Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
North American cover art
Developer(s)Nintendo EAD Tokyo[a]
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)
  • Kenta Motokura
  • Shinya Hiratake
Producer(s)Koichi Hayashida
Designer(s)Yuka Kitahara
Programmer(s)
  • Katsuyasu Ando
  • Norihiro Aoyagi
Artist(s)
  • Yuri Adachi
  • Daiki Nishioka
  • Keisuke Okubo
Composer(s)
SeriesMario
Platform(s)
ReleaseWii U
3DS, Switch
  • WW: July 13, 2018[3]
Genre(s)Action puzzle[4]
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[b] is a 2014 action puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game was re-released for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS in 2018 with additional content. It is a spin-off of the Super Mario series and a part of the larger Mario franchise. The game stars Captain Toad and Toadette as they complete levels, defeat enemies and save each other from the antagonist Wingo. Each level is contained within a miniature diorama-like environment that requires puzzle-solving and platforming challenges to complete. The player also uses the Wii U GamePad to rotate the camera and reveal new information and interact with the environment.

The Captain Toad levels in Super Mario 3D World started as a prototype concept that was included as side levels in the final product. Captain Toad was selected as the main character because his large backpack would justify the lack of jump controls. The developers wanted to make the concept into a full game since the start of 3D World's development, and upon Shigeru Miyamoto's request, development began after the conclusion of 3D World. Plucking as an action was made for additional gameplay variation, and bonus challenges and collectibles were added to help with difficulty. The goal throughout development was to make the game enjoyable to as broad of an audience as possible, and help normalize the use of camera control in video games.

Treasure Tracker was announced at E3 2014, releasing November 14 in Japan, December 5 in North America, and the following January in PAL regions. All versions received generally favorable reviews, being praised for its graphics and concept but criticized for its camera control and never fully leaning into its gimmick. The 3DS and Switch versions were praised for their utilization of hardware, though the multiplayer was considered lackluster. The Wii U Version sold over 1 million copies, making it one of the highest-selling games on the console. The Switch version sold over 2 million copies, placing it inside the top 50 best-selling games for the system.

  1. ^ a b c Romano, Sal (November 4, 2014). "10 minutes of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker gameplay". Gematsu. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  2. ^ @NintendoAUNZ (November 11, 2014). "#CaptainToad: Treasure Tracker arrives on #WiiU on 03/01. Yep, 3rd January! Trailer: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oKGpWtLt4tw&list=UUAGRhXIbnKPNVf1JvwafawQ" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Moon, Mariella (March 9, 2018). "'Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker' heads to Nintendo Switch and 3DS". Engadget. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference GRR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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