Captain Toad Treasure Tracker is another brilliant Wii U exclusive that has been ported over to the Nintendo Switch.
In it you take control of the Mushroom Kingdom’s protector as Toad embarks on an adventure to save his friend Toadette who has been kidnapped by the nefarious Wingo.
To do that you’ll have to play through dozens of levels with each one an ingenious puzzle box that is just begging to be solved.
In each level you have to guide Toad through an isometric world to find a Power Star hidden away in it.
Toad can’t jump, he can simply waddle along so you’ll have to manipulate the layout of these terrains so he can easily walk towards the Power Star at the end.
Sometimes this is by spinning huge, metal wheels that can move platforms and line it up in just the right direction for you to walk onto higher ledges.
Other times it’s by pushing pumps that affect the world’s layout or swiping movable sections of the levels out of the way so you easily walk towards the Power Star.
To help figure out the best route to the Power Star, you can spin the camera entirely around these 3D worlds to explore it and map your path towards your goal.
It means that each level in Captain Toad Treasure Tracker is essentially one, interactive puzzle box that players have to solve.
And because of it each world has a sense of wonder and pure exploration about it, as you slowly figure out how to reach that elusive Power Star at the end of it.
Nice little touches help to further engross players in the experience and get swept up in the task of cracking the puzzle.
Captain Toad takes advantage of the Switch’s touchscreen controls perfectly, making handheld mode the ideal way of playing.
Little things like using touch controls to spin interactive wheels on the screen, or pressing platforms on certain levels to intuitively move them draws the player in.
Another great little feature can be found on the mine cart levels.
Straight from the Wii U version, when Toad jumps into a mine cart the camera switches to first person mode.
If you’re in handheld mode, you can move the console around to explore the level naturally, with your viewpoint shifting as the Switch moves.
It works in the same way as AR videos do on a smartphone, and gives you a first person window to look around the world of Captain Toad Treasure Tracker.
It’s just one of the many features that all add up to a deep, magical experience which has many different layers to unravel.
One of the few issues with Captain Toad is that it was designed for the Wii U and its dual-screen gaming experience.
Captain Toad took full advantage of the GamePad and was a great two screen experience.
When playing Treasure Tracker on the Wii U you would mainly be looking at your TV, but would occasionally have to peer down at the GamePad.
This happened when you had to interact with your surroundings, such as turning a wheel or using touch controls to press and hold an enemy to stop them moving.
When you jumped in mine carts in the Wii U version, the action on the TV screen stayed in third person while the GamePad showed a first person view.
This all added up to making the GamePad feel like a magic box of tricks that you had at your disposal.
And the physical act of turning from the TV to the GamePad always made those sections using the Wii U’s controller extra special.
That is lost with the Switch version of Captain Toad Treasure Tracker.
But the trade off you gain is a game that’s perfectly suited for your commute (as it can be played in short bursts on the train) and some great new levels.
Four new Super Mario Odyssey levels are unlocked once you complete Captain Toad on the Switch which will surely be a big highlight for Odyssey fans.
Overall, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker is another must-have for the Nintendo Switch and is simply a wonderful experience.
It’s the kind of title that provides an experience that only video games can offer – and its charming, cute sense of playfulness never fails to brighten up your day.
VERDICT: 5/5