Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a puzzle platform game for the Wii U. The game is based on The Adventures of Captain Toad stages from Super Mario 3D World but features extensive depth and variety. This is the second game to have a Toad as the main protagonist, with the first game being Wario's Woods, released twenty years prior.

Story

Wingo lifting Toadette and the Power Star.

Captain Toad and Toadette are out treasure hunting, climbing a structure to get a Power Star. They soon after notice feathers falling from the sky when Wingo, a large bird who's described as "a lover of all things shiny", grabs the star. Toadette attempts to retrieve it while Captain Toad is temporarily knocked over. Wingo makes off with both the star and Toadette, leaving the Captain on his own. Captain Toad must then go through stages collecting Power Stars to reach Wingo and save Toadette.

Once Captain Toad reaches Wingo's fortress, they fight, and after Wingo is defeated, Toadette is rescued and they continue treasure hunting. However, Wingo returns to steal their treasure again and ends up capturing Captain Toad, allowing Toadette to journey on a solo adventure. After another long journey, Toadette saves him, although immediately afterward Wingo reappears, captures Toadette again and blows Captain Toad away.

The Captain awakes in a dark cave, where he finds another Power Star snatched away by Wingo. Toad pursues to a large mine. Meanwhile, Toadette escapes Wingo and goes off to reunite with Captain Toad, though is captured again soon after. Wingo then takes her to the same tower, while Captain Toad arrives. After a final fight, Wingo is truly defeated, and the two Toads ride off in a minecart as the credits play.

After the credits, Captain Toad notices a Green Star falling through the sky, and chases after it, leaving Toadette in the minecart. The opening scene of Super Mario 3D World plays, though after Mario and the others enter the Clear Pipe to chase Bowser, the Green Star falls in as well, with Captain Toad climbing into the Clear Pipe to chase after it.

Gameplay

Captain Toad controls similarly to The Adventures of Captain Toad, and is unable to jump. Instead, he can pull on Pluck Patches, patches of grass which can contain items such as coins, power-ups, or turnips, which can be thrown at enemies in a Super Mario Bros. 2 fashion. The camera can be rotated in any direction to view the stage at different angles.

The main goal of the game is to reach the one Power Star in each stage; the player must do so by navigating each stage and solving puzzles to reach them. Unlike The Adventures of Captain Toad, the levels have no time limit. Instead, the game keeps track of the highest number of coins earned in each level and the time taken to complete each level. Each stage also has 3 Super Gems (similar to the Green Stars of Super Mario 3D World) to collect, as well as a bonus objective that appears after beating the stage, in which the player must clear the stage while performing a certain task (collecting a certain mushroom, taking no damage, defeating certain enemies, etc.).

amiibo

A Pixel Toad.

The game received amiibo functionality in an update released in March 2015. Scanning the Toad amiibo takes the player into a game of Hide and Seek on the current stage, in which the player must find a hidden 8-bit Toad (called "Pixel Toad") by tapping it on the Wii U GamePad. The player can only play the hide and seek game on a given stage after clearing it.

Tapping any other amiibo gives the player 1-Up Mushrooms, though they can only give the player so many before they can no longer be used, and the player must wait to use them again.

Controls

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker can only be played using the Wii U GamePad.

• Move -
• Run/pluck/throw - / / /
• Spin - (rotate)
• Zoom in/out -
• Turn on/off headlamp -
• Camera:
  • Tilt - / / (tilt)
  • Move 45 degrees - /
  • Center - (press)
  • Move behind player -
• Use amiibo - (only on menu)

Characters

Playable

red	pink

Draggadon and Gold Draggadon are also playable in several cut-scenes, but due to the player having limited control, they are not directly considered playable characters.

Supporting

• Blue Toad
• Yellow Toad
• Green Toad

Other

• Mario
• Luigi
• Princess Peach
• Toad
• Bowser
• Green Sprixie Princess
• Mole

Enemies and obstacles

New

Flaptor, one of the new enemies in this game.

• Flaptor
• Piranha Sprout
• Mud Trooper
• Stumper
• Mummy-Me

Returning

Ant Troopers Biddybuds Big Boos Boos Bull's-Eye Bills Bullet Bills Cat Goombas Chargin' Chucks

Charvaarghs Cheep Cheeps Conkdors Fire Bros. Fire Piranha Plants Fuzzies Goombas Goomba Towers

Hammer Bros. Magikoopas Mines Para-Biddybuds Peepas Piranha Creepers Piranha Plants

Shy Guys Spikes Spike Bars Spiked Balls Spinners Walleyes Volcanic Debris

Bosses

Draggadon, one of the bosses.

• Draggadon
• Wingo
• Gold Draggadon

Items and objects

Power-ups

Power-ups
Super Mushroom	Double Cherry	Super Pickax	Invincibility Mushroom
Turns the player into their Super form, else gives the user 10 coins	Creates a clone of the player that copies their movements.	Temporarily allows the player to defeat any enemy and break Brick Blocks.	Makes the player invincible for the entirety of a level.

Other

1-Up Mushrooms ? Blocks Beep Blocks Boost Pads Brick Blocks Cannons Carts Clear Pipes

Coins Coin Stacks Donut Blocks Flip Panels Giant Turnips Gold Mushrooms Keys

Key Coins Ladders Mystery Boxes P Switches Pluck Patches Potted Piranha Plants POW Blocks Power Stars

Super Gems Turnips Warp Pipes Spinwheels Touchstones Turnip Cannons

Stages

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker features 79 stages (referred to as "mini-universes"). The game is divided into various "episodes," with their own plots, as well as containing a number of different stages played as each character. Each stage also features a challenge that can be completed for an extra bonus.

Episode 1
The Secret Is in the Stars	The Chase to Pyropuff Peak	The Hunt for the Great Bird's Lair	Onward, Captain Toad!	Operation Rescue Toadette
1. Plucky Pass Beginnings	5. Double Cherry Palace	11. Piranha Creeper Cove	14. Pop-Up Prairie Town	18. Wingo's Watchtower
2. Walleye Tumble Temple	6. Shy Guy Heights	12. Briny Bowl Swimming Hole	15. Drop-Road Dash
3. Touchstone Trouble	7. Spinwheel Library	13. Turnip Cannon Jungle	16. Bizarre Doors of Boo Mansion
4. Mushroom Mesa	8. Mine Cart Tunnel Throwdown		17. Blizzard on the Star Express
	9. Spinwheel Bullet Bill Base
	10. The King of Pyropuff Peak

Episode 2
The Captain Gets Toadnapped	Onward, Toadette!	Farewell, Pyropuff Peak	On the Trail of the Great Bird	Operation Rescue Captain Toad
1. Chute Scoot Slopes	5. Floaty Fun Water Park	10. Spinwheel Cog Ruins	14. Midnight in the Wandering Woods	18. Battle Tower Blitz
2. Stumper Sneakaround	6. Drift-Along Canyon	11. Windup Stairs	15. Double Cherry Spires
3. Mine Cart Sunset Rundown	7. Sliding Slab Shuffle	12. Up 'n' Down Terrace	16. Bullet Bill's Touchy Trials
4. Sinister Street Signs	8. Spooky Specters at Shadow Manor	13. Clear Pipe Puzzleplex	17. Spinwheel Sky Fort
	9. Draggadon's Revenge

Episode 3
The Search for Toadette	The Search for Captain Toad	Captain Toad's Trials	Toadette's Tribulations	Reunited at Last?		The Ultimate Treasure
1. Rolling Inferno	5. Stumpy Springs Sanctuary	10. Multi-Vator Mayhem	14. Shy Guy Shadow Den	19. Retro Ramp-Up	24. Trick Track Hall	28. Wingo's Whackdown
2. Seesaw Sizzle	6. Biddybud Snow Stroll	11. Flip Panel Footpath	15. Razzle-Dazzle Slider	20. Twisty-Turny Planet	25. Deep-Space Gyromajig
3. Beep Block Sky Plaza	7. Cagey Conkdor Caper	12. Rock Block Badlands	16. Poison Canal Cannon Run	21. Ghost Gallery Gambit	26. Magma Road Marathon
4. Pickax Cave Plummet	8. Up 'n' Down Desert	13. Secret of the Golden Realm	17. Fright Train Flight	22. Touchstone Turmoil	27. Sinking Scaffold Sinkhole
	9. Mine Cart Ruins Rumble		18. No Sleep at Magikoopa Keep	23. Color Crate Carousel

Bonus Episode
Expedition to the Sprixie Kingdom	Toad Brigade, Move Out!	Curse of the Mummy-Me!	Memories of Our Adventures	Keep On Tracking, Captain Toad!	Unlimited Coins Galore
1. Super Bell Hill	5. Toad Brigade to Mushroom Mesa!	9. Mummy-Me on Flip Panel Footpath	12. Episode 1 Prologue	15. Mummy-Me Maze Forever	16. Coins Galore
2. Conkdor Canyon	6. Toad Brigade to Trick-Track Hall!	10. Mummy-Me on Drop-Road Dash	13. Episode 2 Prologue		17. More Coins Galore
3. Shadow-Play Alley	7. Toad Brigade to Bullet Bill Base!	11. Mummy-Me at Pyropuff Peak	14. Episode 3 Prologue		18. Even More Coins Galore
4. Clear Pipe Cruise	8. Toad Brigade to Magikoopa Keep!

Development

The idea of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker came to director Shinya Hiratake as a dream. It originally featured Link as the hero instead of Mario, as Mario not being able to jump would not make sense. Link would explore in a diorama-style in a tech demo presented to Shigeru Miyamoto. The idea was shot down, though Miyamoto realized a potential with the idea. It was included in Super Mario 3D World, where Hiratake chose Captain Toad from Super Mario Galaxy because the heavy backpack would have prevented him from jumping. After Super Mario 3D World came out, Miyamoto encouraged production of a full game around the concept.

Update

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker received an update on March 19, 2015, updating the game to version 1.1. The update adds amiibo support to the game. An amiibo prompt has been added to the menu screen by pressing , allowing players to scan the Toad amiibo to play Hide and Seek with Pixel Toad, while any other amiibo give the player 1-Up Mushrooms.

References to other games

• Donkey Kong: The music that plays when using a Super Pickax is a remix of the theme that plays when Mario collects a Hammer in Donkey Kong; the way in which the pickaxe is swung is also a reference to the Hammer. Retro Ramp-Up is based upon this game.
• Super Mario Bros.: A cover of this game's underground theme is used in Mine Cart Tunnel Throwdown.
• Super Mario Bros. 2: Turnips and sprouts on the ground return, Shy Guys appear as basic enemies, and various buildings draw from the design of Wart's castle.
• Super Mario World: Wingo has a feather on his hat that resembles the Cape Feather. During the fights against Wingo, Toadette will throw Toad a Super Mushroom, similar to Peach in the final Bowser battle.
• Super Mario 64: When playing in a Coins Galore level, a remix of the slide theme of this game plays.
• New Super Mario Bros.: This game's lava level music is partially covered in Drop-Road Dash's background music.
• Super Mario Galaxy: Captain Toad and the Toad Brigade return from their debut in this game, along with their iconic sound track. Also, the Starshroom appears in the ending credits if the game is beaten twice. The Starshroom appears secretly in Episode 1's Gold Galore if the player rotates the camera. It is seen in the distance.
• Super Mario 3D Land: A cover version of this game's beach level music appears. Flip Panels makes a reappearance as well.
• New Super Mario Bros. 2: The Gold Mushroom returns as an item.
• Super Mario 3D World: This game is based on The Adventures of Captain Toad, first featured in that game. Many mechanics from this game return, as well as cover versions of several tracks from this game. Super Bell Hill, Conkdor Canyon, Shadow-Play Alley, and Clear Pipe Cruise return as stages. Also, the intro from this game can be seen after the credits, revealing that Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is, in fact, a prequel to Super Mario 3D World.

References in later games

• Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam: Toadette often references her adventures in this game in her dialogue. Additionally, some of the battle cards that are unlocked by the Toad amiibo also use some of Captain Toad's artwok from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
• Paper Mario: Color Splash: Draggadon is set to reappear in this title.

Gallery

• 

  Logo of the Game.

• 

  Captain Toad

• 

  Toadette

• 

  Super Pickax.

• 

  One of the bosses, Wingo.

• 

  Key artwork.

Staff

Main article: List of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker staff

Most of Super Mario 3D World's staff return, with Shinya Hiratake and Kenta Motokura leading game direction one again while Koichi Hayashida acts as producer for the first time. The main characters' voices are performed by Samantha Kelly, and general game production is done by Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto.

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker pre-release and unused content

Several of the stages shown off during E3 2014 had different names than in the final game. The box art was also changed during development. Several enemies such as Flaptors seen in the final game do not appear in the E3 demo.

External links

• E3 trailer
• Official Japanese Website
• Official North American Website
• Official United Kingdom Website