UPDATED: Captain Toad  reviews

The Verge - No Score

At a glance, Captain Toad seems like a throwaway game, a weird little spinoff starring a character no one really cares about. Yet it's one of the best puzzle games of the year, and another one of a growing number of reasons to pick up a Wii U.

Nintendo World Report - 9

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is an incredibly charming game. Getting from beginning to end should take you just under six hours, but if you want to collect every single Super Gem and complete each stage’s special challenge, it’ll last you way longer. In addition, there are also quite a few bonus levels if you have save data from Super Mario 3D World on your system. If you manage to track down this game, you’ll have a real treasure on your hands.

US Gamer - 4.5/5

Treasure Tracker may be relatively budget-priced, but it doesn't feel like a cheap, throwaway creation. Every inch of its nearly 100 stages and bonus levels has been buffed to a spit-shine finish, and the Nintendo content factory has produced dozens of one-of-a-kind stage concepts to explore here. Alternately a test of observation, reflex, planning, and deduction, Captain Toad's first standalone title (of assuredly many) demonstrates that spinoffs don't have to feel phoned in... and that there's room in gaming to give top-class love and attention to family-friendly creations, too. A perfect video game sorbet to finish up 2014.

Polygon - 8.5

For anybody else, Captain Toad's weird little experiment would be an afterthought. But Nintendo's exercise in digging has found something pretty special - an action puzzle game that succeeds on charm and smarts, rather than reflexes and spectacle.

IGN - 8.2

Treasure Tracker takes the core concept of Captain Toad and runs wild with it. It’s a smart, adorable puzzle game that presents some awesome locales and really rewards you for taking the time to unpack them. Despite the control issues and menu problems, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker proves that you can still be great without being Super.

Destructoid - 8

Captain Toad is an experience that doesn't attempt to really wow you, but instead delivers consistent puzzle experiences at a rapid pace. There's more Nintendo could have done with it, but it is a puzzler in its purest form, and that will be more than enough for people who wanted more of the titular hero after playing the bonus games in 3D World.

GameSpot - 8

Were Captain Toad's world not so appealing, it would be easy to grow tired of the repeat playthroughs if you need to go back and collect items like I did, but the cartoony, whimsical Mushroom Kingdom is easy to love, with layer upon layer of charm. From goombas in swim rings that flap their little feet underwater, to the tiny birds that land on Toad's head when he's idly wasting time, Treasure Tracker has a lighthearted and lovable presentation. It has the right mix of atmosphere and challenging puzzles to keep you engaged, and it's a great experiment within the larger Mario universe. It may have started out as a minigame, but with its original take on the Toad character and a large number of enjoyably tricky puzzles, it's great to see it in the spotlight it so truly deserves.

The Jimquisition - 8

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker isn’t going to blow minds with its humble presentation and laid back puzzling, but it’s still got plenty of imagination and some really sagacious architecture in its level structure. There are moments that tread water, but overall this is a smart puzzler that ought to appeal to most folks. You can’t really say fairer than that.

Metro - 8

Utterly charming on (literally) every level, it may not offer much in terms of fast action but this is just as imaginative and engrossing as any Super Mario game.

Gamereactor UK - 8

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker delivers both content-wise and with its own sense of character. It is a more relaxed and conceptual delight for genre lovers, ideal for sharing with friends on cold winter evenings. It's the best debut of a Mario-universe character since Luigi's Mansion and the best way to start the new year with a Wii U.

NintendoLife - 8

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a rare case of a game that feels truly designed — from the ground up — with the Wii U in mind. The GamePad is utilised just enough to be worthwhile without being a nuisance, and the only mis-step is that the difficulty later in the game can't be eased by assistance from a friend, parent or game-savvy son or daughter. That aside, it's relentlessly charming and joyous, and is another example of Nintendo's developers flexing their creative muscles along with game-making skill. There's nothing else like this on Wii U, and it's a welcome addition to the system's growing library.

Joystiq - 4/5

I'd initially judged Treasure Tracker as a pleasant but temporary distraction, but I continued playing even after I'd completed every level, and I'm still working on rounding up the collectibles I missed the first time around. Treasure Tracker may be small in stature, but it's packed with depth and detail.

XGN - 7.5

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a fun puzzle adventure for Wii U. Levels are creatively made and there are enough reasons to play them again. The puzzles are quite short and not that difficult, though.

Giant Bomb - 3/5

Treasure Tracker is a charming game, but might disappoint some if they drop $40 expecting something more ambitious or substantial. If you know what you’re getting into and you’re alright with spending the money, there’s plenty of fun to be had on Captain Toad’s adventure.

GamesRadar -3/5

While it's good to see Nintendo stepping out of its Mario comfort zone, Captain Toad just isn't versatile enough to compete in the big leagues. What would be a budget eShop no-brainer is a little too slight at a higher price.

More coming...

Dvader said:

I just bought DK Tropical Freeze and Hyrule Warriors for $63 at Best Buy. They have a B1G1 40% off all Wii u games and it stacks with gamers club. Woo.

I read that as 'big 140% off'  

gamingeek said:

Fixed

Thanks  

So what's considered to be the 'regular' price for a WiiU these days?  Over here you've been able to get hold of a Basic white unit with Nintendo Land, Wii Party U and a wiimote for €199 for months already.  The deals we're seeing reported on are nice, but not that exceptional in my opinion.

SupremeAC said:

Bah, thanks to a small professional error of mine today, chances are high that I'll have to pay back somewhere between €1500 and €2000.  Even worse, chances of my professional insurance stepping in to deal with this are slim at best.  Christmas, a time for giving  

Whoa.

SupremeAC said:

So what's considered to be the 'regular' price for a WiiU these days?  Over here you've been able to get hold of a Basic white unit with Nintendo Land, Wii Party U and a wiimote for €199 for months already.  The deals we're seeing reported on are nice, but not that exceptional in my opinion.

Um, £250 for a deluxe +1 game I guess? £179 for a basic.

No TV so been playing Mario 3D World offscreen and getting those green stars. Forgot how fun this is.

Good scores for Captain Toad, will buy when $15

Foolz said:

phantom_leo said:

Beating a dungeon goes pretty quickly. Uncovering all the secrets, tokens, items, monsters, hidden characters... not so much!

Totally worth playing though and there's another expansion coming!

So you're playing the same dungeon repeatedly? Also, is there any point in playing the original before the remake?

It's a randomly generated dungeon with tons of different variables; you never quite know what to expect. Not every item you get helps you; there's so many of them to discover, you never quite know what kind of load-out you're going to have from one game to the next.

There are challenges to be conquered. There are many secret bosses.

The remake has everything the original had plus hundreds of new things as well. I guess you can play the original to see how much an improvement Rebirth is, but it's not at all necessary.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Xbox One crushes the competition during Black Friday sales! The king is back baby! All hail the king!

Do Nintendo games actually go down in Price in America?