Nintendo Alarmo review – Mario's charm can't justify alarm clock's £90 price tag
Every morning over the past few weeks I’ve woken up to the soft wahoos of the Super Mario brothers, the chirping of Pikmin, or snippets from Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s beautiful orchestral score. Nintendo’s rich library of sounds – most of which are recognisable before you’ve even opened your eyes – has gently stirred me from slumber and commanded me to sit up and get out of bed. Because until you do, Alarmo doesn’t want to stop.
If you’re looking for the video game-y part of Nintendo Alarmo, other than the origins of the music it plays, then being able to game the gadget’s getting out of bed routine is the closest thing it provides. You can wave away its initial morning calls with some basic movement, which is picked up by Alarmo’s smart motion sensor. I often greet it with a handwave, a suggestion at some vague inclination to get up, perhaps. This affords a short reprieve from its noise, but not for long. Further alarms can be silenced by similar movements – at the risk of becoming an annoyance to any partner or pet also snoozing – until you hit the 20-minute mark, at which point, Alarmo goes nuclear.
It’s here that Alarmo can switch your alarm for a much louder, more frantic version: Bowser suddenly roaring at you to get out of bed, Pikmin screaming as Bulborbs attack, Breath of the Wild’s Guardians training their lasers on your sleeping body… The device chirps happily behind me, mission accomplished. Yes, I am indeed now out of bed. But at what cost?
