Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Reviews
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is one of the smartest, most charming puzzle games of 2014.
Perhaps aiming to satisfy a younger audience, Treasure Tracker prefers to drop in a colourful boss-fight or format-breaking set-piece than to push the puzzle designs as hard as they can go. Solving most of these levels is more a matter of following your nose than exercising your brain. Captain Toad also doesn't achieve as reliably perfect a synthesis of puzzle and platforming as Game Boy Donkey Kong did, occasionally failing to fully scratch either itch - though at other times it finds something truly original in the space between them. And there is always that moment when you load up a new level and spin it, beholding another perfect microcosm, made just for you. 18 years on from Super Mario 64, Nintendo's designers are still going further in their exploration of the third dimension than almost anyone else.
Treasure Tracker still feels close to unique, and gains new life on both of Nintendo's current systems. Switch is very much the better choice, but 3DS is by no means a bad option. Still smart, prettier than ever and, in retrospect, genuinely important as part of Nintendo's modern history, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a rare example of a game that actually feels better for being a few years old.
Utterly charming on (literally) every level, it may not offer much in terms of fast action but this is just as imaginative and engrossing as any Super Mario game.
While it's good to see Nintendo stepping out of its comfort zone, Captain Toad isn't versatile enough to compete in the big leagues. It'd be a budget no-brainer, but feels too slight at a higher price.
Utterly charming on (literally) every level, it may not offer much in terms of fast action but this is just as imaginative and engrossing as any Super Mario game.
Captain Toad's treasure laden levels are bite-sized, stress-free puzzles packed with surprises.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is bound to warm your heart and challenge your intellect.
For anybody else, Captain Toad's weird little experiment would be an afterthought. But Nintendo's exercise in digging has found something pretty special - an action puzzle game that succeeds on charm and smarts, rather than reflexes and spectacle.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker's clever puzzles and creative take on platforming remain great on Nintendo Switch.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker on Switch is a can't-miss Wii U port
The little mushroom man finally gets his name on the marquee, and the result is a charming, unique, and puzzle-heavy adventure.
It's a (mostly) polished, fun single-player game from Nintendo. Not a lot of those in a year of Kart and Smash.
Treasure Tracker may be relatively budget-priced, but it doesn't feel like a cheap, throwaway creation. Every inch of its nearly 100 stages and bonus levels has been buffed to a spit-shine finish, and the Nintendo content factory has produced dozens of one-of-a-kind stage concepts to explore here. Alternately a test of observation, reflex, planning, and deduction, Captain Toad's first standalone title (of assuredly many) demonstrates that spinoffs don't have to feel phoned in... and that there's room in gaming to give top-class love and attention to family-friendly creations, too. A perfect video game sorbet to finish up 2014.
A game that challenges the mind like Treasure Tracker doesn't come around all that often and for that the Wii U console carves out another experience with childlike wonder as the objective, rather than the aesthetic.
Captain Toad is an experience that doesn't attempt to really wow you, but instead delivers consistent puzzle experiences at a rapid pace. There's more Nintendo could have done with it, but it is a puzzler in its purest form, and that will be more than enough for people who wanted more of the titular hero after playing the bonus games in 3D World.
Everything about Captain Toad is overwhelmingly charming. The soundtrack is solid, with plenty of levels having their own unique themes, as well as a few with familiar tunes from previous games in the Mario franchise thrown in for good measure
Captain Toad might seem overly simplistic at first glance, but there's so much more here than expected. It's a rewarding game that constantly revs up the creativity and challenge to keep you addicted while also throwing in a decent amount of extras to bring you back for seconds. It's charming presentation and clever puzzles give it a special touch that sets it above other similar games. And frankly, there's little else out there that's like Captain Toad.
Porting Captain Toad to 3DS might have been a surprise from Nintendo, but it's a very pleasant one. There's naturally some compromises to the game's looks and the 3DS's camera controls aren't always the best, but Captain Toad's adventure holds up really well on the handheld. If you don't own a Wii U or Switch, you won't feel shortchanged by playing on Nintendo's elder statesman of a handheld.
Nintendo's continued run of Wii U ports has to have a finite end, but while Switch players are getting games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker then its best just to bask in it. Gloriously cheerful, charming and enthralling, it's only diminishing features are its slightly short length and lack of difficulty for seasoned players.