Name: Stumblebot Debut: WarioWare: Twisted!
Stumblebot might be one of the coolest WarioWare microgames ever. I know that functionally it's not any different from any other microgame in WarioWare: Twisted!/WarioWare Gold, but every time I play it I'm still kind of amazed. What do you MEAN rotating my game console changes the gravity of this world? That can't be right. There has to be some sort of sorcery involved. Magic is real, and it's being used to make WarioWare microgames. (Which is the ideal use case, I'm pretty sure.)
Even if Stumblebot wasn't a technically impressive microgame, I wouldn't care, because in the WarioWare Gold version, you play as this thing! We've sung the praises of "eyes in a black void face" many times here on WeirdMarioEnemies, but it bears repeating: Ya Hoo! I Love Eyes In A Black Void Face Forever! Yay Yay Yippee! Woooo!
And it doesn't just end there! The light blue hood is a fantastic choice of color, and the way it's stylized, deliberate or not, brings to mind the Flatwoods Monster, one of many Rare West Virginia Ws.
Of course, that's just the WarioWare Gold version of this microgame, because you didn't always play as this Stumblebot.
In the original version of this microgame from WarioWare: Twisted!, you play as this iteration of Stumblebot instead, which is much more clearly "robot", and also much more clearly generic!
While I'm rarely ever disappointed to see a cartoon robot in any context (even a tremendously mid one like Fútbot), this Stumblebot character design doesn't leave much of an impression. You can buy twelve of these plain boxy robots for a nickel at your local Best Buy. Not much to talk about here.
(Of course, functionally, the microgame is still cool as hell. Arguably more so, since it's on less impressive hardware, and it's a full-fledged boss microgame in this one!)
In WarioWare Gold, this microgame got a major aesthetic overhaul, which I think we can all agree was for the better! Well, maybe one of you disagrees. Who am I to disagree with the fact you're disagreeing?
But as for me, the sunset color palette, rainy background, and of course, titular Stumblebot all give this microgame a very striking visual identity! I mean seriously, look at that robot. Did somebody say "transition goals"?
"I did" - Stumblebot
Oh cr*p! It's Stumblebot herself! Stumblebot, I am so honored to meet you...! Gosh, I don't know what to say! You're such a transgender icon!
Oh, I should probably provide some context for that. Because not only did Stumblebot get a redesign between games, but she also Transitioned! Compare the microgame's description from Twisted...
"Don't fall, Stumblebot! Change the direction of gravity to ensure that he doesn't!"
...to its description from Gold!
"The walking spell I cast on my doll will stop working if she falls over. Alter the direction of gravity to keep her upright."
Look at that pronoun shift! No longer is Stumblebot a run-of-the-mill generic Stumble Guy, now she is a boundary breaking Stumble Gal! We don't have to ask, because we know for a fact: estrogen saved her.
Of course, there's probably someone really obnoxious, hopefully someone who isn't reading this post, who's thinking "Uhhh, are you sure that's the same Stumblebot? The WarioWare Gold description clearly emphasizes that's an enchanted doll."
And to that I have a simple retort:
Yeah no shit she's a doll what do you think the whole last part of the post was about