Captain Toad Treasure Tracker

Captain Toad Treasure Tracker

Captain Toad stars in his own puzzling quest on the Nintendo Switch system! Our stubby hero must dodge dangers and track treasures across many trap-filled courses. Survive smoldering volcanoes, hazardous steam engines, haunted houses, and even new courses based on the Super Mario Odyssey game! Luckily, a second player can join in by tossing turnips at enemies.

Play anytime, anywhere, and anyway you want—even in two-player mode using a pair of Joy-Con controllers on one Nintendo Switch system—in TV mode or Tabletop mode. You could also play alone in handheld mode! No matter what, explore each puzzling course for treasure, like hidden Super Gems and Power Stars. As you reclaim the treasure stolen by the monstrous, greedy bird, Wingo, you’ll eventually be able to play as Toadette! These tiny heroes must waddle, hide, pluck, chuck, and power-up through enemy-infested locales like towers, wild-west shanties, and Goomba waterparks—all bursting with secrets. Aim your head-mounted flashlight at adventure!

Captain Toad Treasure Tracker Story:

The game opens with Captain Toad and Toadette ascending a tower together to claim a Power Star. The villainous giant crow Wingo appears and steals the star, taking Toadette along with him when she grabs hold of it. The player guides Toad as he tracks Wingo down to his lair and rescues Toadette. In the second chapter of the story, the introductory scenario plays out again, but this time Toad is kidnapped and the player assumes control of Toadette. After Toad is rescued and Wingo reemerges again, Toadette is kidnapped and Toad is knocked off of Wingo’s tower. Then, the third chapter of the story begins, in which both Toad and Toadette venture through levels on their way to the showdown with Wingo, along the way defeating Draggadon, the king of Pyropuff Peak, for the third time. In the final scene of the game, the introduction to Super Mario 3D World plays out, and Captain Toad is seen following a falling Green Star into the glass pipe. For the 3DS/Switch versions, the final scene shows Captain Toad following the Odyssey.

Captain Toad Treasure Tracker Review

The core gameplay conceit is one of level design. You’ll need to rotate a cuboid world around Captain Toad as you look for clues and solutions from multiple angles. Each move helps change the level, affecting how different parts react to one another and to you. As you turn the stage, you can see different pieces and elements. It’s not uncommon to shift things around and notice a “POW” block in a convenient location. Toss a turnip from the other side, and you can dissolve a wall with its power and move through.

Some of the original’s little problems persist. There’s a little too much reliance on the touchscreen, which becomes annoying when your own fat hand blocks your view of a threat. Playing docked on Switch with motion controls should solve that problem, but a giant cursor hovers over the screen at all times, which is hardly the most elegant solution. These new versions have at least removed the maddening decision to map camera control to the Wii U GamePad’s shaky internal gyrosensor, meaning you don’t have to stay stock-still to play anymore.

But perhaps the most interesting effect of returning to Treasure Tracker is in realising how influential this little spin-off became within Nintendo. Another game loudly drew on the principles of hakoniwa after Treasure Tracker came out – Super Mario Odyssey. The scales might vary, but both present intricate, self-contained environments, where attention to detail is prized over sheer size. Both place the pleasure of curiosity above and beyond anything else, rewarding players for prodding at and messing with their gorgeous worlds.

Despite a smattering of minor complaints, Captain Toad stands as a pint-sized version of Nintendo’s stellar first party pedigree. It’s among the best Mario spin-offs around and a delightful iteration on old ideas.

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Summary
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.
Good
  • Near-perfect pacing throughout
  • Clever puzzles and creative remixes of Nintendo’s classic platforming tropes
  • New stages and areas unique to Switch are excellent additions
Bad
  • The idea of rotating levels isn't fully explored
8.5
Great
Gameplay - 8.4
Graphics - 8.5
Audio - 8.5
Longevity - 8.7

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