Captain Toad’s - Treasure Tracker Adventures is one of the most genuinely
delightful games I have played. The game revolves around solving complex
puzzles over a series of levels, each level with its own unique environment and
challenges. It simplicity of character design allows the puzzle environment to
fulfill it’s traditional and creative goals with delightful purpose.
One of the most endearing aspects of the game is that Toad
& Toadette lack any real special skills. They do not have the ability to
jump like Mario, or throw objects like Donkey Kong, or absorb abilities like
Kirby. Quite literally all you can really do with them is move them forward,
back and side to side. Their real strength is there unassuming optimism, which
whilst admirable is impractical when faced with fire-breathing dragons. This
forces the player to engage in the raw mechanics of the puzzle relying on
timing, anticipation and a different way of seeing the word, from the
perspective of the little powerless toad (or toadette).
The game quite consciously draws inspiration from the
Japanese tradition of creating and managing miniature gardens, known as
Hakoniwa (hako ‘box’, niwa ‘garden’). Traditionally any entrance into a
traditional house in Japan would require walking through a small garden. As
Japan slowly became more urbanized, newly arrived city-dwellers sought ways to
both incorporate nature into their house and provide some form of union between
nature and house. In an effort to provide this, small gardens in boxes became a
tradition in the Japanese genkan (entrance room) where space was limited. The
game draws upon this tradition beautifully, each level being a three-dimensional
complex puzzle that is both aesthetically pleasing and brimming with
contemplative potential.
The powerlessness of Captain Toad combined with the
complexity of the world creates an aesthetically pleasing journey that meanders
through puzzles where surprises and details abound. It was a game I hope one
day my children might find enjoyable, but that tested my own neuronal reflexes
and connections. With my girlfriend by my side suggesting solutions or sitting
on the floor below me as I did the same to her, it the game managed to be both
completely wholesome and completely engrossing.
Given its commercial success I look forward to future entries
in the series, and given its delightful experience I might even look forward to
my own hakoniwa one day.
