Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a puzzle platform game for the Wii U, and the prequel to Super Mario 3D World. The game is based on Captain Toad's Adventures stages from Super Mario 3D World, but features extensive depth and variety, and the game's plot revolves around Captain Toad and Toadette collecting Power Stars while attempting to stop a large, scavenging bird named Wingo from stealing them. This is the second game to have a Toad as the main protagonist following Wario's Woods, released twenty years prior.

A port of the same name was released for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS on July 13, 2018.

Story
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 is 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 and score feature. 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
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. In the Switch port, the player no longer needed the Toad Amiibo to unlock the Hide and seek Minigame and the Amiibo was changed to give the player an Invincibility Mushroom instead.

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)

Playable
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

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.

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 was released, Miyamoto encouraged production of a full game around the concept.

Version 1.1.0
The Wii U version of the game received an update on March 19, 2015, adding amiibo support to the game. An amiibo prompt was 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.

Reception
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker received generally positive reviews. Much of the praise was directed towards the limited focus on just Captain Toad and Toadette, as well as the game's concept, but minor criticism amounted to some technical issues and the designs of some levels. The game currently holds a score of 81 on Metacritic based on 78 reviews, as well as a score of 81.01% on GameRankings based on 54 reviews.

Marty Silva of IGN gave the game an 8.2/10, criticizing what he believed to be an over-reliance of the GamePad at times, stating "The problem here is that it's controlled both through the right stick and the GamePad's gyrosensor, and the sensor can't be turned off, so I found the camera spinning out of control whenever I moved my wrists. Also, if you're playing only off the GamePad, messages and touch-screen prompts have a tendency to pop up and really obscure your view at important moments." Otherwise, he was praising of the game, mostly to the charm, visuals, and sense of discovery. Arthur Gies of Polygon gave the game of 8.5/10, and was similarly critical of camera issues, claiming they "transcended my crankiness and felt like actual problems", but praised the characters' "outrageous cuteness", remarking "Nintendo games explore their root mechanics thoroughly, finding fun through solid execution and exploration of the idea. Using that as a verb, Captain Toad Nintendos. It Nintendos hard." Chris Carter of Destructoid gave the game an 8/10, and was also similarly praising of the limited focus on Captain Toad and Toadette, stating "No other Mario characters are jumping out and stealing the spotlight here -- it's just the two aforementioned characters and their thirst for treasure that fuels the game." He was, however, critical of a few levels, and for what he opined as little to offer for players who did not like puzzle platformers.

References to other games

 * Donkey Kong: The music that plays when using a Super Pickax is an arrangement 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 on the first level from 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 Advance: Giant turnips can be used during the boss fights against Wingo.
 * 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 battle with Bowser. Keys have a close resemblance to the said item's in-game sprite, even lying horizontally.
 * Super Mario 64: When playing in a Coins Galore level, an arrangement of "Slider" from 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 make a reappearance as well.
 * New Super Mario Bros. 2: The Gold Mushroom returns as an item.
 * Super Mario 3D World: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker uses a modified engine based on this game. The core gameplay is based on Captain Toad's Adventures levels first featured in this 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

 * Super Mario Maker: A costume of both Captain Toad and Toadette (in her gear from Treasure Tracker) appear in an event level designed after this title. Music jingles and sound effects also return as further references.
 * 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 artwork from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
 * Paper Mario: Color Splash: Draggadon reappears in this title. After using the Basin Thing in Redpepper Volcano, a bump comes out of its head, just like in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker after a rock falls on it. Also, when this happens, Mario can ride Draggadon as Captain Toad did in his game. At the Golden Coliseum, a yellow Rescue Squad Toad says that the squad used "Toad treasure-tracking technology" to find the Bone.
 * Super Mario Odyssey: When encountering Captain Toad in the Lost Kingdom, he mentions he was dropped by a giant bird, but a different bird than "[his] usual one," referencing his kidnapping by Wingo.
 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: "Plucky Pass Beginnings", the Toad Brigade theme, and "The King of Pyropuff Peak", Draggadon's battle theme, both appear in this game. Additionally, artwork of Captain Toad and Toadette are used for their spirits. At Toadette's Explore area, she references the title by saying, "Choose up to four treasure trackers!"
 * Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury: Hint Toad, Banktoad, and Yellow Toad are extra characters in the Captain Toad levels, wearing their outfits from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Additionally, their level clear animation is similar to their level clear animation from the Toad Brigade levels in the Bonus Episode.

Staff
Most of Super Mario 3D World's staff return, with Shinya Hiratake and Kenta Motokura leading game direction once 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
Several of the stages shown off during E3 2014 had different names than in the final game; for example, Mushroom Mesa was originally named "Mushy Monument: Mayday!". 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.