One of the most creative aspects of Super Mario 3D World when it first released on Wii U in 2013 was the Captain Toad levels that appeared in the various worlds. They were so well-received that many thought Nintendo could, and should, make a whole game out of them. Nintendo thought that was a great idea and did exactly that. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker released a year later, was ported to 3DS, and finally came to Switch in 2018.
It’s not fair to say that Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a puzzle-platformer since there isn’t much platforming, but it definitely is a puzzle game. The main objective of every level is to guide Toad through the 3D dioramas to the golden star. Doing so requires him to navigate hazards, enemies, and obstacles, and requires you as the player to manipulate the playing space in various ways, to get him there.
Enemies Captain Toad will encounter are familiar Mushroom Kingdom regulars such as Goombas, Hammer Bros., Chargin’ Chuck, Kamek, and others. Toad can’t jump and he doesn’t have a weapon (usually), so it’s up to you to find ways to take them out when the situation calls for it. If you start to die a lot, extra lives aren’t too hard to come by through bonus stages, or you can get them in the main levels by getting a green mushroom or 100 coins.
There are side-objectives as well, such as getting the three gems in every level, plus an achievement of some sort, such as finding the golden mushroom, or getting a certain number of coins, or not taking damage, etc. Each stage also has a hide and seek mode where a small pixel-Toad will jump into the stage and Captain Toad has to search him out.
The level design remains creative and fresh all the way through. The difficulty level is just enough to challenge you, but not enough to be overwhelming. Like in any Super Mario game, many of the stages are bright and colorful, while some turn the lights down, but all of them ooze the classic charm and personality Nintendo puts into all their Super Mario and Super Mario-adjacent games.
The controls are simple: you move Toad with the left analog stick, the right stick moves the camera, and the Y-button or A-button pulls up coins or throws objects. You can also make him run by holding down the B-button. You can navigate the camera a full 360 degrees around the level, and zoom in and out with the X-button, which makes everything easy to see.
When trying to decide which version of Treasure Tracker I wanted to get, I played the demo on both Switch and 3DS. They’re both good, but I ultimately gave the nod to the Switch version. It looks a lot better and it’s easier to move the camera with the second analog stick on the Switch than it is the nub or the touch screen on the 3DS, and the stereoscopic 3D doesn’t make much of a difference on 3DS anyway. Plus, you can’t buy the 3DS version digitally anymore thanks to Nintendo shutting the 3DS eShop down, so the Switch version is your easiest and best choice.
VERDICT
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a hard game to dislike. It’s not a major AAA Nintendo release you’ll put dozens of hours into. However, it is a fun, clever, endearing puzzle game with a ton of personality that is a perfect fit for handheld gaming sessions. If you played Super Mario 3D World on either Wii U or Switch and enjoyed its Captain Toad levels, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is more of that – a lot more. It’s a budget-priced game (by Nintendo standards) at only $40, and if you can catch it during a sale, obviously that’s even better. Recommended for Mario fans, Toad fans, and puzzle game enthusiasts.
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