Vortex

A vortex, also known as a Portal, is a worm hole where Wario can travel between the Golden Pyramid and the levels in picture frames in Wario Land 4. The opening and closing of the vortexes are controlled by the many switches in the game. Before entering any of the 18 levels, Wario jumps on the switch, opening a vortex. Entering it sends him to the beginning of that level, and the vortex closes behind him. The only way to reopen the vortex is to find the switch in the level. At the same time, however, Wario must search for the Keyzer to have access to the next level, and he must search for the four jewel pieces to have access to the boss door. When the switch is hit within the level, a bomb appears underneath it, and a time limit appears at the top of the screen. That is the amount of time that Wario has to find the vortex and escape back to the pyramid. If the time runs out, Wario's surroundings will turn black and white, and the total points that he obtained in that level will quickly decrease. When the total has run out, the bomb in the switch explodes, destroying itself and forcing Wario to return to the pyramid, losing all collected jewel pieces and even the Keyzer. The vortex then remains closed until Wario reopens it by jumping on the switch again.

The vortex makes a cameo appearance in Densetsu no Stafy 3, where Stafy and Wario make their way together through Kaitei Iseki. Wario is also first encountered exiting a vortex.