Nintendo announced quite a few games at E3 2014 and among them was a little gem called
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
In addition to the announcement trailer and showing it off on Nintendo's live Treehouse
stream we even got to try it out for ourselves.
So you know what that means--it's time to run all of the footage released so far through
our analysis machine to see what secrets we could dig up.
So let's get started,
Alright, so Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is quite obviously based on the Captain Toad
levels from Super Mario 3D World.
I mean, the basics are pretty much the same.
You still play as the headlamp wearing Captain Toad as you explore puzzle-filled mini-worlds
looking for hidden treasure.
And it all handles pretty similarly too, as Captain Toad still can't jump, and you'll
still use the GamePad's touch screen at certain points to interact with the environment, such
as by pushing blocks around, holding enemies in place, or now revealing hidden coins in
the environment too.
But it's not exactly the same, and that's noticeable right away with the visuals.
In Super Mario 3D World, the Captain Toad levels appeared as if they were built out
of individual blocks, wherea in they now look much more organic in Treasure Tracker--I mean,
besides the fact that many of them still take the overall shape of a cube.
But not all of that, and that's another note-worthy change, as the levels can now take on all-kinds
of forms, such as a cylindrical cavern or a tower that you'll climb, among others.
And even some of the core mechanics have been tweaked too.
Whereas in Super Mario 3D World, you had to find 5 Green Stars in each level, this time
there's only one to collect, and it's always at the very end, which lends each level a
clear ending point unlike before, where whichever of the stars you collected last could end
the level, making the whole thing feel a little more structured this time around.
But making up for the lack of stars is a new secondary collectible being the 3 gems hidden
in each level.
Although we don't yet know what either of these collectibles do, we think it's a safe
bet that one of them will be used for unlocking further levels.
Some other changes include the fact that--at least in the demo--you no longer earn points,
nor is there a time-limit, which should make things easier on the more casual explorer--although
there still is a life-counter, so it won't be *that* easy.
And the vast amount of enemies here will make sure of that, we we can see quite a few of
them in all of the footage released so far including Biddy-Buds, Para-Biddybuds, Boos--who
appear to be slightly larger this time around, Big Boos, Goombas, Goomba Towers, Goombas
floating on Life Preservers, Pirhana Plants, Piranha Creepers, Walleye, and Magikoops.
And if we take a look at the box art, we can see Cat Bullet-Bill will appear too.
Now all of the enemies we've mentioned also appeared also appeared in Super Mario 3D World,
so we wouldn't be surprised to see even more return from that game, espically including
those that appeared in the original Captain Toad levels.
However, there are a few here that didn't appear in that game at all, such as the Shy
Guys here, further cementing their status as an enemy that only appears in Mario spin-off
games these days.
And beyond that, this screenshot reveals an entirely original enemy--or should I say 4
of them, as it looks like they're stacked 2-high and 2-deep, though only the bottom
ones seem to have feet.
And they actually appear briefly in the trailer too, where we can see them walking down a
corridor--and we're guessing their spikes will make them a formidable hazard.
Now although Captain Toad is weak, he's not completely helpless to the enemies, because
even though he can't jump, he can take some of them down by landing on them from a high
height.
In addition, Captain Toad's even gained a new ability too.
While he can still run like before, he can now also pluck plants from the ground, which
can reveal all sorts of things like coins, gems, a Pick-ax, or even turnips that can
be used to take down nearby enemies, like the Shy Guys here.
And speaking of which, does any of this seem familiar...Toad...fighting Shy Guys...with
Turnips.
There's a distinct Super Mario Bros. 2 vibe going on here.
Heck, even Toad's plucking animation looks nearly identical--see?
We can't help but wonder if there might be even more Mario 2 references in the final
game, as Super Mario 3D World contained quite a few of its own too.
Now there is still at least one more way in which Toad can fight enemies, and that's by
using the Pick-ax we mentioned earlier that he can pull up in specific spots, which causes
him to wildly swing away for a short time and smash through anything in his way, including
enemies and blocks.
It seems like it'll be pretty helpful--one might even wonder why he doesn't just, you
know, keep one on him at all times.
Now although the Pick-ax is the only real power-up we know about so far, mushrooms are
back too, allowing Toad to grow back to full-size if he takes a hit from an enemy
Okay, so it's finally time to talk about the levels themselves.
And between all of the footage revealed so far, we're pretty sure we've seen at least
10 of them in total, which already outnumbers the 6 in Super Mario 3D World.
Now because many of these levels have already been thoroughly explored between our own E3
gameplay videos on YouTube and Nintendo's own Treehouse Live segments, we're only going
to provide a brief overview of most of them, but we'll go far more in-depth for the ones
that have been only revealed in the trailer.
So let's start off with the first four levels, all of which were playable in the E3 demo.
Level 1 is Walleye Temple: Steal the Star!
where you explore some ruins, complete with a collapsing bridge, while dodging several
Walleye enemies throughout the course.
The second level is Mine Cart Summit: Throw the Turnips, in which you ride inside a Mine
Cart and throw turnips by aiming them from a 1st-person perspective with the Gamepad,
allowing you to target the levels enemies like Para-Biddy Buds or Piranha Plants, or
activate Blocks--including POW Blocks that destroy anything nearby.
Now the interesting thing about this level is that you can basically beat it without
doing anything, but then you'll miss out on all the gems
The third level is Magma Mountain: Time to Climb!
in which you have to dodge the firey breath of a giant dragon by hiding behind barriers
as you work your way to the top.
Once there, you'll defeat him by toppling a pillar onto his head.
And this is actually the first level that that doesn't at all follow the cube-based
design of those from Mario 3D World.
The fourth level, Mystery Mansion: Doorway Drama, has you exploring a mansion filled
with Goombas and Boos, in which you have to slide doors around using the Gamepad in order
to proceed through the level.
So that's the first four, which you can see more of in our E3 gameplay videos.
But Nintendo showed off a couple more during their Live Treehouse stream.
Such as Level 5 The Star Express: Sneak Attack!
in which Captain Toad explores a moving train during a snow-storm that's filled with Biddy
Buds, Shy Guys, and Cat Goombas.
And in case there was any doubt why it was called the Star Express--well, there's Stars
plastered all over it.
Now this level, perhaps more than any other, really demonstrates how the game isn't afraid
to stray from cube-centric designs, as this one is more of a long corridor.
Now interestingly, you actually begin right next to the star, but it's on the lower level,
so you'll have to work your way across the top of the train, then double-back through
the interior to reach it.
And along the way, you'll encounter Tetris-like blocks that you'll have to move using the
touchscreen to get by--and that's not the only use for the touchscreen here, as an empty
room hides a secret--if you use your finger to drag down the switch here, it'll reveal
a 1-up.
This is also the only level of the 6 demonstrated where you'll find a Pick-Ax, allowing you
to easily clear the final room that's filled with Biddy-Buds.
The final level that was fully demonstrated on the Treehouse was Level 6 - Mushy Monument
Mayday! which, as the name suggests, is based around the mushroom monument in the center.
At a few points points, you'll have to use the Gamepad's touchscreen to activate these
elevator platforms to allow Captain Toad to reach different levels.
And do you see that Shy Guy there?
He's hiding a secret, but more on that in a little bit.
Alright, so that covers it for all 6 levels shows that were shown off in-detail, but the
trailer also provided a glimpse of at least 4-more.
One of them appears to take place in a mine, based on the hollowed out tunnels and wooden
supports.
And the fact that Toad can find a pick-ax by plucking the plant here seems all-too fitting.
But in order to make use of that pick-ax, you'll have to activate this block with the
Gamepad to ride it up to some bricks you can bust through.
Now that block also provides access to a tunnel entrance that seems as it it may allow you
to reach the nearby gem.
But back to those blocks, as they will lead Captain Toad to a shaft filled with even more
bricks.
Now based on the way Toad swings the pick-ax, it looks like it should actually leave the
top layer of bricks intact, meaning he'll burrow down through them instead.
And that's for good reason, as it looks like you'll eventually use those bricks to cross
over what would otherwise be a gap into this area with a Piranha Creeper.
But thankfully, it seems that there are some tunnels behind him that you can duck into
to avoid taking damage as he passes by.
From what we can tell, it looks like you're ultimately trying to get to an even deeper
tunnel just past him that leads that likely elsewhere in the level.
But unfortunately, that's everything we know about this level.
Another level shown off in the trailer takes place on a tower--again defying the usual
cube motif.
And here we can see the return of the Clear Pipes, which Toad will use to access the different
levels of the tower.
And based on that, we can tell there will be at least 6 levels--there's thje one that
he starts on in the clip, but when the camera zooms out, we can see another below.
And there's another Clear Pipe there, suggesting there's another one below that.
Then there's the level that Toad takes the Clear Pipe takes leads to above.
Then another above that, which has a ladder that leads to the roof where you'll find the
level's star, which we can just barely see.
Now unfortunately, there's not nearly enough here for us to breakdown how exactly this
level's going to work, but there are some interesting things to point out.
For one, there's a locked door here.
Will Captain Toad have to find a key?
Or will it unlock automatically when you fulfill the right condition?
Then there's the fact that, although it appears as if you may be able to fully circumnavigate
several of the floors, this won't always be the case as there's a wall blocking this one
off.
And then there are the enemies, with Piranha Plants, Magikoopas, and the new spiked-guys
we noted before, who in this case, appear to block off an entire hallway that they walk
back and forth along.
And it looks like there may be a second set on a lower level too, that we can just barely
make out when the camera zoom out.
Okay, and that's basically it for the tower.
A third level shown in the trailer shows off a water-filled level filled, filled with green
pupes and Goombas wearing life-preservers.
But this isn't actually how the level starts, as a short clip later in the trailer shows
a much dryer version, with only a small pool of water at the bottom.
And we're pretty confident this comes later because the P-Switch on the ledge in the background
isn't depressed, whereas it is in the water-filled scene, suggesting that switch is what causes
the water to rise.
Plus there's the fact that the Goombas are clearly corralled behind a gate in the earlier
scene, and are only freed when the rising water allows them to escape.
So based on all this information, we think we have a pretty good idea of how this level
will play out.
So it looks like you'll start off somewhere around here and the star Captain Toad is aiming
for can be found here--for right now at least.
So one of the first things you'll want to do is activate that P-Switch--but in order
to do so, it looks like you'll first have to enter this green pipe to pop out onto this
walkway, which will put you right next to the Star.
But unfortunately, it's a little too high off the ground for Captain Toad to reach,
so you'll instead want to enter the pipe here that we're guessing will drop you onto this
ledge.
Then you just have to drop through the hole and onto the switch.
This should cause the water level to rise--along with a whole bunch of other buoyant things,
such as the Goombas who can now float freely over the brown fence.
The white fence and walkway here also rise, along with the platform that the star is on,
as shown in this screenshot--in fact, you can see that the Star is now accessible via
the wooden walkway that seemingly lead nowhere before.
Now one thing that we're confident isn't buoyant is Toad himself, just like in Super Mario
3D World, so he'll have to find another way up there.
But now that the white fence that was trapping the goombas has risen out of the way, he can
now access a green pipe just behind it.
And we can see in this clip that he can use it to reach both a gem, as well as a high
ledge above.
Now that ledge appears as if it'll provide him with a couple of different options: if
he drops off the far side, he can reached a hidden area normally blocked by a fence
that looks as if it'll lead into some hidden rooms around the backside of the level, where
we're guessing a gem or two can be found.
But, if he's going for the star, he'll want to cross the floating walkway over to this
grassy section, where he should then be able to cross the bridge over to the floating star.
So that's another level down, but there's still at least one level left: the one shown
at the very start of the trailer.
And we know it's a new level because the background doesn't match any other that we've seen so
far.Unfortunately, it's also the level we see the least of, as we only get a look at
a pair of star-shaped islands, one of which has a Clear Pipe cannon that Captain Toad
uses to launch to the other one where the Star itself awaits.
And that's it!
But curiously, that first island had nothing else to it, meaning Captain Toad must have
launched to it from elsewhere too, suggesting cannons will play a large-role here.
But there must have been something else on this island before too, otherwise there'd
be no point in visiting it at all.
Alright, and that covers it for the final four levels we know about...or does it?
In the final scene of the trailer, we can see Toad riding atop the same dragon he fought
in the third level.
Is this part of another, lava-based level?
Or is it just an unrelated cutscene?
Either way, we know it takes place after the first boss fight, because of the giant bruise
now visible on the dragon's head--complete with bandage--as a result of the pillar Toad
toppled onto him during the boss fight.
Perhaps this takes place near the end of the game?
But why is the dragon helping Toad out anyway?
Is Captain Toad now also a Father of Dragons?
I mean, that dragon still looks pretty upset, but maybe they have a common goal now?
Although based on the fact that the dragon can also be seen chasing Toad in the game's
box art, complete with bruise & bandage, suggests there is at least one more fight with him
coming up later in the game.
But curiously, if we look at the game demo's title-screen which uses the same artwork,
the dragon boss has been replaced with a Shy Guy?
It could just be an older piece of artwork, or maybe the title-screen will change throughout
the game?
Or maybe it's just different for no real reason at all.
So in total, we know about either 10--or maybe 11 levels if you count the second dragon one.
But how many will the final game have in total?
Well, we think we might have some idea...in the demo, the level-select screen was presented
in book form, as if it were Captain Toad's travelogue, with each set of level being spread
across two pages.
And each time you scrolled past, the pages actually physically turned to the other half
of the book.
Which means, if we count the remaining pages from the last page that was accessible, we
should know exactly how many levels the book can accommodate.
And that's exactly what we did!
And it came out to 20 pages in total, suggesting we could be looking at a final level count
of the same amount.
Assuming that's the case, that could mean we've already seen at least half of the total
amount of levels.
Of course, it's always possible that's just a placeholder amount?
Or maybe the levels will be spread among different books in the final game?
Who knows.
Now each level-page displays a fair amount of information, such as a the level's name,
number, and even a picture of it too.
And then there are the 3-slots here where the hidden gems for each level will clearly
go--though we didn't get to see this in action because the demo reset between levels.
And then there's the ribbon in the top-left that has a Star-mark, suggesting that will
light up when a level is beaten.
So that leaves only this giant square here--what could that be for?
Does a special image or picture appear when you find everything in a level?
Or could there be additional secrets, like hidden stamps or something?
Or for a more wild idea, maybe it denotes completion of an alternate or harder version
of the level.
And here's why we might think that...
Remember that Shy Guy we mentioned earlier in the Mushy Monument Mayday!
level?
As we mentioned before, in the version Nintendo played in the Treehouse video, there's only
a single Shy Guy.
But check this out--if we watch the game's trailer, we can see four Shy Guys in that
very same spot.
So what's the deal with this?
Is that just something they changed between versions of the game, or could it mean you
might revisit harder versions of these levels?
Okay, we're just about done here, but there's just one final thing I wanted to point out.
And that's the Toad's adorable idle animations.
I mean, in most levels, he'll yawn if you just let him sit there.
But some levels actually have context-sensitive ones too.
For instance, he'll shiver with fear during the boss fight or when exploring the creepy
mansion, whereas in the train, he'll go right to sleep if you let him rest on the bed.
It's just one of those neat touches they're adding that helps flesh out the experience.
And with that, we're done covering everything we could dig up on Captain Toad: Treasure
Tracker.
Like usual, let us know if we missed anything by posting in the comments below.
Thanks for watching and make sure to stay-tuned to GameXplain.com for more on Captain Toad
and other things gaming too.