I first played Wario World back in 2002 at the E3 show. Back then I hated the game due to its boring stage designs and seemingly shallow gameplay. Flash-forward a year to the 2003 E3 show and I still felt the same way. When I finally received the review copy I was hoping there was more to the game than I had already seen. Luckily, the game does exude the same charm found in the Game Boy games. It’s actually pretty fun to be the bad guy once in a while so controlling Wario isn’t as bad as initially expected. Wario’s trademark voice is back and it never fails to put a smile on my face when he dishes out the one-liners, despite the fact that nearly every move, from jumping to grabbing an enemy will have the fat guy saying something. It’s this charm that makes the game more bearable than it would have been with any other character.

The game is pseudo-3D, with most of the stages scrolling from left to right. Most of the time Wario can also move into the screen a short distance, giving the game its 3D element, not unlike Luigi’s Mansion. The basic premise of the game is to recover as much gold and treasure as possible from the enemies that stole Wario’s stash. To accomplish this goal you’ll travel through several worlds and different levels to amass as much money as you possibly can. Along the way you’ll come across hordes of enemies that can be punched, carried, thrown, and of course, butt-stomped in order to defeat them. Pretty much every enemy carries gold so there will be a lot of collecting to be had. When a bunch of gold coins fall out of the enemies all at once Wario can even open his mouth and suck them all in to collect them (another Luigi’s Mansion similarity, but only no vacuum needed). No word on how the gold comes back out, but I bet it isn’t pretty.

The levels are all pretty basic. You’ll go through killing as many enemies as possible and collecting as much stuff as you can. There are some hidden, off the path areas for you to explore, but the pay off is very minimal and usually results in finding yet another gem or jewel. Upon completing two levels you’ll then be able to take on the boss of that realm. The bosses aren’t overly difficult, but at least there’s some variety in the ways you have to take them out. The first main boss requires you to latch onto its tail, wait for its tail to rise above its head, and then jump off and butt-stomp its head. This will paralyze the creature, allowing you to pick it up and throw it into the lava, ala Bowser from Super Mario 64.

Wario World features nothing new in the graphics department. The game isn’t ugly by any means of the word, but there’s not much going on in any of the areas. Probably the coolest thing is when there are tons of enemies on the screen. Wario can pile drive the enemies and take out a bunch of them at once. The game doesn’t slow down even when there are all sorts of baddies on the screen. The game’s music is over the top jazz-rock-elevator music that gives the game personality. Much like the rest of the game, the music is very stylish, but not very memorable. The voice acting is perfect in the game, but some of the one-liners might become annoying to certain gamers out there. Wario is one of my favorite Nintendo characters so I never tired of hearing the same things over and over, but I can see how someone else could become irritated with the voice quite quickly.

Wario World is a fun little game while it lasts. I think the game is perfectly geared toward the younger audience due to its short length, simple controls, and minimal puzzles. That’s not to say older gamers shouldn’t try the game though. I think Wario World is one of those games that would be great at $29.99, but spending $49.99 is just asking a bit too much. If there had been more secrets, perhaps some power-ups like the Mario games, and more variety to the action the game would have scored much higher. As it is, Wario World delivers on the action, but falls short when it comes to actual substance. Give the game a rental.