Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Voices of: Samantha Kelly, Kenny James
Directed by: Shinya Hiratake, Kenta Motokura
Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Publisher: Nintendo
Rating: E
Genre: Puzzle platform
System: Wii U
2014

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Captain Toad and Captain Toadette navigate tricky situations to obtain hidden treasure around the world.

Review:
Tim: I know I've often praised Nintendo's ingenuity, but I will continue to do that. In arguably their most successful franchise (Super Mario), they have delivered dozens of games, innovating expansively. And so, when we come to Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, we get a spinoff game from that larger franchise- and this game more than stands on its own. It delivers a wildly innovative, enjoyable experience that feels so different to most of their games. This puzzle platformer is brilliantly designed- the puzzles are truly engaging and become more difficult as the game progresses. However, this isn't just a puzzle game- there are multiple platformer elements that require players to master some tricky moments. I loved this combination, requiring players to perfect their platformer skills, while also throwing some challenging puzzles at them.

This is not a small game- there's 82 different levels, and a considerable amount to do in each. I collected all gems, completed every side quest, got all the Pixel Toads (some were truly challenging), and did all the challenges for Episodes 1, 2, 3, and the Bonus Episode. These levels are rendered brilliantly- this isn't a game overly concerned with graphics, but each level is so detailed and lovingly created that it pulls you into this world. This game is cute, but it's tenacious. Some of the levels are truly hard.

None of this is more apparent than the nightmare-inducing Mummy-Me Maze Forever. This is the 15th level of the Bonus episode, the final one in the game. It's also one of the most brutal challenges I've ever tried to tackle. You have to navigate 50 randomly generated rooms, getting harder and more complex as the levels increase. There are a few resting levels, which are a godsend. The worst part is that multiple Mummy-Me's chase Toad through each level. This is horribly stressful- they will never quite catch Toad, as long as you're continuously moving and don't retread over where you previously walked (until they've cleared that part of the path). This requires nerves of steel at times, to move constantly where you need to, paying attention to where you've been and where the Mummies are. I battled this level over 3 days, playing over and over again, refining my skills and trying to stay calm. It's one of the most devilish challenges I've ever faced, and of course, it stood between me and finishing this game. After countless attempts, on my third day of playing this level, I completed it. Truly, it's one of my proudest video game accomplishments. Seeing the stack of coins, the congratulations the game gives you- it was a devastatingly difficult conclusion to a wonderful game.

I really did love Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. It's one of the better spinoff games I've ever played. I love that Toad and Toadette were thrust into the limelight, with no Mario or Luigi to save them. These intrepid explorers brave so many levels, so many puzzles, and it's all designed to entertain and challenge the players. I didn't expect to get so sucked into this game, to enjoy the experience as much as I did. When Nintendo is at its best, it does things like this- it grabs a Mario side character and creates this beautiful, wildly fun game around him. I hope someday we get more games like this, because it was so fun, so challenging, so memorable.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: Super Mario 3D World