Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
"Ready for adventure!" — Captain Toad
Protagonist(s): Captain Toad Genre(s): Puzzle Platform Platform(s): Wii U Nintendo 3DS Nintendo Switch Release Date: Wii U: JP: November 13, 2014 NA: December 5, 2014 EU: January 2, 2015 AU: January 3, 2015 3DS, Switch: July 13, 2018 Developer(s): Nintendo EAD Publisher(s): Nintendo Country: Japan Series: Mario

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a puzzle platform game developed and published by Nintendo, originally released for the Wii U. It is the first Mario game in which Toad is the main protagonist, and is based on the Captain Toad levels from Super Mario 3D World.

Ports for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch were released simultaneously on July 13, 2018, and included levels based on Super Mario Odyssey.

Why It's Ready for Adventure

1. While Toad has been playable since Super Mario Bros. 2, this is the very first game to make him the star of the show.
2. Fantastic and beautiful graphics, especially on the Switch version, with nice visuals that look like they came right out of Super Mario 3D World (which makes sense, considering that the Captain Toad levels in that game served as the basis for this one).
3. There is a multitude of level concepts, obstacles, and gimmicks, many of which are based on ones from Super Mario 3D World, such as
4. Tight, smooth controls, just like one can expect from a Mario game, with Captain Toad's moveset being based around using tools and grabbing objects to solve puzzles due to there not being a jump button.
   • In fact, this is one of the few platformer games in which the main character can't jump (along with Bionic Commando and Snake Pass), and unlike Balan Wonderworld, this game is designed around the lack of a jump button.
5. The camera is used in clever ways to hide certain elements of each labyrinth, and their functions can change depending on the camera's position.
6. The puzzles, while they aren't very complicated, are quite fun: each one is designed as a small labyrinth with paths and objectives for Captain Toad to complete.
   • Each level has three Gems to collect, a bonus objective, and a Pixel Toad that plays a game of hide-and-seek in each level.
7. Excellent soundtrack composed by Naoto Kubo and Mahito Yokota, especially the title theme (which is also Captain Toad's leitmotif).
8. There are over 70 levels to play, which is a good amount for a Mario game.
9. The Switch and 3DS ports introduce new levels based on Super Mario Odyssey, which can be unlocked by using Super Mario Odyssey Amiibo or playing through the game as intended. The former port also has a Special Episode as DLC.
10. You can use the Nintendo Labo VR Goggles to enhance the gameplay on a few of the Switch port's levels.

Bad Qualities

1. You aren't told what each level's bonuses are until you beat them at least once, meaning you'll have to replay those levels unless you solve each puzzle by intuition or using a guide.
   • Even worse, the game also heavily relies on replaying levels multiple times to artificially lengthen the game.
2. Some levels are difficult to navigate without losing your lives, especially the Clone Toad levels.
3. There aren't many bosses in the game, with a total of three original ones (Cookatiel, Draggadon, and Wingo) and one just being a more powerful version of a pre-existing boss (Golden Draggadon).
4. The 3DS and Switch versions replace the 3D World-themed levels in favor of the Odyssey-themed ones.
5. The 3DS port does not include the Special Episode DLC from the Switch version despite the two releasing simultaneously, making it an inferior port for players who were expecting the extra levels from the latter version.
   • While on the topic of the DLC episode, only five of these extra levels are completely new areas, while the others just reuse old maps with new objectives.

Reception

All three versions of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker received positive reviews from critics and users (respectively, the Metacritic scores are 81/100 and 8.6/10 for Wii U, 79/100 and 7.1/10 for 3DS, and 82/100 and 7.9/10 for Switch; the average scores are 81/100 and 7.9/10). The game was praised for its graphics, gameplay, and concepts, but was criticized for its camera control and never fully leaning into its own gimmicks.

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