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The Nintendo Wii U classic Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is now available on Nintendo Switch and its creative stages, charming world, and unique puzzle-platforming gameplay are guaranteed to leave you beaming with joy.
Return To The 3D World
The aim of the game is to help Captain Toad rescue Toadette from the clutches of the giant illusionist bird Wingo, who is also a Power Star thief. The simple story works for Captain Toad and lets the player take in the endless charm and creativity of the characters and world. Captain Toad and Toadette are wonderfully lovable characters and the way they interact through their animations is especially sweet!
Visually, the game looks fantastic, with its appealing colours and creative character designs further enhanced by the Switch version having a higher resolution than the Wii U version. The world of Captain Toad borrows a lot of elements from Super Mario 3D World but also bombards the player with a variety of creative and unique setting ideas. Whether it’s ancient ruins, active volcanos, or a moving steam train, the game’s world captures the imagination and creativity of 3D World and leaves the player with a grand sense of adventure—even the level selections look like journals, with records of Captain Toad’s journey!
The Toad Who Couldn't Jump
This game is based on “The Adventures of Captain Toad” levels from Super Mario 3D World, but greatly extends the concept. The player must travel through various 3D puzzle-like levels and collect each one’s Power Star to win, while collecting coins, avoiding obstacles, and occasionally solving puzzles. However, since Captain Toad’s backpack is too heavy, he can’t jump. Fortunately, the level design is built around our little hero’s limited mobility and progression requires you to use it to your advantage. For example, Captain Toad can’t jump on Goombas, so go to higher ground and fall on top of them, or throw freshly picked turnips at them like in Super Mario Bros 2! Heck, the ghostly Boos can even be defeated using Captain Toad’s headlamp, which is such a cute attention to detail.
The game borrows design ideas from other Mario games such as the falling Donut Blocks, traversable Clear Pipes and the rhythm-based Beep Blocks, while also adding new elements to freshen up the gameplay like on-rails mine cart sections, where your perspective is in first-person, and you can throw turnips to collect coins and defeat enemies.
Even the boss stages are interesting and excellent challenges to overcome. These involve an escape from Draggadon to avoid falling in hot, rising lava, and an uphill battle with Wingo, where you have to avoid being blown off the tower and fight him at the top. My only issue is that the bosses are reused for the later stages, and it would’ve been great to have more boss variety to keep things less repetitive.
The game’s approach to difficulty is also fully realised, starting off simple to let you get the hang of it, but gradually increasing in difficulty, making finishing levels even more rewarding and satisfying.
A Backpack Of Tools And Other Items
Despite being unable to jump, Captain Toad still feels great to control and has just the right amount of speed for traversing levels. The camera controls are perfect for analysing the levels and gets you thinking about how to clear them, while the X button will zoom in the camera if you want a closer view of your surroundings. Additionally, the Switch version replaces the Wii U’s Touch screen with more intuitive pointer controls while including motion controls. These are not only crucial for solving puzzles by interacting with the levels (e.g., rotating gears with motion controls), but they make progression easier by stopping enemies in their tracks.
You can’t have a Mario spin-off without power-ups, though, and I’m not just talking about Super Mushrooms. Coming straight from 3D World, the Double Cherry lets you multiply yourself and solve puzzles in certain stages, like when two Toads need to be on two switches to open a door. Then, there’s the new item, the Super Pickaxe, which works like the hammer in the original Donkey Kong. For a limited time, Toad will be able to destroy grey blocks and defeat enemies while a remix of the hammer jingle plays in the background. These power-ups change up the gameplay in unique ways while also paying homage to Mario’s legacy.
A Treasure Trove Of Content
Once you’ve beaten the main adventure, there are still plenty of reasons to go back for more. For example, you can search for three gems that are hidden in each level by taking alternate pathways and solving puzzles. Along with that, finishing a level lets you play a cute little minigame where you use the camera and pointer controls to find a small 8-bit Toad on each level, so keep your eyes peeled!
That’s not all—the levels even have their own side objectives, which add a new layer of challenge to the game, like collecting a certain number of coins, finding the golden mushroom, or clearing the level without taking damage.
But wait, there’s more! Sometimes you will be able to play one of two timed minigames upon finishing a level, giving you the chance of getting extra lives: Coins Galore, where you use the Double Cherry or the Super Pickaxe, and Mummy-Me Maze, where Mummy Toads copy your moves and chase you down (like Mario Galaxy 2’s Shadow Clones). Make sure you collect as many coins as you can, because once the minigame’s done, it’s gone.
Switching Up The Adventure
The Switch Version includes four completely new levels based on kingdoms from Super Mario Odyssey, which are all creatively designed and feel very authentic to the game they’re from. It’s great enough to revisit places like New Donk City and Fossil Falls, but their inclusion also cleverly references that Captain Toad can be found in Odyssey’s Kingdoms. These levels can be unlocked by scanning the wedding-themed Amiibos from Super Mario Odyssey.
Speaking of which, scanning the Toad Amiibo in the Switch version gives the player an Invincibility Mushroom, meaning enemies can’t hurt Captain Toad and are instantly defeated upon touching him. Scanning any other Amiibo gives the player an extra life, just like in the Wii U Version. Overall, the Amiibo functionality is a great option for new players if they’re struggling on a tough level.
Want to play the game with a friend? You’re in luck because on the Switch version, every single stage allows up to two people to play, where Player 2 either plays as another Toad or just uses pointer controls. It’s not the most compelling co-op feature since the levels weren’t initially designed to take advantage of multiplayer, but it’s still useful for a friend to help you finish levels, especially when that feature wasn’t included in the Wii U version.
Verdict
Despite its repetitive bosses and slightly underwhelming co-op, Captain Toad is a wonderfully charming puzzle experiment full of creative level design and visuals, unique and exciting gameplay, and lots of bonus content! If you’re interested in games where you can’t jump but you don’t have a Wii U, then you won’t regret embarking on this magical, fungus-filled adventure!
