The following impressions expressed in this preview are based upon the hands-on demo that was played at a Nintendo event showcasing the four opening levels in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. It does not illustrate the final product in any way.
Remember those silly levels in Super Mario 3D World where you had to play as an adventurous Toad to collect additional Green Stars by rotating the maps around and solving three dimensional puzzles? Well, Nintendo has decided to create a fully-fledged game containing over 70 of those puzzle-type stages with Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker for the Wii U. Though I only played the opening levels during my hands-on time with the game, it caught me off-guard because of how clever and intuitive the level design was for initial levels. It goes beyond its groundwork introduced in last year’s 3D World by bringing in new mechanics that increase the fun factor of each stage. In a nutshell, Treasure Tracker is everything it was in Super Mario 3D World, except this time it is even better and bigger in scale.
Captain Toad plays the exact same way as it did back when the levels were introduced in 3D World; you tilt the GamePad around (or use the Right Analog Stick) to move the camera around and investigate the area, and you can still run away from enemies by dashing with the B button. However, its goal isn’t identical to 3D World‘s, where you had to collect all the Green Stars in order to complete the levels, as there is a giant Star to collect at the end of every level with the added three Diamonds that can be collected in each of them. This means that you’ll now have the ability to choose whether or not you go for every collectible in the stages.
Should I go straight for the Star or collect all the Diamonds?
As for the levels/puzzles themselves, they seem to be incredibly diverse as the four levels I played did not involve the same hook or context. The first one, which was your basic, straight forward opening level, had me go through spinning surfaces that had me turning the camera around the stage multiple times. Thankfully, Captain Toad uses the same shadow effect established in the 3D Mario games, so that you never lose sight of your character.
The second level was a lot more interesting as it was a departure from the traditional puzzles, but kept that same Mario feel. As you hop on board a mine cart in the Dry Dry Desert, the action switches to the GamePad as the view from its screen is turned into First-Person. It becomes a sort of shooting range as you throw turnips to destroy blocks,and gather coins and all of the other collectibles by moving around with the GamePad. All was done with a smooth pace and it was very cool to see how my actions on the GamePad translated to the TV screen.
Moving on to the third stage, I was sure a boss battle was about to happen as a giant dragon awoken from its volcanic home. Technically speaking, it is a boss battle, but it isn’t a head-on fight because Captain Toad cannot attack anything at all. With fireballs constantly launching towards my direction, I had to guide the treasure-hungry Toad behind platforms and rocks to get cover and wait for the perfect opportunity to make my way to the top of the volcano and collect the end-level Star. This level truly showcased how pretty the game looks despite its cutesy art style. There is a significant level of detail in the animations, environments and the color palette that will certainly please players looking for a visual treat.
Hide for your life
The final level was set in Boo’s Mansion and was probably the most creative of all the stages I played in the demo. Because the mansion is haunted and is playing tricks on you with doors leading to different places every time, you must touch specific parts of the mansions with the GamePad to switch their position, so the doors actually lead to the right place and lead your towards the top of the mansion where the Star is located . Just like with the second level, the shift between playing on the GamePad and TV screen make for some exciting scenarios, and ones I think will be highlighted come the game’s full release.
After completing these four levels, all I wanted to do was play more of Captain Toad as it is easily one of the most captivating and fun puzzles game I have played in a while, even though the puzzling element doesn’t involve as much thinking as some other games. It’s simple, accessible charming, and there is no doubt in my mind it will be a must-have title for the Wii U when it is released on December 5, 2014 in North America and on January 2, 2014 in Europe.
Is Nintendo making the right move releasing a full game based on Captain Toad? If so, tell us why you’re excited for it in the comments below and, as always, stay tuned to Gamer Headlines for all things gaming.
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