Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker’

I still recall playing Super Mario 3D World for the very first time (now just over a year ago): most of its campaign saw myself and three pals killing each other frequently while consistently replaying each and every level to ensure that we maximized our quantity of stars. Early on in the game, something magical happened, and we were introduced to a new type of Mario mini-game that would go on to steal all of our hearts: Captain Toad.

Or rather, I was introduced to Captain Toad, as I instantly fell in love with this chill, relaxed exploration level, and then proceeded to hog the original stage in each and every world that followed. If I had to use the gamepad (which was not overly well utilized in 3D World and not nearly as comfortable and long lasting as the pro controller), the Captain Toad levels were my reward, and the tradeoff was more than worth it.

I remember having the conversation every time a Captain Toad level came up that “this dude’s a total bad-ass, and he needs his own game.” Apparently Nintendo was listening, because Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is here, and he’s even more of a bad-ass than before. We received just a few charming, thought-provoking Toad levels in Super Mario 3D World, but for this release, Nintendo’s upped the level count to 70+, and included some very clever (not just “let’s jump on Bowser’s head”) boss battles and some oh-crap-I-need-more-of-these minecart stages (but more on those later).

The standard levels in Treasure Tracker are a lot like the ones that we fell in love with in Super Mario 3D World. Captain Toad doesn’t have a lot of skills; the guy can’t jump at all, and his top speed is laughable at best. Basically, you’ll be traversing each stage in an attempt to find three gems (some obvious, and some well hidden), while avoiding all sorts of baddies (or throwing turnips at them, a new skill for the Captain), before making your way to the star at the end of the level. The competent and varied level design should keep you coming back for more, as in many stages you’re unlikely (unless you’re taking your time of course) to find all three gems the first time through, and each level also features a much tougher secondary objective that won’t even be revealed until you’ve completed the stage once before. Controls are simple, as you’re basically moving and grabbing things, and you’ll have full control of the game’s camera either by using the right analog stick or fighting with the terrible gyroscopic camera controls (they are never, ever, ever faster or more convenient). Many stages will also use the gamepad in neat ways (as we saw in SM3DW), such as using your fingers to raise platforms or stun enemies, or even blowing into the microphone in order to power fans in-game.

Boss battles definitely take further thought, as again, the Captain isn’t very good at most things. Instead of having the best Mario player running up to the boss/sub-boss and killing him before you’ve had time to pick up your controller, they require precise timing and an understanding of how each boss stage works. Oh, and don’t forget that you’ll still be collecting three gems from these levels. There are various other mini-games and sub-stages to keep things fresh, but the standouts here have to be the minecart stages. In these levels, Toad hops into a minecart, the game switches to a first-person mode (though you can switch back to third-person if you like), and becomes a sort of on-rails shooter that has you throwing turnips (using the gyroscopic controls which actually work very well here) at enemies, power blocks, coins, and gems in an attempt to get through the course unscathed, and… well, rich of course. These levels are an absolute pleasure to play, and I almost always went through them multiple times. These stages reminded me a lot of Pokémon Snap, which is definitely, definitely due for a remake on the Wii U (as we’ve mentioned on the Geekscape Games podcast… insert shameless plug here), but as this is likely the closest we’ll get for some time (forever), we’ll take what we can get.

I think that my favourite part of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is just how damned relaxing the game can be. It feels so different from every insanely fast-paced game that releases today (like say Nintendo’s very own Smash Bros. for Wii U which launched a few weeks back, for instance). You can take the game at your own speed, at whatever depth you want to experience at, whether you’re a little kid who just wants to clear each level or a full-grown human who needs to 100% the thing. It’s also super accessible, and I could definitely see myself showing it to some of my non-gaming friends or relatives as there’s a good chance that they could enjoy it. The game also led to some far deeper thoughts than I’d ever imagined a title like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker could: at the start many stages, I’d think “Wow, Mario could complete this in one jump, but it’s so hard for Toad.” And then I thought for a long time about how that is literally life for some people. Yep. Captain Toad is powerful.

It’s not the longest of games (you’re probably looking at about 6-9 hours to completion depending on how bad you are at puzzle games, but Nintendo’s also not asking full price for this one. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker costs a cool $39.99, and it’s more than worth every penny.

I was expecting exactly what we saw from Super Mario 3D World‘s bonus levels, but instead we received something much more realized than that. Nintendo has crafted a cute, quirky, and clever spinoff that has quickly become one of my favourite puzzlers in recent memory. With a more-than-reasonable amount of challenging and fair content, cute-as-hell graphics and sounds, and a budget price tag, this adventure is more than worthy of the price of admission.

Plus, it transformed Toad from a cute and cuddly sidekick, to a bonafide bad-ass.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker scores an admirable 4/5.