Wario World Revival on Switch 2 Drops — is the 2003 Classic Worth It?

Earlier today, Nintendo officially released Wario World Revival, adding it to the GameCube Classics in Nintendo Switch 2 via the Nintendo Classics app, exclusive to subscribers of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

Nintendo hit it off with a surprise trailer for Wario World, making it available in the next few hours. The Switch 2-Exclusive library list of games did not originally include Wario World, leaving gamers in a frenzy.

This release was in line with N64 Nintendo Classics getting an update on 17 December, which is set to include the N64 version of Rayman 2 and 1999 3D classic Tonic Trouble, according to an article by Nintendo World Report.

The 2003 GameCube classic went down with the official blurb from Nintendo, in its announcement of dropping the game today:

'Go on a garlic-fueled rampage in this action title released for the Nintendo GameCube™ system in 2003! Wario's journey begins with a promise of vengeance against a powerful and cursed black jewel that's warped his castle and nabbed his treasure.

Defeat enemies, collect coins and treasures, and rescue Spritelings trapped in boxes as you progress through four stages. Wario's got some mighty powerful moves, like Wild Swing-Ding and Piledriver, that aren't just good for attacking — they're also slick at clearing path-blocking traps.'

Its original release in 2003 on the GameCube, and Nintendo hasn't re-released this title since - until today.

Is It Still Worth Playing in 2025?

It may have lived up to the hype in 2003 when it was released, but can Wario World still do that in 2025?

Older Nintendo fans and retro-curious gamers can definitely enjoy a revisit of this classic game. The Switch 2 further makes this release a glimpse of the 2000s game design, sparking nostalgia with every gameplay.

Metacritic's recorded Metascore of the 2003 Wario World GameCube classic is generally favourable at 71, with users calling it a 'rare gem', and describing the graphics as 'still beautiful today', with an 'amazing frame rate'.

Nintendo's decision to include the title in the Nintendo With 2 via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack's GameCube Classics library took many fans by surprise. But instead of receiving criticism or sparking debate on whether or not the game will receive the same amount of support today, the re-release of the classic has led fans on a nostalgia frenzy, reliving their experiences of the game before finally getting to play it again.

The game's simultaneous release in Japan, sporting the same title, has also been reported.

Japanese developers responsible for Wario World, Treasure, the same team who gave us Gunstar Heroes, Guardian Heroes, Dragon Drive: D-Masters Shot, and Dynamite Headdy, among others, also announced 6 more of their classics are coming to Nintendo Switch Online in their post on X Thursday, 11 December.

GameCube's Nintendo Classics library gives users access to over 150 retro games, emulated so that users can use added functionalities that were not available when they were first released.

Nintendo Life reports that Nintendo has also hinted at a lineup of several more titles to add to the Nintendo Switch Online Classics library, which may include Fire Emblem, Path of Radiance, and Pokémon Colosseum.