(Originally posted on November, 2015)
(2013, Wii U)
From the handful of software by PlatinumGames that I’ve played, The Wonderful 101 is by far the most ambitious. It’s abundance of out-of- the box ideas are not always pulled off particularly well, yet still deserve the patience required to figure out, as there is more creativity in each of the game’s 9 lengthy operations than the entirety of most other games. What awaits is a non-stop stream of ever widening combat options requiring multiple plays to master, both 1950’s American and prehistoric Japan inspired enemy designs, ever-surprising quick time events, varied but always colorful locations and an impressively fleshed out story for what appears to be a cartoon-like universe. More or less button mashing my way through normal mode, I feel as though I barely scratched the surface of what the game has to offer, yet still derived enough enjoyment to make the frequent moments of frustration well worth it.
It took almost a year and a half after getting my Wii U to get around to buying the game, as the demo left me with no idea of what I was doing and not much fun taken away from the experience. Everyone who owned the full copy insisted the game itself was much better than the demo, and since I was more than satisfied with the Bayonetta series and Metal Gear Rising, I had to give Platinum the benefit of the doubt. Trying again from the slower paced and simpler opening of the story mode, I was able to make a bit more sense of what to do. As a highly technical beat-em-up with platforming, puzzles and the occasional mini-game, if you don’t think the game is awkward to control, at the very least you’ll find it quite unusual. Up to 99 other super heroes shadow the movements of the particular character you’ve set as the lead. Often controlling the action from a bird’s eye view, I always felt like somewhat of a spectator. It’s not to say the controls or design is bad, just so very odd. It’s an intense action game demanding top precision and timing, but with an RTS style camera. The most distinctive part of the gameplay is the ‘unite’ move, which allows you to use your ever-charging energy meter to mold the heroes into various weapons (each with an ever growing array of moves) or objects appropriate for certain situations, such as bridges, ladders and hang gliders.
The combat itself is fast-paced and highly satisfying, particularly when unleashing the wolverine-like ferocity of Wonder White or pulling enemies apart with Wonder Pink’s sturdy whip. Even if you don’t want to put in the time/effort to master the game’s intricacies, so much of the game is just plain fun, even at the casual level, with a satisfying sense of destruction always urging you on. New players might not want to start the game on normal like I did, as I found myself getting frustrated by the frequent knock downs, stuns and continue screens brought on by the various enemies and bosses I couldn’t immediately get a good handle on. Like Platinum’s other titles, the epic, lengthy boss fights are tremendous to experience and in a class all their own. Never failing to continually surprise, you’ll find yourself thousands of feet in the air, underwater and maybe even all the way in…?
Besides the standard battles, all the stuff to do between fights along with the various special challenges the game throws at you is completely insane in its scope of ideas. I would go so far as to say the game reminds of the Mario Galaxy games in regard to creativity, but certainly not as polished or user friendly. You won’t always know what to do or how to do it, but Platinum put enough heart into the game for the awkwardness to be forgiven. There are lots of fun shooting mini games, ranging from first person, Star Fox to an isometric View Point style. Inspired by Rock-Em-Sock-Em Robots, there are even several “Punch Out!” segments. The game makes an interesting use of the gamepad screen by having it function as a first person view when entering certain rooms, but it’s often made frustrating by the either overly or underly sensitive camera.
The Wonderful 101 has a really unique look that won’t easily be confused with other games. The isometric, movie-set like levels appear to primarily be 2D, yet often seamlessly switch angles, opening up entirely different possibilities in what you can do. In a lot of ways, the game resembles my 90s-era wildest possible dreams of what future console releases would be like. Despite the distinctive look and colorful style, there’s some bad jaggies and somewhat stiff, mannequin-like character models that reminded me at times of rushed, early Dreamcast games such as VF3:TB. The abundance of powerful orchestrated music complements the action well. Goo Gaijin Raid is particularly fun, but besides that and the main theme, none of it was really memorable outside of the game. The super hero-TV show theme is faithfully executed, as you’ll feel as if you’ve experienced multiple seasons of Power Rangers by the time it’s all done. Cut scenes are frequent, long and will often have you wondering how much of this is an actual game, yet the banter and arguments between the main cast is so well done and amusing you won’t dare skip any of it.
An intricate combo and juggling system awaits those who care to master the game. I’ve viewed various youtube videos and could barely follow what I was seeing. Don’t be fooled by the kids show look. It’s a deep game with tons of skills I didn’t use and many dozens of items and upgrades I’ve yet to buy in the upgrade shop, despite having played the game for 20+ hours. The Wonderful 101 will be considered an overlooked masterpiece down the line. If you have a Wii U and are into the genre, don’t wait for the game to get it’s deserved second buzz before experiencing the surprisingly long, confusing, but still wonderful adventure.
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