While not every level is as good as the last, the bosses are repeated, the bonus challenges are busywork, and the Switch version always has that blue pointer on the screen, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker is a game definitely worth your time.įun game. The soundtrack was exactly what this game needed. The music was excellent, with some select tracks that were phenomenal. The attempts at "bosses" was admirable at first but got tiring when they were repeated almost every chapter. It's just as much fun as the jewel hunting. It requires that you play them differently and listen for audio cues to know when you're near.
With the exception of one of the last levels, this is a welcome bonus to a set of already pretty great levels. After finishing a level, you're then presented with the option of playing it again in order to find a small pixel toad that's hidden somewhere in the level. However, what I did have plenty of interest in, were the Pixel Toad challenges. I personally had no interest in this, as it's only set up the way that it is just to pad out the time by a handful of hours. So unless you're able to guess what the requirements for it are, if you want 100% completion you'll have to play the level again just to get that extra checkmark. Before the level begins, the bonus challenge is hidden. However, my problems with this game begin with how it approaches the bonus challenge for each level. If the entire game was just collecting three jewels and a star, it would still be a worthwhile purchase. It'll need to be constantly swiveled around and used to search for hidden secrets. The camera is just as much of a part of the level as any other obstacle. This is all possible due to the excellent usage of the camera in this game. Sometimes they'll be in the open, sometimes they'll be sneakily hidden behind a hollowed out surface with a obscured entrance.
Often, all 3 of them are in sight but you're left to discover how to reach all three. The jewels are what makes this game work as well as it does. Nearly each level feels great to explore and scour, with each one possessing 3 jewels, a bonus objective, and a mandatory star to collect in total. I was trepidatious at first with this one due to not being a big fan of the Captain Toad stages in 3D World where they made their debut, but this turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable experience.Ĭaptain Toad and Toadette are slow and cannot jump but the levels are built around that much more so than in 3D World. Overall, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a simplistically charming little puzzle game, that with the combination of both it's art style and it's gameplay makes for a relaxing and fun experience. These objectives, along with the gems, help to add a lot of replay-ability to each of the stages presenting you with challenges to incentivise a repeat playthrough of the various stages. The bonus objectives can range from collecting a certain number of coins, to finding a hidden mushroom or to finishing a stage in a certain number of interactions.
Outside of the gems, each stage also has a bonus objective. The gems are typically harder to find as collecting all of them isn't a requirement to finish every stage (although the game does place gates later on that prevent your progression unless you have collected enough gems) the gems give you an incentive to fully explore each of the stages. As well as your primary goal of collecting the star in each stage, there is also gems to collect in each stage. The core gameplay of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker sees you exploring diorama style stages in search of a star, while being unable to jump a restriction that when paired with the isometric camera leads to some interesting and unique puzzles. None of the gimmicks feel out of place or unfairly blend into their surroundings, everything manages to be both functional for gameplay while also helping to build an environment that is both visually pleasing to look at and fun to explore. The level design in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker perfectly blends gameplay with aesthetic, with unique level mechanics designed to perfectly fit in with each of the many stage themes. From its charming diorama style stages to the minimalistic control scheme, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a game that shines in its simplicity.Įxpanding upon the concept that first appeared in Super Mario 3D World as small bonus stages, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker takes everything to the next level, with a whole array of different fully detailed and varied environments, new music and boss fights, every aspect of 3D World's bonus stage has been gracefully enhanced and extended into a fulfilling treasure seeking experience.