Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Geekscape’s ‘Super Mario Maker’ Course Of The Week: Captain Toad

by The_aczSeptember 25, 2015

Super Mario Maker is an amazingly creative game.

While the item selection could be expanded upon, droves of people have found many creative ways to use it to their advantage. You’ll almost never see a course that looks the same, or a course that you won’t have fun playing (unless you’re someone like me who’s already gotten sick of the endless Automatic Mario levels, that is). So the question is: What are some really awesome levels that are really creative with how they use the course tools, or courses that are just really fun to play through?

Every Friday starting today, I’ll be choosing a course from the game that I think really shows the creativity of what people can do using Super Mario Maker. First up, Captain Toad By Evin CG.

For those who don’t know, this level is based off of the incredibly popular side game in Super Mario 3D World (also based off the full game released last year.) In this level, you play as Captain Toad, and will try to navigate your way to the power star at the end of the level. A very fun aspect about this level is the fact that it borrows many gameplay elements from the actual game. From climbing vines, and not being able to jump, (jumping makes you hit an invisible block with Boos in them) it’s great to see the source material being used properly. This makes the level feel very authentic, and can really make you think at points throughout the level.

There are also a good handful of secrets to find. Can you find all 3 gems (substituted as 1-UPS) in the level? There are plenty of other secrets and fun surprises too, but I’ll save those for when you try it out yourself. If you would like to try out this level here’s the course ID: 1548-0000-003E-EF15. If you’d like to recommend a course, then comment below and I just might feature it!

Until next week, keep playing and creating awesome levels!

Looking for more Super Mario Maker? Our review is right here!

Nintendo Direct Recap: 1/14/15

by Josh JacksonJanuary 14, 2015

I’m not going to start with too much fluff, because the first Nintendo Direct of the new year speaks for itself. Mixing some great announcements and huge surprises with some painfully stupid reveals, Nintendo was all over my emotional spectrum. Read below for the highlights of this morning’s presentation, and keep an eye out for more details on the following announcements throughout the day.

-New Title in The Fire Emblem Series. No details yet.

– Puzzle and Dragon Z/Super Mario Bros Edition double pack coming in May. Combines puzzle and RPG elements.

– Pokemon Shuffle? Pretty much just like Trozei. Will be free. Now limited to the number of moves you can make. Each Pokemon has a level and ability, can level up and mega evolve. Can only play for a certain amount of time, which can be extended with items through street pass, game play, and microtransactions. Dated for February

– Some Wii games will be playable with game pad and classic control pro if they supported the classic controller. Can download. Mario Galaxy 2 now! Punch Out Coming Jan 22, Metroid for Jan 29th on the eShop.

– Kirby and the Rainbow Curse: February 20th with Kirby Amiibo support.

– Wave 4 Amiibo: Robin, Lucina, Pac-Man, Ness, Charizard, and Wario coming in Spring.

– Super Mario Bros. branded Amiibo coming March 20th. Will be compatible with Mario Party 10. As if we didn’t already have a surplus of Mario Amiibo.

– Mario Party will work with 9 Amiibo. Rosalina is playable in addition to the regular cast. Special bundles will include new Mario amiibo. Must erase smash data to use Smash amiibo, (Donkey Kong, Rosalina, Wario,) in Mario Party? Well that’s dumb.

– Captain Toad will add hidden Toad with Toad amiibo. Update coming March 20th.

– Splatoon gains central hub. In game money can be spent on helmets, clothes, shoes and weapons to customize your character. 3 weapons at a time. Including special, sub and main weapons. Stats can be altered based on clothing. “Inklings.” Coming in May.

– Tingle coming to Hyrule Warriors. Fights with baloons, rupees, and a kiss of death. Young Link gets Fierce Diety mask. Coming Feb 5th, includes adventure pack and three new costumes.

– Xenoblade Chronicles X gets a new trailer with breathtaking environments. Coming 2015

– Mario vs Donkey Kong Tipping Stars. Coming to Wii U and 3DS. Allows you to tip players who make stages you like with stars that you unlock by doing well in stages. Cross Buy if you buy Wii U version. Available March 5th.

– From creators of Tekken, a free to download, 4 player treasure hunting game coming exclusively to Nintendo. Tentatively titled “Project Treasure”

– Elliot Quest is an 8 bit side scrolling platformer. Releasing in February

– Blek is a puzzle game using our imaginations. Coming in February.

– Citizens of Earth, an RPG staring the Vice President of Earth. Coming January.

– Gunman Clive 2 adds 4 playable characters. Coming January.

– Moon Chronicles episodes 2, 3, and 4. coming in January. Can be bought in episodes, or a full season. That’s surprising, the original was an underrated gem.

– Sega 3D Classics from January-March. Starting with Afterburner, Fantasy Zone, Outrun, Fantasy Zone 2 and Thunder Blade.

– Etrian Mystery Dungeon coming soon. Can create your own party and explore dungeons.

– Story of Seasons, a life/farming sim. Coming March 2015 to eShop.

– Fossil Fighters Frontier. Can team up online, battle, and hunt for fossils together. Arena area can be used to battle. Coming March 20th.

– New 3DS incoming. Amiibo support, improved web and download speed, faster processing power. Face Tracking 3D. C Stick. Can be used with Circle Pad Pro compatible games. Smash Bros 3DS will be the first Amiibo compatible game. Extended battery. Automatically adjusts lighting based on battery. Uses micro SD cards. Comes with 4 GB card. Will be able to transfer data. Info coming soon. No standard new 3DS side? Will not include an A/C adapter? That has to be the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long while. And I guess we’re not good enough for the small console with the interchangable face plates. Coming February 13th.

– Codename: Steam will use Fire Emblem amiibo to add characters to your team. They cannot be revived, like in Fire Emblem, and need to be re-loaded after the stage is completed. Marth can heal and wield his Falchion, Ike uses power and long range moves along with Aether. Lucina and Robin were not explained. More Marth’s coming. March 13th.

– Ace Combat uses C-Stick and shoulder buttons. Amiibo unlocks skins for planes. Launching Feb 13th.

– Xenoblade Chronicles allows you to view 3D models. Monster Games of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3DS porting the game. Coming in April and exclusive to New 3DS.

– 6 player local and online 3rd person shooter. Includes online and single player campaign. Titled Ironfall Invasion and developed by a small team at V.D. Dev. Uses C-Stick or touch screen for aiming. Coming Soon

– Monster Hunter 4 getting New 3DS Bundle!!!! Coming February 13th exclusively Gamestop! Can team up with up to 4 people in single player campaign. Exclusive demo coming soon, will include all 14 weapon classes, multiplayer local and online and an in depth tutorial. Monster Hunter 4 puzzle swap puzzle coming soon.

– Majoras Mask gets full 3D rotatable camera. Will receive Majoras Mask pin if you pre order Project STEAM at Pick-Up from GameStop. Coming February 13th.

– Majoras Mask New 3DS is launching as well!!! I went from not wanting it to wanting two within 15 minutes. To paraphrase the wise words of Rebecca Black, which one shall I take!?

So… the relief I felt from being able to save money post holidays as all but disappeared considering nearly everything shown was announced between now and May. Which New 3DS will you pre-order today? Which games will you pick up? Where are you planning to sell your body to afford all of this, and can I join you? My body will have to be ready.

Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker’

by Derek KraneveldtDecember 4, 2014

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.

‘Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker’ Turns The Best Part Of ‘Super Mario 3D World’ Into Its Own Game!

by Josh JacksonJune 11, 2014

I couldn’t have been the only one who played the 3D mazes featuring Captain Toad in Super Mario 3D World and thought, “hey, this would make a really great game on its own!” Apparently, someone at Nintendo agreed, because the company announced Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker exclusively for the Wii U during its E3 Digital Event.

The brave little Toadster got his start in Super Mario Galaxy, but now’s the time for him to take charge in his first staring role. The trailer shows off larger, more in depth and far more dangerous mazes to explore, with the fun lying in how to get to the goal while avoiding all of the hazards.

Anyone who’s played 3D World knows how fun these stages can be, so the thought of a dedicated game makes me feel that those original stages are only scratching the surface of what’s possible with this concept.

Are you ready for adventure with Captain Toad? Watch the E3 trailer below and let us know what you think! Treasure Tracker is set for a retail and digital release