It’s no stretch to say that the launch of the Wii U had a disappointing catalog of games in the first year, deterring many gamers from buying Nintendo’s new console. It may have come a year later, but there is a new addition to the Wii U catalog that is well worth owning the console. It’s called “The Wonderful 101.”
From the creators of outstanding titles such as “Viewtiful Joe” and “Okami,” “The Wonderful 101” is a fantastically innovative and creative game that is all around good fun. The game uses mechanics that seem like a cross between the “Pikmin” series and their game “Okami.”
As a player starts up a level, he/she begins with only a few members on a team, which can be used to attack enemies. And it’s not just sending them on the enemies like in “Pikmin.” No, you Unite the members to morph into a weapon; Unite Sword and Unite Fist are two of the basic ones, and as the player draws on the screen in real time (ex. line for Unite Sword, circle for Unite Fist), they will morph the members into that weapon. The more recruits the player picks up along the way, the larger and more effective the weapon will be. This mechanic of drawing during battle and having to process all this info coming towards the player is exhilarating to say the least, and is only intensified by the rest of the game design.
All of the characters are petite and cartoon like, which can be offsetting to most, but is made up for by the characters themselves. The main protagonists are members of the Wonderful 100, a group of super heroes that have a super armor transformation which grants them great strength and resilience. For the majority of the story, it follows the rookie Wonder-Red, who is a protector of justice and humanity, and quick on his feet. Most of the story deals with the envision of the GEATHJERK, an alien army bent on taking over earth, whom the player, along with the Wonderful 100, must foil. It’s a relatively basic story, but the characters and the games amusing humor make up for it ten-fold.
As for the graphics and sound, only one word can be used to describe them, wonderful. Not only are the graphics appealing to look at, the amount of color within them makes it hard to not get wrapped up in their beauty. And the music, there is no adequate way to describe the amount of stimulating joy they impart on one’s ears. The main themes for the stages and missions are all meant to sound stoic and heroic, which adds to the games heroic nature, making the theme all the more potent.
A major part of “The Wonderful 101” is that this game could never be on another console. The Wii U’s game pad adds an amount of fluidity and simplicity that could only be replicated on another Nintendo console, the 3DS, and even then it may not play nearly as well. This game, which is just around $60, is a definite reason to buy a Wii U, especially if it means the possibility of other truly wonderful games like this.
