World Court Tennis , a tennis game with a twist, challenges players to control their characters over a scrolling tennis field as they try to counter balls from opponents. Typical tennis actions like cross, smash, or lob can be performed, and the hit performance depends on timing.
The unique feature of this game is its story mode, which incorporates elements from Japanese role-playing games. The story follows an evil king who banned all tennis matches outside of membership courts, prompting the player to overthrow him and bring tennis back to everyone. The player explores a top-down world map, fights enemies, and battles scripted bosses, with the goal of finding all membership courts.
Gameplay involves defeating enemies and collecting money to purchase upgraded equipment: shoes improve speed, rackets improve power, and shirts help evade random encounters. However, unlike traditional RPGs, there is no character development, as the game does not end when defeated; instead, the player is dragged to the king and must pay a penalty fee.