Hideki Kamiya will probably not read this review, but he is one of the most interesting minds in the industry. His love for sharply developed action titles is unparalleled, and they are so much fun simply because he does everything in this power to make them enjoyable.  While games like Okami and Bayonetta were apart from each other in a million different ways, they both stand high as some of my most fond memories in the last few years. With that said, going into The Wonderful 101 was a completely new journey altogether, and something I went into with excitement as well as some reservations. The ideas seemed so out there and there was a lot to take in, but on other hand you have this interesting vibe to it which makes it an unique ride. After finishing the game I can say that while I don't regret playing it for a moment, there were some elements I struggled with along the way.

The story in The Wonderful 101 is focused around the flashy themes of Super Sentai, classic Saturday morning shows and all the action you would ever need. It tells the story of Will Wedgewood, a well-mannered but chaotic schoolteacher who works in Blossom City.  However, when duty calls he transforms into a protector of our world called Wonder Red. While in his Centinel Suit, he can use special powers together with 99 other heroes from across the globe; together they form the One-Double-Oh squad. Our faithful new friends will have to save our world in a full on war against the GEATHJERK, an alien armada that tried to invade the planet two times in the past.

Wonder Red is not the only one in control, as you will meet six other qualified leaders along the way. This is where a lot of the humor comes into play, as these characters have some pretty over the top personality traits. My favorite was Wonder Blue, who is played by Sonic and Ezio voice actor Roger Craig Smith. Smith really plays on the strength of the characters he has played in the past, but puts comedic volume up to 110% here. His character likes to talk about how awesome his skills and his sword are and he comes off as pretty overconfident. The villains are wonderfully presented and full of charm as well. All the dialogue is done well, and will definitely coax some laughs out of players.

You control the group of heroes using the left control stick to move the leader, and all the other heroes follow suit. Your colleagues will be used to create powerful weaponry, called Unite Morphs. The characters each have their own weapon to overcome obstacles in battle. Wonder Red has a powerful fist at his proposal and Wonder Blue? His sword, of course! To change weapons, you draw on the GamePad screen or use right stick to create a specific shape. The bigger the shape becomes and the more allies you use

This works well at first, but at later points you might start to struggle occasionally. Some of the later weapons are so similar that the game will not always pick up on your intentions. This becomes pretty irritating, especially at the bosses and other high-action areas. I often found myself sticking to what I found safe and knew worked, but sometimes you’re forced to use certain weapons. The concept of the Morphs is not only limited to attacks, as you will use these abilities to overcome obstacles along the 15 hour ride the campaign offers. Players will create bridges, hang gliders and ladders to press forward in your objectives. The regular Morphs are also used, as you use Wonder White's claws to go up walls or Wonder Pink's whip to open special chests with goodies. Some of these actions are required to find secret passageways which opens up the game a bit. It doesn't fix the problems of the drawing, but when you get in the right flow it works well.

Another thing I struggled with was the punishing nature of the game, as there are plenty of surprises that aren't always fully explained. This resulted in far too many deaths than I was actually prepared to encounter, as well as getting killed a few times before I fully understood what was going on in places. A good thing about the whole deal is that there isn't a massive penalty for dying frequently. You will be rated after an operation on how much time you have used, your amount of failures, the good of citizens that you saved and the collectibles that you have searched for. Next to that, every operation has a set of objectives and after each of these you will get a medal. These medals are vital for your end position, which could range from a consolation prize to a platinum cup. Failing to perform well will mostly just result in a lower amount of O-Parts, which are spent on upgrades.

These upgrades will certainly come in handy as you tackle the massive bosses at the very end of chapters. The showdowns usually come down to stopping the GEATHJERK in their tracks and making sure that they don't harm the Earth's defense systems. The battles form the absolute highlight of the game, as you partake in multi-layered. You will be shooting and flying around with your ship, taking on foes one-on-one in Punch-Out-esque encounters and moving around on a gigantic rocket. There are still naturally regular bits of taking on the large foes close and personal, but variety between segments is what makes the game truly shine.

The Wii U GamePad is used in some unique ways, like using the small screen to explore indoor areas. In these rare instances, you have to control the camera with the gyroscope which causes a big problem. The areas are so small and tight that working with the camera is not really an ideal situation. The tasks that you do in these environments are different, so the smoothness of it has varied levels during the adventure. It is still a struggle to work between both screens with these controls in mind, but there is a certain satisfaction to it when you make it work.

Next to the regular story mode, there is also a mission that can be played with a max of five players. This is quite enjoyable as you each have your own squad and perform various moves to destroy plenty of foes. It helps that every group has been made very distinctive with its own color, so that makes it easy to spot your squad in all the madness. It is still chaotic though, as the Unite Morphs here in multiplayer don't stop the regular flow of the gameplay. This means that you are left open for attacks and have to be more careful in your movement. Another point of worry is that the camera limits movement in multiplayer. When you find the right people to make it work, mission mode is a fine component of the title and serves as a fine extra for the people who want more for their buck.

From a visual perspective, The Wonderful 101 truly shines on the Wii U as you can look upon beautifully rendered environments and shiny looking characters with silly outfits. It pulls all the stops when it comes to the flair of explosions, fire and all the other obstacles that you encounter. The soundtrack is as amazing and accompanies the overall presentation well. The background music makes the action feel complete, while theme song of our almighty heroes is incredibly catchy.

The Wonderful 101 is not a perfect action game. It also surely has some issues, such as the problems with the controls and its punishing moments. If you go beyond that though, there is a game that shines with good humor and some incredible gameplay moments that are sure to make you smile. Add in the boss encounters and presentation and you’re looking at a package that you’ll remember fondly for many years to come. No one said that a journey can't have some rough edges, but when it leads straight to Kamiya's heart, that’s not always a bad thing.