Previews

Super Mario 3D World for Wii U features a variety of enjoyable stages. Among them, Captain Toad's Adventures, levels starring a heroic explorer. Armed with the Wii U GamePad, players guide Captain Toad through tricky boards avoiding traps and grabbing Green Stars in the quickest time possible. Unlike the main game, Toad cannot jump, nor can he make use of the power-ups available in other levels, like the Fire Flower and Super Bell. This forces players to rely on other means to crack the various puzzles.

While limited in number, these completely optional Captain Toad stages offer a brief distraction from the rest of Super Mario 3D World, and quickly became one of our favourite things about the game. Nintendo must have sensed the good Captain's popularity, because he'll star in his own Wii U title this holiday season, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker.

Leave no Gold Star behind

Based on what we've seen, Nintendo chose to go with a “if it isn't broke” philosophy in creating this exclusive game. Similar to the aforementioned levels in Super Mario 3D World, Captain Toad cannot jump (all he has is a scarf, backpack and headlamp), and he's still after collectible goodies, namely gems and Gold Stars. In fact, the core mechanics appear to remain unchanged, with each stage offering a plethora of enemies to avoid, traps and other cool elements to uncover while solving the puzzles.

There appear to be several types of levels, some of which Super Mario Bros. fans will recognize. Case in point, a familiar-looking ghost house that is home to a bunch of playful but dangerous Boos that follow Captain Toad. In this particular instance, Toad's headlamp proves especially useful, since the Boos will cover their eyes and stop moving the second you shine light in their direction. Other baddies, like Goombas and gangs of Shy Guys, on the other hand, will require a different strategy. In one instance, Toad exits a door and gets the drop on a stack of Goombas, squashing the creatures one-by-one.

The Wii U GamePad offers multiple perspectives

In addition to different critters, players will encounter environmental hazards and obstructions. Be careful, because the ground may crumble underfoot, forcing gamers to figure out a different way to proceed. Later, they'll run into a brick wall that seems to end Captain Toad's journey, at least until he grabs a special pickaxe and busts through those annoying blocks, similar to how Mario uses the hammer in the original Donkey Kong.

What's especially cool about this game is the way players are able to use the Wii U GamePad to rotate the levels and zoom in to get a better look at Toad's surroundings. The 360-degree perspective proves useful in figuring out the best way(s) to finish a stage, and in some cases, fans will even go first person while Captain Toad rides in a mine cart, looking at the controller's screen and taking out pesky Piranha Plants. For the most part, though, gamers will manipulate levels to discover hidden items, where rotating the board a few degrees may reveal a cave that is home to a sparkling gem. Gamers may even stumble upon a row of plants. From there, they'll instruct Toad to pull them up, finding gold coins in the process.

Both head scratching and visually appealing

Meanwhile, the graphics look outstanding, with an art style reminiscent of Super Mario 3D World. We can already tell the game's developers put a lot of detail and love into each stage, with neon Tetris-style blocks to move around, flower petals floating in the wind and a rather large and obviously perturbed dragon that erupts from a lava pool; whether it's friend or foe remains to be seen, but we vote the latter.

For now, there remain unanswered questions. We still don't know how many levels are in the game and whether or not there's a story; long-time villain Kamek makes an appearance, so that's something positive to go by. Of course, Nintendo will reveal new details in the months ahead, and we're sure that an already stellar-looking video game will become even more desirable. That said, we can't wait for Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, and strongly suggest putting it on your holiday wish list. In the meantime, cross your fingers that this adorable game remains in the company's 2014 line-up, since we'd prefer to enjoy it sooner than later.