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"[GAME] Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (Wii U)"

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Tue 24/03/15 at 14:33
Regular
"And in last place.."
Posts: 2,054
Toad gets himself a promotion to Captain so does that mean he outranks Mario who is a Super?

The sublime Super Mario 3D World broke up the platforming every so often with an Adventure of Captain Toad stage. As good as these extras were, I’m not sure many could really have imagined an entire game based on them but Nintendo had other ideas.

For reasons unexplained, Toad and Toadette have set off on a treasure tracking adventure. They find a nice shiny gold star which is almost as big as they are. The star also catches the attention of a giant bird who swoops down to take ownership. Our treasure tracking heroes are reluctant to lose the treasure but their resistance is in vain and the bird wins. Toadette gets carried off along with the star and Toad changes his travel plans to those suitable for a rescue mission. And he might just find time to collect some treasure along the way. There is a lesson to be learned about stars and big birds but that message was lost on our little heroes as you will spot the same thing happen again and next time Toad will get carried off.

The concept of Treasure Tracker is to simply guide Toad or Toadette through each stage to the star at the end. The real substance of the game comes with the additional goals. Each stage has 3 goals; collect each of the 3 diamonds and a hidden objective. The hidden objective isn’t revealed until you complete the stage and at times you may have completed the objective just getting to the end. Hidden objective vary per stage; some will be collecting a hidden item whereas other will be a test of skill.

The stages are mostly cube shaped presented in an isometric fashion and rotating the world will allow you to plan your path to the end as well as spotting diamonds which may not be in sight. Toad cannot jump and doesn’t have a wardrobe of fancy outfits to give him special moves therefore the stages are primarily puzzle based. Toad does have the ability to throw a turnip or 2 when the chance arises though.

Each stage is bite sized and some can be completed in under a minute. Others stages are bigger but chances are you won’t be spending more than 15 minutes on a level. They sound small and they are but this does help with replaying to achieve all of the goals; if the levels were too big then looking for that last diamond could become quite a chore. There is quite a difference in size between the smallest and the largest stages however.

The stages may be very small but they are certainly packed with content. Most of the building blocks will be familiar to anyone who has played Super Mario 3D Land and the enemies will be no strangers either. Everything has been finely crafted to suit Toad’s skill set and Mario’s jumping would seem out of place. Taken straight from the Mario games, one hit from an enemy will shrink Toad and a second hit will end a life. And not surprisingly, the famous red mushrooms will restore Toad to his original size.

As with the Mario games, Nintendo are constantly introducing new concepts in each level which helps keep it all fresh. The imagination on display is quite staggering at times. Most of the time it will be Toad or Toadette on their own but other times you will have 3 clones to look after and manoeuvre onto the platform which will only ascend when there are 4 sets of feet firmly planted on it. There are some mine cart rides, some haunted levels with Boos and dark levels where the light on Toad’s head is vital to mention just a few. There are some boss battles too which work very well despite the lack of head jumping attacks which we are used to with Mario characters. A lot of it will feel familiar but it never feels simply recycled from the Mario games.

Completing a level unlocks some other levels and the variety of the stages means the desire to see what new offerings the next stage has is very strong. Every so often there will be a bonus stage which allows you the opportunity to earn some coins and extra lives. I never did quite work out why the games has lives and never having run out of them, I didn’t get the chance to see what happens if you use them all.

There are 3 chapters full of levels and a bonus chapter, which is opened right away if the game detects a Super Mario 3D World save file. The bonus chapter is just as packed as the other chapters and Super Mario 3D World owners will get a few extra levels. The stages all start off easy enough with little challenge. The charm of the game more than makes up for this but it don’t be fooled as the challenge does rise, particularly in the bonus stages if you are going for all objectives. Toad may not be jumping like Mario but there will be many times where the timing of your actions is critical.

An additional objective opens up later in the game in the form or a time trial. These are challenging and will take a bit of practice to perfect the quickest path through. The few I played suggested a hesitation can be the difference between passing and failing.

Like all puzzle games this one sounds a bit full on paper but it is oozing with charm and imagination and whilst for the most part, it isn’t challenging, it is a thoroughly enjoyable treasure tracking adventure.

9
Thu 26/03/15 at 11:31
Regular
"And in last place.."
Posts: 2,054
Butch wrote:
If it's anything like NSMB you just continue and get 5 more lives. Found this out through many hours of chucking my mates off edges in 'co-op' mode.

Interesting review. I had completely dismissed this game but might give it a look at some point.


I imagine the lives are handled in the same way. I came close to finding out on one of the bonus levels trying to get the extra objective. I said many a non-Nintendo friendly word during that.

It's probably not the sort of game you'd play for hours on end but it is perfect for a playing a few levels here and there.
Wed 25/03/15 at 13:25
Staff Moderator
"Show Me Your Moves"
Posts: 2,255
dav2612 wrote:
I never did quite work out why the games has lives and never having run out of them, I didn’t get the chance to see what happens if you use them all.

If it's anything like NSMB you just continue and get 5 more lives. Found this out through many hours of chucking my mates off edges in 'co-op' mode.

Interesting review. I had completely dismissed this game but might give it a look at some point.
Tue 24/03/15 at 14:42
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
You see, this is why I love Nintendo. Always original, even with existing characters.

Great review and I fully agree, great game. Amiibo update will provide even more, too.
Tue 24/03/15 at 14:33
Regular
"And in last place.."
Posts: 2,054
Toad gets himself a promotion to Captain so does that mean he outranks Mario who is a Super?

The sublime Super Mario 3D World broke up the platforming every so often with an Adventure of Captain Toad stage. As good as these extras were, I’m not sure many could really have imagined an entire game based on them but Nintendo had other ideas.

For reasons unexplained, Toad and Toadette have set off on a treasure tracking adventure. They find a nice shiny gold star which is almost as big as they are. The star also catches the attention of a giant bird who swoops down to take ownership. Our treasure tracking heroes are reluctant to lose the treasure but their resistance is in vain and the bird wins. Toadette gets carried off along with the star and Toad changes his travel plans to those suitable for a rescue mission. And he might just find time to collect some treasure along the way. There is a lesson to be learned about stars and big birds but that message was lost on our little heroes as you will spot the same thing happen again and next time Toad will get carried off.

The concept of Treasure Tracker is to simply guide Toad or Toadette through each stage to the star at the end. The real substance of the game comes with the additional goals. Each stage has 3 goals; collect each of the 3 diamonds and a hidden objective. The hidden objective isn’t revealed until you complete the stage and at times you may have completed the objective just getting to the end. Hidden objective vary per stage; some will be collecting a hidden item whereas other will be a test of skill.

The stages are mostly cube shaped presented in an isometric fashion and rotating the world will allow you to plan your path to the end as well as spotting diamonds which may not be in sight. Toad cannot jump and doesn’t have a wardrobe of fancy outfits to give him special moves therefore the stages are primarily puzzle based. Toad does have the ability to throw a turnip or 2 when the chance arises though.

Each stage is bite sized and some can be completed in under a minute. Others stages are bigger but chances are you won’t be spending more than 15 minutes on a level. They sound small and they are but this does help with replaying to achieve all of the goals; if the levels were too big then looking for that last diamond could become quite a chore. There is quite a difference in size between the smallest and the largest stages however.

The stages may be very small but they are certainly packed with content. Most of the building blocks will be familiar to anyone who has played Super Mario 3D Land and the enemies will be no strangers either. Everything has been finely crafted to suit Toad’s skill set and Mario’s jumping would seem out of place. Taken straight from the Mario games, one hit from an enemy will shrink Toad and a second hit will end a life. And not surprisingly, the famous red mushrooms will restore Toad to his original size.

As with the Mario games, Nintendo are constantly introducing new concepts in each level which helps keep it all fresh. The imagination on display is quite staggering at times. Most of the time it will be Toad or Toadette on their own but other times you will have 3 clones to look after and manoeuvre onto the platform which will only ascend when there are 4 sets of feet firmly planted on it. There are some mine cart rides, some haunted levels with Boos and dark levels where the light on Toad’s head is vital to mention just a few. There are some boss battles too which work very well despite the lack of head jumping attacks which we are used to with Mario characters. A lot of it will feel familiar but it never feels simply recycled from the Mario games.

Completing a level unlocks some other levels and the variety of the stages means the desire to see what new offerings the next stage has is very strong. Every so often there will be a bonus stage which allows you the opportunity to earn some coins and extra lives. I never did quite work out why the games has lives and never having run out of them, I didn’t get the chance to see what happens if you use them all.

There are 3 chapters full of levels and a bonus chapter, which is opened right away if the game detects a Super Mario 3D World save file. The bonus chapter is just as packed as the other chapters and Super Mario 3D World owners will get a few extra levels. The stages all start off easy enough with little challenge. The charm of the game more than makes up for this but it don’t be fooled as the challenge does rise, particularly in the bonus stages if you are going for all objectives. Toad may not be jumping like Mario but there will be many times where the timing of your actions is critical.

An additional objective opens up later in the game in the form or a time trial. These are challenging and will take a bit of practice to perfect the quickest path through. The few I played suggested a hesitation can be the difference between passing and failing.

Like all puzzle games this one sounds a bit full on paper but it is oozing with charm and imagination and whilst for the most part, it isn’t challenging, it is a thoroughly enjoyable treasure tracking adventure.

9

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