Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is one of the smartest, most charming puzzle games of 2014.
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.
'Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker' is bursting with charm and fun-filled puzzles, but it's a little light on content.
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.
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.
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.
Industry Coverage
Reviews of the Switch version of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker are tracking STRONG
