] | Picker | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Busca oro (Mega Microgame$!) Busca petróleo (Touched) Hurgador (Gold)[?] |
Gold seeker Oil seeker Picker |
References
- ^ a b c d Stephen Totilo (October 11, 2018), "The Making Of Nintendo’s Best Nose-Picking Game". Kotaku. Retrieved August 18, 2019
