PixlBit

Ready for Adventure!

Hello Pixlbit, I know you aren't supposed to write for BaD on weekends (or if you're reading this now, then on a monday), but then you wouldn't have anything to read. I'm too nice sometimes I guess. Anyway, Matthew Snee asked me in one of my blogs about Captain Toad. He wanted to know how was it but I know that reply wasn't good enough, so I decided to turn that question into a blog. Hopefully this will also help people who haven't picked it up yet and been wanting to do so. So let's go forth to adventure! Or just read this blog...

First off, finally, Toad get's his own game! Well this is technically Captain Toad from Super Mario Galaxy 1&2/Super Mario 3D World but he's a Toad nonetheless. Toad has never gotten his own game before, unless you count Wario's Woods. It's technically a Wario game but you play as Toad and the game is puzzle-based. Yeah so you have a puzzle game about Wario that has you play as Toad...makes as much sense to you as it does to me.

But Captain Toad, let's talk about his game now since we've derailed the blog with an entire paragraph. If you've played Super Mario Galaxy 1, or 2, or 3D World (or all 3 like me) then you're familiar with Captain Toad. He was an npc in the Galaxy games leading a brigade of Toads (known as the Toad Brigade) across galaxies, sometimes aiding Mario (or Luigi) in collecting Power Stars. In 3D World, he took a more active role, or better yet, you can take control of Captain Toad in these special cube shaped levels that involve him collecting Green Stars to add to your overall total. What was different about these is that since he carries a heavy backpack, he can't jump.

Yes Captain Toad is in a game about platforming, and he can't jump. And there's where the puzzle element of these levels come into play. Nintendo must of seen how much people like these (and a comment from Cary Woodham on Miiverse) prompted them to make and release a game all about Captain Toad with the same puzzle platofming, no jumping elements from the special 3D World stages. 

And thus, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was born. "But wait" you might ask, "is a game about a character who rarely gets a game that is based around a few stages of a bigger game, as its own title worth it?" Well glad you asked, fictional anonymous user that's reading this. In fact, yes, it is very much worth it. "How so?" you might say.

                           I haven't beaten this game, and there's already a 3rd part?!

First off, as I said, Captain Toad stars the character of the title of the game as he travels through stages to rescue (no not Princess Peach) Toadette. Why? I don't know, but if no one is getting kidnapped in Mario games, then there would be no game and levels to explore. But yeah, Toadette get's kidnapped, you save her by traveling through stages with different perils along the way.

The stages and the puzzles is where this game really shines at. Each stage has it's own theme, like the traditional grassland stage, to a water like stage and so forth, with enemeies and perils that fit the stage. Each with it's own set's of puzzles that you have to solve in order to get the star at the end, or the top, or bottom of the stage, or wherever the Power Star is located. Also, like the Captain Toad Stages in 3D World, you can rotate the camera in any direction with either one of the analog sticks or using the Gamepads gyro-sensor thing.

                         Or in a first-person view because this game is a shooter now...

And each stage has it's own collectibles to collect. There are these 3 gems or diamonds hidden in each stage that you must collect. Because apparently, saving Toadette wasn't a reward on it's own, so Toad...not wait, Captain Toad wants to stuff his pockets along the way in case he doesn't get rewarded. Joking aside, they are only required to advance or unlock more stages. Each level also has it's own special requirement, like finding the Golden Mushroom, beating all the enemies with sometimes not beating an enemy, and so forth.

And like with every Mario game, (or this case, a Toad game,) you get some power-ups too. Like in every Mario game, you get hit once, you shrink. Get hit again, and you lose a life. That same rule applies here. But you're wondering, "since Toa...Captain Toad  can't jump, how does he defend himself?" Well this game has vegetables. Yeah, vegetables. You go all SMB2 here with them, as in you pluck them from the ground and throw them at enemies. You also have access to that cloning cherry thing to make copies of yourself. But if many copies of Captain Toad isn't your thing (and it should because some stages require more than one Toad) then you have access to an ax that breaks anything and makes you invulnerable for a short perioud of time. Which I've officially dubbed as Minecrafting Toad. Because what else does it look like?

               It makes sense because you're using an ax to break blocks, like in Minecraft

"So should I get Captain Toad" you might say? Well yes if you want a platforming game with no jumping, really good puzzles, great visuals, and overall a very fun game, then yeah. Also, it's 40 bucks. Not sure how long it is but so far its been really fun so I highly recommend it.

So, have you played Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker? What did you think of it if you had? Thanks for reading and later.

         Being BaD isn't good, otherwise Captain Toad would steal the Power Stars YOU stole...

Images courtesy of me, my Wii U, and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker