The game's plot centers on Wario and his quest to regain his treasure and his castle from the evil gem, Black Jewel.

The controls are simple, and are only used to jump, run, dash, perform fighting moves, and use the "Hyper Suction" ability to collect nearby coins.

[11] If the player collects all the treasure in the various levels, minigames from the Game Boy Advance title WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!

[12] The game begins with Wario enjoying his newly built castle, which is filled with treasures that he has collected from earlier adventures.

[13] An evil gem called Black Jewel, hidden amongst Wario's treasure collection, suddenly awakens and takes over the castle.

[18] On August 22, 2002, at Nintendo's Gamer's Summit, Wario World's North American release date was set to November 11, 2002.

[28] The US version of Play magazine gave the game a perfect score, and the reviewer commented that Wario World "pays off every second [he is] holding the controller, and that, to [him], is greatness".

[30] Matt Casamassina of IGN declared that Wario World had "some great control mechanics and inventive level work".

[35] Electronic Gaming Monthly's Greg Ford said, "Wario [World] delivers a great time while it lasts and is well worth checking out.

"[40] Wario World received criticism for its length, with some reviewers stating that the game was shorter than the average console title.