"
Viewtiful
Pikmin
" is what came to mind when I first saw The Wonderful 101, but boy was I wrong. This game defies almost every attempt to shoehorn it neatly into any one genre. The gameplay is unlike anything I've ever seen in a game before, as is its art design, storytelling, and overall approach to using the Wii-U's features well as an exclusive, and it's all fantastic too. Hideki Kamiya made this game. I love Kamiya-san. He has made some of my all-time favorite video games over the years, from the aforementioned
Viewtiful Joe
to one of the most brilliant gaming masterpieces ever made,
Õkami
, the guy makes nothing but unique, exhilarating video game gold, and now you can add The Wonderful 101 to that list. Seeing as how this is such a densely designed, wholly unique game, this may end up being a long review, I warn you right now. If you don't like long, detailed reviews, give this one a pass.
The story behind The Wonderful 101 is as crazy and hectic as its gameplay. Basically, you play as, not one protagonist, but many simultaneously, as a worldwide superhero initiative entitled The Wonderful One-Double-Oh. Wonder-Red, the blond masked hero that looks eerily similar to Viewtiful Joe, acts as their stalwart leader, but there are many Wonderful-Ones that get the spotlight in this game, such as Wonder-Blue, a talented LA detective who is a headstrong, brash rebel with an impulsive need to always look cool, Wonder-Green, a very chubby Frenchman with a love of all things culinary, or my personal favorite, Wonder-Yellow, an incredibly tough-yet-timid Russian strongman. These heroes find themselves combating an invasion from the evil alien GEATHJERK menace that threatens the peace of the world, and that's as far as I'll go in describing the plot. Suffice it to say, the story's premise is clearly based on classic Japanese shows such as Power Rangers and other anime of yore, and I absolutely adore it. It's quirky, no doubt about it, but the writing is stellar and the voice acting is suitably overly dramatic and downright charming. I love the story and the way its told in this game. It reminds me of my childhood.
The art and sound design in this game really works well with the whole Japanese Superhero themes. All graphics have a distinct Viewtiful Joe quality to them for sure, but they were also designed to looks somewhat like children's toys come to life, and it looks awesome. Characters and scenery all have a plastic-like sheen to them that looks gorgeous and unique. This game is incredibly imaginative, full of vibrant colors and impressive effects that are a joy to take in. The special attack animations and models are particularly impressive. I love everything about the visuals in this game. The sound and music design also delivers well on the Saturday morning cartoon theme. Music is full of bravado and heroism, and the sound effects sound ripped from classic cartoons. It's all very cool. This game is full of sensory overload, in a good way, and that is really complemented by the visual and audio design. Great job here.
Really, it's the gameplay that sets W101 apart from any other game I've played. While "Viewtiful Pikmin" may sound like a nice little label when you first see the game, it's inaccurate. This is not a strategy game with a Viewtiful makeover. This is an action game through and through, much in the same vein of Kamiya's past works, with
Devil May Cry
or
Bayonetta
being the most obvious comparisons, with tons of challenge and elements of strategy thrown in. Don't think this is just a Bayonetta clone with a Power Rangers makeover however. The real twist in the game is the fact that you control many heroes simultaneously, as one huddled mass, all working together as an almost amoebae-like clump to fight the baddies. Using the gamepad's touchscreen (or the right analog stick), you can form "Unite Morphs" to create massive weapons to use in combat. Draw a line, and Wonder-Blue will hold onto a massive sword filled with the other characters in your group. The longer you draw the line, the more Wonder-Heroes will fill the sword and the bigger it will become. Draw an L-shape like, and now your weapon is Wonder-Green's pistol (or a freaking bazooka if you draw the shape big enough!), shooting other heroes in your group as bullets! If that sounds weird, it is, trust me, but it is an awesome combat system I have never seen or even hinted at in any other game. It's fantastically unique, and because this is a Kamiya game, there's an arcade scoring and ranking system that adds even more addictive qualities to the experience. The core of this game is all about utilizing your wits and reflexes in battle using these mechanics and while it may be tough, it is really worth getting the hang of.
I also must give the Boss Fights special attention. They're absolutely insane, and practically levels unto themselves. Some last up to twenty minutes, and I'm not talking twenty-minutes of just slogging through it in hideously boring fashion. No, I'm talking full-on twenty minutes of exciting, new, always changing elements and visual spectacle to boot. Awesome. I love old-school boss fights in video games, and W101 definitely delivers that.
The game utilizes the gamepad in incredibly unique and exciting ways too. At some points, you may find yourself going into buildings, where you can't see your characters on the TV. The view of them will now be on the gamepad, and puzzles utilizing this function are really clever and well-thought out. My only complaint about them is that its harder to see everything on the gamepad screen. Some complain about how hard it is to draw particular shapes on the gamepad to get the Unite Morph you want, but for me, it has worked stupendously so far. This game, along with
Pikmin 3
and
Rayman Legends
, really shows the awesome potential of the Wii-U and its special controller. I hope other developers start realizing its potential too.
The game has an incredible density of content too. Well-hidden secrets and collectibles keep things interesting. While the core cast of color-themed heroes rounds out to about a half a dozen, there are roughly 100 (duh) heroes to find in the game that will become a permanent part of your Wonderful army. These guys are hilarious, such as Wonder-Beer, a fat german man with a costume that looks like an oversized beer mug, Wonder-Toilet, who has a toilet for a helmet (lol!), or Wonder-KungFu, an elderly, dumpy looking janitor who is a master of Druken Kung Fu (very stereotypical of Japanese anime, lol). Each one has his/her own profile with background info that is sure to make you giggle. The game also features a very deep upgrade system that allows for purchasing new moves as well as improving old ones, not to mention a cooking section in which you can create one-use healing and offensive/defensive items utilizing all the space themed food items you collect in the game. When you add everything together, you've got a super unique action game with tons of replayabiity and layered depth to discover. Did I mention this game has an insane density of content? Does that sound like a good value to you? It should. :D
One last thing, this game is HARD! The first thing you'll notice when starting up the Wonderful 101 is that your brain will almost fry from sensory overload. Keeping track of the myriad of things happening on screen while trying to concentrate on the immediate gameplay at hand is difficult at first. Explosions litter the scene, droves of enemies attack you all at once, collectibles rain down, and you have so many heroes to keep track of, it can be overwhelming. I'll tell you right now, this game is super challenging, nuanced, and the fighting system is incredibly deep. The mechanic of drawing shapes quickly on the gamepad in an action game is new, and it'll take a little time to get used to it. If you find yourself frustrated early on, don't give up on this game. Pause the screen and learn the game's mechanics from the in-game encyclopedia, watch some videos of good players on the internet to get an idea of how to play, and press on. Once you get over the game's initial system shock and its difficult learning curve, you will love this game. I highly recommend learning to use the Wonder-Pudding (shield) and Wonder-Slinky (dodge) moves well. You'll need them in this game. We live in an age where games coddle gamers and inundate them with constant eye-rollingly obvious tutorials. W101 doesn't do this, at all. Some may complain, but I think it's awesome to play a game with classic sensibilities this way. So don't give up, you'll be glad you stuck with it. I'm an experienced gamer, and I found "easy" to be the perfect setting for me for my first playthrough.
I know this review is long, but seriously guys, I've barely scratched the surface of this game. Kamiya really jam packed it with content plus the kitchen sink. Its initial difficulty and absolute refusal to coddle gamers the way many games do these days may be an unpleasant shock to some peoples' systems, but trust me, once you can the hang of this game, it will deliver thrills and spectacle by the shovelful. I've been playing video games for twenty-years, and I have never played a game quite like The Wonderful 101, and I guarantee you haven't either. So give it a chance, and enjoy what it has to offer. It's even more special because its a Wii-U exclusive that takes full advantage of the hardware, and we all know that is all-too-rare these days (although that's about to change). So buy this game, persevere through its challenging learning curve, and be treated to a wholly unique video game you are sure not to forget.
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This product was advertised as like new with the game case and manual. After receiving the product I noticed there was multiple rips in the game case and worst of all the cover art has a giant sticker stuck onto the paper itself rather than the case so it cannot be pulled off. Will not be buying from this seller again
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