Welcome to the first video-game related post of 2015. New life is being brought back into this blog, one post at a time, so I figured I'd start with something simple. Today, I'm going to discuss Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker!
Game: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (for the Wii U)
Released: December 5th, 2014
Hrm, the first thing to start off with would be the fact that I did love the Toad levels in Super Mario 3D World. They had a simplistic puzzle design, getting all of the Power Stars provided, but at the same time the use of the three dimensional graphics really made the camera your friend and your enemy at times. I am sure that Nintendo saw this as quite the wonder too and took the extra step to expand the Toad levels into its own game. Thus, we have the start of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker!
For those who have played Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World, the concept of Captain Toad and the Toad Brigade are quite common. However, for the random person that may not have experience with this concept, let me enlighten you a bit. In Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, the main characters to play are Mario and, after going through an extensive star-collecting spree, Luigi. We see Toads galore throughout the games in the several different levels, or planets, and even get to run in to the precursor adventures of Captain Toad and the Toad Brigade. He and his fellow Toads are journeying through the galaxy for adventure, and they prove to be Mario and Luigi's best bet when it comes to finding a pesky Power Star every now and then.
Moving on to Super Mario 3D World, it spreads out the similar player choice concept of Super Mario Bros 2 (where you have Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad as characters to play as) and allows you to run through new levels with interesting design concepts involved. However, at least once through each stage of the Sprixie Kingdom, you will come across a Captain Toad level, where you must use Toad's inability to jump and climb walls to scale the hazards and gather stars for our heroes to use. This is where the initial idea came in to play, and they expanded immensely upon it using data and designs from the original game.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker doesn't have you take control of the normal Toad we always associate with Princess Peach. No, he is running around with Peach, Luigi, and Mario in the Sprixie Kingdom or in Mario's dreams (spoilers!). Instead, Captain Toad is just your average Toad with a sense of adventure, and he follows his nose wherever he thinks he can find that certain air of danger. Teaming up with Toadette for this journey, they come across a Power Star at the top of a seemingly harmless temple and celebrate over their find. Only too late do they realize that something else had its eyes on the Power Star as well. A large bird comes in and steals the star and Toadette with it, and now it's up to Captain Toad to rescue his partner and recover the treasure!
To start off, the game runs through a few tutorial stages to introduce you to the mechanics of the game, in case you haven't played Super Mario 3D World before. As far as I am aware, the game only allows one player, so you will be using the Wii U Gamepad to perform most, if not all, of your actions. You simply run or walk around using the control stick, and in place of being able to jump on your enemies, you must use your brain and the terrain around you to ensure your survival. Each level is relatively small, or at least most of the ones that I've played through thus far, but each has three diamonds to collect and a small challenge tied to it, coupled with the obvious desire of getting a Power Star and clearing the stage.
You really get a sense of Toad's lack of power, when compared to the Toad you have control of in other games (even Super Mario Bros Wii and Wii U). Due to the heavy backpack Captain Toad carries around, he is simply unable to hop, skip, and twirl around his enemies. It is through this that they take away the familiarity of the franchise and really get your creative juices flowing. Perhaps you simply need to sneak by the enemies before they fall on you from above? Or maybe you need to dig up a turnip from a nearby patch and dispose of the creature? Why not have one of the other threats of the level do your foe in for you? I really enjoy this idea, as puzzle games themselves tend to stimulate your mind a lot more than mindlessly bopping your enemies on the head and moving on.
There are three books to the game with a bonus level depending on if you've got Super Mario 3D World data saved to your profile, giving you additional levels and challenges to play on. While the game does seem like a nice time-spender, it doesn't feel like it is necessarily its own game. The concept, as mentioned before, is from a previous mini-game from Super Mario 3D World, so a full price for something that was ripped out and put into full-game form doesn't necessarily make much sense other than from a money-making standpoint. For what it's worth, I'd say that Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker deserves a decent play-through for an avid Nintendo fan. If only the price was less to warrant how short it could truly be. It boasts at having over 70 different levels to play, but that is only including the Bonus levels involved.
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