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WiiU

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The Wonderful 101

by Daan Koopman - September 2, 2013, 12:23 pm EDT
Total comments: 10

8

A flawed but inherently awesome game that will put your skills to the test.

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.

Summary

Pros
  • A lot of heart and humor
  • Beautiful presentation
  • Bosses and battles are a feast for the eyes
  • Fun but chaotic mission mode
  • Smooth gameplay
Cons
  • Drawing shapes causes some problems
  • Surprisingly punishing moments

Talkback

azekeSeptember 02, 2013

Gamepad camera controls work better when you hit left trigger then camera focuses behind leader's back.

Drawing figures requires practice. Right stick is the preferred way. I had problems with hammer but now i can do it effortlessly. All you have to do is do one swift line with stick, then let the stick go in neutral postion, then draw a quick circle.

I agree that the game is very, very obtuse at first. Generally all the mission have to be played two times at least.

There are even more problems with the game, for instance i lately find that it is hard for me to aim with long range weapons (Unite Gun, cannon or lasers) because isometric perspective. Or many other issues i touched upon in my thread.

These two videos from Saur explaining the game are a must watch if want to play the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdHbPXNJvVE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSAbLRnGiWg

I am playing the game for more than a week now, i beat it yesterday, but i was completely unaware of some systems described in second video.

With all that said, with all issues and problems, The Wonderful 101 is an absolute masterpiece of a game.

It's like:

+ Asura's Wrath (absolutely crazy boss battles on cosmic scale)
+ Kid Icarus: Uprising (lots of dialogue, long singleplayer campaign, overall light tone despite the strings of earth shattering disasters)
+ Bayonetta (combo based combat system, scoring system, UI, dodge offset, dodging and parrying, bullet/witch/hero time)

Some of the levels i played while dying of laughter at the absolute absurdity or letting out a tear or two when witnessing the glory of this game.

The last level had me doing both. It's the game that you want everyone else to play, because it's a huge injustice for THEM not to play it.

WahSeptember 03, 2013

::) Looks like nintendo's version of the Avengers!

NeifirstSeptember 03, 2013

Daan - did you ever change the control options?  I ask because in the N.A. demo, you could change the configuration so that the longer you hold the 'X' button, the larger the unite morph you want to use becomes.  You just had to switch leaders to switch weapons.  I found it much easier to use than either drawing or using the right analog.  It might be worth trying.

azekeSeptember 03, 2013

Quote from: Neifirst

I ask because in the N.A. demo, you could change the configuration so that the longer you hold the 'X' button, the larger the unite morph you want to use becomes.  You just had to switch leaders to switch weapons.  I found it much easier to use than either drawing or using the right analog.  It might be worth trying.

It's not a configuration, it's an unlockable ability.
It isn't meant to replace weapon switching, it's just to strengten weapon you have.
As i said drawing with right stick requires practice but works great once you've learned the motions. Drawing on touchpad works good only at first, soon enough you will find that right stick always works better. Oh and use your left thumb to draw, if you're drawing on touchscreen - it's much faster.

azekeSeptember 04, 2013

More impressions from NeoGaf posters if you doubt that Wonderful 101 is the best game of 2013:

Finished! Done! Over! That was the most amazing exhilarating enthralling gripping thrilling furious turbulent impetuous ending ever. I'm at a loss for words!
My reaction for like 10mins nonstop because of pure epicness:
http://i.imgur.com/dHoMBMH.png
Kamiya you did it - you outperformed yourself ... you magnificent bastard!

SixthAngelSeptember 07, 2013

I can't wait for this game. I've put hours into the demo and I am pretty much out of plays.

I am a big fan of using the touch screen controls and have found them way faster for the majority of things so far.

azekeSeptember 08, 2013

Quote from: SixthAngel

I am a big fan of using the touch screen controls and have found them way faster for the majority of things so far.

How fast "fast" we're talking about? You can do a sword with a stick in a fraction of a second.


Can i direct you to my guide for the game? It's for the full game but demo also has hammer and whip and only missing claws and bomb.

CericSeptember 08, 2013

Quote from: azeke

...
Can i direct you to my guide for the game?
...

I was hoping you link that.

SixthAngelSeptember 08, 2013

Quote from: azeke

Quote from: SixthAngel

I am a big fan of using the touch screen controls and have found them way faster for the majority of things so far.

How fast "fast" we're talking about? You can do a sword with a stick in a fraction of a second.


Can i direct you to my guide for the game? It's for the full game but demo also has hammer and whip and only missing claws and bomb.

Way faster. Using the thumbstick limits me to the speed the game lines up the characters while using the touch pad gathers members with the same speed I draw. I can start and initiate the line just as fast and get greater control over the shape I'm making. The advantage increases in mission mode since the game doesn't slowdown for my guys to line up. I still use the thumb stick for really big swords and ladders and the like but I prefer the touchscreen. I haven't had an problem with multiair combos.


I may change my tune with the full game but unless the new guys change things drastically I doubt it.

azekeSeptember 08, 2013

Quote from: SixthAngel

Way faster. Using the thumbstick limits me to the speed the game lines up the characters while using the touch pad gathers members with the same speed I draw.

I may change my tune with the full game but unless the new guys change things drastically I doubt it.

One of the unlocks you can buy in full game is ability to draw figure faster, but i think it will apply to touch controls and right stick controls alike, so that won't be an advantage to you.

Well, either way i'm glad glad you're enjoying the demo and looking forward for full game.

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WiiU

Game Profile

The Wonderful 101 Box Art

Genre Action
Developer PlatinumGames

Worldwide Releases

na: The Wonderful 101
Release Sep 15, 2013
PublisherNintendo
jpn: The Wonderful 101
Release Aug 24, 2013
PublisherNintendo
Rating12+
eu: The Wonderful 101
Release Aug 23, 2013
PublisherNintendo
Rating12+
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