THE BASICS
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You can play The Wonderful 101 in a few different ways: With the Pro Controller and the Game Pad. With the TV and the Game Pad --OR-- with Off-screen Play. There are segments where you need to pick up and move the view using the Game Pad, having to do this after putting down the Pro Controller just isn't practical; this is probably the worst way to play! Off-Screen play is available --but-- there are segments in the game where you need to have TWO INDEPENDENT views of what's going on. They "fix" this by having a Picture in Picture option on the Game Pad. The characters are small enough, the Pad screen is small enough, the action is so chaotic often enough where this is also very impractical. Off-screen purists are going to be annoyed, but I also DO NOT recommend playing this way!
Best way to play is Game Pad in hand at all times, so that's what I'm going to detail here!
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Left Stick -- Move the Hero! Move the group!
Right Stick -- Draw "shapes" using your Heroes. If you played Okami, you know the deal here! Once you know the shapes to the different Unite Morphs **more on these later!** drawing them mid-battle is really not a problem, at all, in the least, whatsoever; I don't know what problem certain reviewers had with this as it's really, really simple and easy to pull off. Alternatively, you could just draw the shape on the Game Pad screen with the stylus or your finger, but this is actually harder to pull off than just using the stick!
"-" Button -- Switches to Off-Screen Play! **DON'T SWITCH TO OFF-SCREEN PLAY!**
"B" Button -- Jumps! Once again in the air, Double-Jumps! Mash once you get the "Unite Rocket" to propel yourself into the air!
"L" Button -- Zooms Out the view!
"R" Button -- Zooms In the view!
"ZL" Button -- Block! aka "Unite Guts!" Your team becomes a Blob of Jello; doing this at the right time will Reflect certain Physical Attacks and Non-Energy-based Projectiles back at the Enemy! Invaluable in the beginning of the game!
"ZR" Button -- Dodge Button --ONCE YOU PURCHASE THE SKILL-- from the Wonder Mart! At first you have a "Spring" you can morph into to just spring out of the way of an attack. Buy an Upgrade and Double Tapping this button morphs your Team into a "Ball" to really move quickly around the battlefield!
"Y" Button -- Push it to make the Hero run with the Team following behind. This button also disperses a Unite Morph should you want to drop it and run quicker! You don't have to keep this held the entire time you want to run, just press it for a moment and release and your Main Hero will continue running! When your 100 Heroes get knocked out **complete with stars circling their heads** you need to run around to gather them together again! The more team members you have with you at the moment of a "Unite Morph" the bigger it could possibly be! Which leads to...
"A" Button -- Drawing a shape on the screen either with the Right Stick or your finger/stylus then pressing this button to confirm will bring about a "Unite Morph." This is the bread and butter of the game. Pressing "A" after drawing the shape differs from pressing "X" as Pressing "A" switches the current Leader of the Heroes to whomever is the Hero of that Morph. Wonder Red, for example, is the default Hero for the "Unite Hand." Draw a circle on the screen, Press "A" and your spare Heroes will form the Hand and Red will become the leader of the group. Even after your Heroes disperse, pressing "A" will still let you use a smaller version of the Unite Hand. Unite Morphs will be explained in more detail when I get to the "Heroes" section!
"X" Button -- Has a Dual Role. Pressing X on it's own results in what I like to refer to as "Pikmin Mode." The game refers to this as a "Team Attack." Your heroes rush out in front of you and pummel the enemy! Repeatedly hitting "X" results in a "Climb Attack" where **a-la Pikmin** your Heroes separate from the group, climb onto the enemy, hitting it and eventually Subduing it! Not many people realize this is happening; you'll see your guys attacking the enemy on occasion, but doing this intentionally and enough will result in the perfect set-up for a Unite Morph attack, or even better, a Multi-Unite Morph! Drawing a shape then Pressing "X" retains the Hero that you already had --BUT-- the shape that you draw will have some of your team form ANOTHER Morph and Attack Automatically. You can do up to 4 Multi-Unite Morphs at once!
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THE BASICS (continued)
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The "Wonder-Liner" isn't an attack per-se at least at first! as it is your Heroes stretching out in a straight line in the direction you press the right stick. "So what?" you may ask. Well, the Line can break through objects on the field, like trees, benches, etc., and you get Items, Health Replenishment and Currency from these objects. You can also extend it upwards to reach the tops of roofs, or snake it around corners to grab out of reach items. Extending a Wonder-Liner into a Wonder Toilet **no, not kidding!** will make it explode into a shower of items! Eventually, you can purchase an Upgrade to make the Line hurt enemies too!
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Variations of the Wonder Liner, like drawing a circle WITHOUT pressing "A" or "X", makes the line go Rainbow Colored and has different effects on different interactive objects. Circling dead shrubbery will revive it! Circling a car will have your team members pick it up! Circling civilians recruits them temporarily onto the Team!
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You'll often see your little Robot Companion "P-Star" scanning an area or object. If you see him scanning a big gap, for example, the Wonder Liner, once extended fully across the gap, will form a Bridge! If you see an elevator that is out of service, sending the line up the shaft will Repair it! There's many many uses of the line and the circle, if you see something out of the ordinary, try one or the other! If you see random holes in the environment send in the line to find hidden objects. These can be anywhere, in the sides of buildings, down a manhole, etc! If you see round objects in the environment, circle 'em and often you'll find items or a Posing Hero Figure!
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Wonder Red
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Storyline-wise, Red is the "Leader" of the Operation. He's a Rookie though and this is his first Field Mission. It's important to note: There's really no --ONE-- leader to The Wonderful One Double-Oh! They are a TEAM and this actually does have gameplay implications!
His Unite Morph is the Unite Hand. To form the Hand and let Red lead the Team, draw a Circle then Press "A!" The Hand is a Short Range melee attacker but it can also be used as any other hand! You can unscrew objects when prompted, catch and throw objects and there's quite a few QTE's where you need to draw the Hand on command to complete the event!
DID YOU KNOW: The Red Unite Hand has a Fire Affinity? Switching to the Unite Hand when you see a Fire Attack coming can Ignite the Hand, giving you the ability to inflict Fire Damage!
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Wonder Blue
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Long trench coat, white hair, cocky attitude and huge sword... Hmmm... Familiar...
Blue's Unite Morph is the Unite Sword. It is formed by drawing a Straight Line and by pressing the Unite "A" button or the Multi-Morph "X" button. Has a GREAT reach and can cut through certain objects the hand can't just bludgeon into submission! Usually the enemies and/or objects are color coded!
DID YOU KNOW: The Sword has an Electric affinity? Just like Red and Fire... See an Electric Attack coming, switch to Blue! Yup, the Sword can gain Electric attacks from this! The Sword ALSO can Reflect Blue Laser attacks! It ALSO works as an all-purpose KEY! See a Key-Hole, whip out your Sword! We're all men here, I shouldn't have to explain that! 
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Wonder Green
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Heh! Frenchie! As you can see, the Team Members come in all shapes and sizes, even XL!
Green is the Sniper of the Team. His Unite Morph is the Unite Gun. Done by drawing an "L" shape then pressing the button! Has the longest distance, but sometimes waiting to see the Reticle in the midst of battle is tough! His most effective uses are also the secret ones!
DID YOU KNOW: The Unite Gun can also Vacuum up objects and certain enemies?! Nothing like picking up a fired Projectile and sending it back at its owner! Or, better yet, see that Green target on the backs of some of the enemies? Use a lot of team members to form a bigger Gun, get behind the enemy and suck him up! Even better than throwing back a Projectile, throw one enemy --AT-- another and cause MASSIVE DAMAGE!!
I'm not even gonna Spoiler Tag this one: If you see something with a Bulls-Eye, switch to Green! Duh! 
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Wonder Pink
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Wait?! There's more than THREE HEROES?! Well, DUH! There's 100! 101 when we count YOU!
...there's 7 Heroes that are the focus of the Story, though!
Wonder Pink is from Transylvania and her Morph is the Unite Whip! Draw an "S" and hit the button to get the Whip!
DID YOU KNOW: The Whip is good for Tossing Enemies, Dizzying Enemies and Peeling off layers of Armor? You can also use it to Swing Across gaps! The Whip is made of "Belmont" alloy! Transylvania? Belmont Alloy? Kamiya? Are you a CastleVania fan or what?
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Wonder Yellow
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The big, but gentle, Russkie of the group! Draw a Line with a Circle on top to form the Unite Hammer! The Shortest Range attack, but PACKS A PUNCH!
GET THIS: Hold the Hammer above the heads of the Team and it shields them from harm! The Hammer's blunt force SHATTERS enemy armor! See cracks in the ground or have a stubborn button to press? You are HOLDING A HAMMER!!! Is the Team swimming in the water and did you notice something under the water? Bring out the Hammer and sink to the ocean floor! Wonder Yellow also works VERY WELL in conjunction with the next Hero!
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Wonder (White) Ryu
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The Supremacist of the group... 
ONLY KIDDING!! He's actually a Ninja in training. I will now call him Iga. Draw a "Zig-zag" to get Iga's Unite Claws! These are the quickest attackers but have the lowest power BUUUT...
SUPER SECRET NINJA TECHNIQUES: Attack fast enough and you can trap your enemies in ICE using these "Claws of Calamity!" Guess what happens when you freeze an enemy then introduce them to Yellow's Hammer? Wanna pry something open, like a stuck door or particular enemies defenses? Yup! CLAWS! You can also scale certain walls using the Claws, too!
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Wonder Black
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Not from San Andreas! Actually from New Delhi, India! Dreads kinda have me confused, though! Anyhoo... Draw a Circle with a Line sticking out the top and you get the Unite Bomb! Not much that's secretive about Black! His Bomb slows down Time though and sets up AWESOME combo opportunities! Henshin-a-Go-Go, Bomba!
Alright, One Cool Thing: Black's the 8-bit gamer of the Team! If you look closely at the device in his hands, it's actually a 3DS System styled after the old Dual-Screened Game and Watch system! WANT!!
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Advanced Techniques and Menu Descriptions coming later!
Any questions so far, fire away!
I think you've created the most thorough description of the game details I've seen thus far. Once I get the game I will be coming back for all of this.
You, almost literally, CANNOT find information about this game anywhere! IGN's wiki is blank! There are no GameFaqs! Most of the random Wiki's are woefully barren... The game doesn't even come with an Instruction Booklet! The Electric Manual sucks too! If you dig through menus on the Game Pad you can learn a bit, but...
I am 100% positive --THIS-- is the --REAL-- reason for the lower review scores. You have to learn this game on your own! Most average reviewers won't do that! Those who actually took their time with the game, their praise went from positive to positively gushing about it! This is one of those game that will probably fall through the cracks, sell poorly, but then be spoken of by the gaming l33t years from now in hushed tones with that well-worn, niche-game reverence.
I have never, ever attempted to or wanted to write a FAQ of any kind, but the game itself inspired me to do so!
Kmart finally allowed me to buy the game so I will play it eventually. Thanks Leo.
White power, white is right, oh wait I am a ninja! Whoops!
Items and Menus!
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As you break objects in the environment, you'll discover Items to pick up. Here's a brief description of a few of them!
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Batteries: Power the Unite Gauge! What? You didn't think you could do Unite Morphs for FREE, did you?
Soups & Other (Non-Space) Food Items: Recover Vitality! If you've played any game, ever, this needs no further explanation!
Space Vegtables: Space Peppers, Space Eggplants and Space Carrots **Pikmin?!** are not really veggies, per se; they are Crystals from space that just resemble 'em! They are used in the "Mixer" menu! **more later!**
Rockets: Full screen attacks are fired from the Wonderful 101 Floating Battleship, Cruiser thingee... The "Virgin Victory!" This --DOES-- lower your Overall Rank for the level when you use em though!
Platinum Coins: 5 Hidden throughout the Operations! Find them all to get... ?!
Hero Heart Fragments: Collect Four to increase the size of your Life Gauge! **No fairies necessary!**
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**More to come!**
This thread is brilliant to read and beautiful to look at. I love all the colours.
I want this game but I feel that if I wait a couple of months I will get it for 20 euro instead of 40. I feel kind of bad doing that but it's not as if I don't have dozens of games to play in the meantime. And money is tight.
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Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
<3
Menu Stuff!
accessed by Pressing +
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Items -- Use your Items!
Custom -- Customize your Team as you Earn Slots! Do you want a Converter to convert Excess Battery energy to Vitality or vice-versa? Do you want an Auto-Item Grabber? Lots of ways to tinker with the Team in here!
Files --
Unite Morphs -- What Unite Morphs have you Earned, what do they do?
Skills -- Descriptions of the Various skills bought from the Wonder Mart!
Items -- What do your Items do?
Bottle Caps -- Achievements!
Geathjerk Files -- Stands for "Guild of Evil Aliens Terrorising Humans with Jiggawatt bombs, Energy beams, Ray guns, and Killer lasers!" 
Hierarchy and descriptions of the Baddies!
Wonderful Files -- Your Heroes and their Allies!
Figures -- These are the figures you find in the Portals throughout the World!
Mixer -- Combine the Space Vegtables you find into Recovery Items, Rockets, Bombs and a Platinum Credit Card!
Options -- Options!
Exit -- BEST EXIT TAB EVER!!! **no, not really!**
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IMPORTANT MENU STUFF!
accessed by touching the Arrow at the bottom-center of the Game Pad!
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Hero Select -- This is somewhat important stuff that's not explained well at all! 'Member how I was saying Wonder Red isn't the "Hero" of the game? He isn't; they are all Heroes! Case in Point: You can select any of the 100 heroes to be Leader of the Team! When you hit the tab on the Game Pad, it brings up Pictures of all the W-100 heroes you've gathered so far. By the Heroes faces there are icons for the Unite Hand, Gun, Sword, Claws, etc. Red is the default for the Hand, Blue is the default for the Sword --BUT-- you can switch any of the Heroes with the same Icon to be the Leader of that Unite Morph! For example Wonder Gamer has a Sword Icon; you can choose him to be the Leader for the Unite Sword, replacing Blue! Why does this matter? ALL THE HEROES HAVE LEVELS AND TRAITS IN THE GAME! The more you use a Unite Morph, the more you level up. All Heroes with corresponding icons gain exp. from being part of the Morph --BUT-- the Leader gains the most! You want to switch out leaders often and level 'em all up! Be aware, the Heroes also have Traits! Some are more Powerful, Some are better Leaders, etc! The more you Level your Heroes, the stronger and bigger the Unite Morph --and-- you have a chance to increase you Maximum Vitality --AND--
You earn Devil May Cry-like Specials as you level up the Morphs!
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Away, Towards + A = The Wonderful Stinger
B followed quickly by A = Wonderful Rising
Rotate Left Stick 360 degrees + A = Wonderful Cyclone
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You earn these as you Level Up. I'm sure you've probably played a Devil May Cry or Bayonetta...
You're going to want to have these at your disposal!
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The Wonderful 101 is just one of "those" games, like Saints Row, that's devoted --SOLELY-- to having FUN! It's sad to see it receiving some mediocre scores from certain sites, as it seems as if the reviewers didn't take the time learn how to play the game correctly.
Maybe because it's on a Nintendo system, Kamiya felt the need to make the game more accessible; There are Three Difficulty Levels, Normal, Easy and Very Easy, to start. You have Unlimited Continues in all 3 of the Difficulties, so you can feasibly keep on continuing through to the end --JUST-- to reach it, you know, if you had a review deadline to meet. That's NEVER the ideal way to play a game, but in a Kamiya game, it's almost a SIN! Like every other game he's produced, there's so many curiosities, secrets, collectibles, hidden mysteries, sly references, that to REALLY appreciate the game and have fun with it, you're going to have to play it --WELL-- and, ideally, play it more than ONCE! Like Viewtiful Joe, like Bayonetta, like Okami you are ranked on your fighting skills "Consolation Prize up to Pure Platinum" and your rewards grow as your skill does.
It's completely a double edged sword here, but Kamiya being Kamiya, he doesn't tell you explicitly HOW to play the game -- there's many Moves, Forms, Systems and Menu items left totally unexplained. I believe he wants you to enjoy deciphering and discovering all these things on your own. I appreciate the sentiment, but understand not everyone else will.
In this topic, I am going to **try** my best to explain the Basics of the game, but I'm also going to disclose some of the cooler Secret Techniques I've come across as well, that will make the game more easy to understand once you learn them. In the Spirit of the game --SPOILERS-- will be Hidden and Color-Coordinated, so if you don't want to know, you won't see what I am explaining and you can enjoy discovering them on your own!
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On to the Basics!
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