Recommending: The Wonderful 101

 The Wonderful 101 is a 2013 action/adventure game developed by Platinum Games under the direction of the legend Hideki Kamyia (Devil May Cry, Bayonetta). It was originally released on the Wii-U and has been re-released this year as a remastered for the PS4, The Switch, and PC.

The Wonderful 101 is a game that I heard from word-of-mouth. My interest in the game came originally from my love for Platinum Game's recent other titles such as Metal Gear Rising, Vanquish, and Bayonetta. The majority of these games I love for their to-the-point high-octane and over-the-top action and set pieces. My first experience with the title was one that caused me to see something instantly special that I'm shocked out of my mind that no other's saw. The gameplay may have been drastically distinctive especially with it's debut release on the Wii-U, but this was a truly special game in my eyes. 

1. Background

The Wonderful 101 was originally supposed to star Nintendo's iconic characters such as Mario, Link, and Donkey Kong. But this would've clashed with the gameplay mechanics that were going to be integrated into the core idea. The idea was to give the player the control of a large number of heroes at once to form massive weapons by drawing it based on various shapes. After development halt in the game for a year, Director Kamyia decided to implement the henshin theme which is Japanese for "transformation".  Power Rangers and Viewtiful Joe are the more familiar examples of henshin themed Japanese superhero shows. This was led to the creation of original characters mixed with elements of American comic books.  While this game did not have a strong selling record in 2013, the remastered version would create the opportunity reach a much wider audience. This success of the remastering was caused by the surpassing of the Kickstarter goal.

2. Gameplay
The game is an action game in the same vein of Hideki Kamiya's other titles. It's a hack-n-slash/beat-em-up with heavy emphasis on epic scale over-the-top self awareness. The initial appeal of the game is its concept of drawing shapes to create weapons. On the Wii-U, I used the Wii-U gamepad the entire campaign. This was before I discovered based off several video reviews on YouTube that the  right analog stick is the easiest way to draw weapons. The original release might have been to prioritize selling the Wii-U but Kamyia himself has said that the original intent was for the right analog stick to be used for weapon drawing. Anybody who is experiencing the re-released version will have a much better have a greater time playing on a normal controller instead of worrying about using your finger on a drawing pad.

The seven Unite Morph weapons you can primarily draw are Unite Hand (circle), Unite Sword (line), Unite Whip (squiggle line), Unite Gun (90 degree line), Unite Bomb (circle then line at the end),  Unite Claw (zig-zag) and Unite Hammer (line then question mark).  (Below Image: From right to left, Wonder-White, Wonder-Black, Wonder-Green, Wonder-Red, Wonder-Blue, Wonder-Pink, and Wonder Yellow).

With these Unite Morphs, the bigger the drawings of the weapons, the bigger the weapons when uniting more heroes. You'll be able to purchase more abilities at the Wonder Mart, such as being able to Multi-Unite and speeding up your Unite Morphs as well as using them as an attack. You can also purchase dodge and Wonder Tomb which are Unite Morph moves that are necessary in battle. The most essential move you need is the Wonder Guts, which the Wii-U version doesn't tell you. The remastered version gives the you currency after the prologue to purchase the Wonder Guts which is a block and parry move for most attacks (you can also upgrade this to Unite Spikes which is MUCH more effective).

One of the key elements of mastering the game is not just purchasing abilities, but also executing combos the same way you would with the Devil May Cry  franchises. You can juggle, switch weapons mid-combo, and also replay missions since Platinum Games LOVE ranking you. The game fortunately starts from "very easy" to the normal difficulty and also during the "game over" screens, you restart midway through the battles which is helpful to keep you trucking along through the campaign. There's gameplay footage from my recent playthrough(above) that shows some of the combos you can learn. This involves using multiple other unite morphs simultaneously to keep an enemy in the air. You can also use the Light Attack to restrain an enemy, then follow with a launch ability called "Wonder Rising" then juggle the enemy. I originally thought this was impossible  on my first few playthroughs but it took some understanding of the mechanics to realize that's the complete opposite. Once you begin truly honing the game's combat system, you'll strive and even be addicted to doing better and improving your ranking. 

The game has a madly huge variety of enemies
that have a color-coded circle shape when they appear to notify which Unite Morph would be best to use. This is a great way of communicating the degree of strategy that you can use. The boss fights them selves are more spectacle than the fights with minor enemies (especially the final boss, like wow) but they still prompt a sufficent amount of strategy. 
The Prince Vorkken fights (bottom right image) are the boss fights that require the most

amount of skill since you're also fighting enemies that as well consist of 101 members and have Unite Morph abilities. The difficulty of these fights rev up with every encounter so be prepared for that.

3. Story
This will be a non-spoil segment since I believe to spoil the story is to rob the experience. Very rarely does an over-the-top action game have such a weighted narrative and a more than solid script to back it up. Granted, the story is nothing crucially deep and it has a childish and cartoonish element followed by self-aware cheesiness, but there was serious effort in the writing that holds a certain level of passion and love for the world the developers created that is a rarity in the gaming industry.  The cast of characters are incredibly likable, including the central chemistry between Wonder Red and Wonder Blue, who both have admittedly the most development throughout the story but everyone else still contributes in keeping the narrative entertaining. The game's pacing is perfect as the level of escalation leads to one of the most memorable climaxes in gaming history right behind Metal Gear Solid 2 if you were to ask me. It's an unforgettable moment in gaming that cannot be topped to this day.

One of my only complaints with the story is the character of Luka. He comes across as the "annoying child" in most stories of this type but has a solid arc that despite still not being too crazy about him, I appreciate that he plays a significantly large part in the story that gives him some redemption. I'd like to also add that Prince Vorkken's arc is almost the same as most of the "rival villains" of any Platinum Games title you've played. I won't go into spoilers because luckily there's some mild subversiveness but you can see where the majority of his arc is going soon after he enters the plot. Still, The Wonderful 101 has one of the best stories in any action I've played and the lengthy campaign is filled with moments that never slow anything down. 

4. Presentation
 If you noticed the graphical and visual aesthetic based off the screenshots and video footage, the game has a toy-like feel to it. The character models themselves look like little action figures as well as the world itself having an exaggerated depth-of-field to its level design. Some players will find this unique and others won't be on board. There was a plan to approach the game with a child-like design and it was pulled off very well.

During gameplay, the models have little less quality when up close compared if the camera is pulled back, but considering that there numbers of characters you control at once, there's only so much detail that can be implemented in the models in-game. The 101 models themselves are greatly varied with so many different-themed Wonderful Ones that you collect through the compaign. It shows a surmountable level of effort that you don't witness in other games.  The level design itself is fantastic as the game takes you across the world, keeping the visual variety fresh and new. The enemy designs in particular the bosses, are very original and well designed giving them all distinctive set pieces that can be fun to look at as well as purge yourself in during battle.

The music in the game is also fantastic. Composed by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, he injects a level of heroism and hope that compliments the tone of the game itself. During the parts of the game when the Wonderful Ones have the upper hand during boss fights, a the score fits to reminisce superhero themes of both Japanese and American. The score during the final act is the one I'm unable to shake out my head because I've never heard anything like it before.

For the main theme itself, Yamaguchi was inspired by 60's tv show superhero themes, particularly the tokusatsu show Captain Ultra (link posted below for anyone interested in taking a listen). I can't describe the words of the power the score emits during the battle but I say listen to it for yourself. There was such much effort in making the music spirited and heroic that proves how important music is in any game or film.



5. Conclusion
The Wonderful 101 is one of my all-time favorite games and game I can return every now and then. It's a testament to high levels of imagination and quality design in unique ways. Platinum Games have shown clearly that it's a special game to them and thanks to the transfer to other consoles, others can finally see what this game has to offer. Rarely have I been so stricken by something so creative and original that compels me to go back to it and master its gameplay mechanics, or experience the story itself over and over again. I've always considered Platinum Games to be one of the very best developers in the industry due to their out-of-the-box ideas and focusing on involving the player as much as possible in their games. A high recommendation from yours truly. It goes without saying, that this game is truly Wonderful.

NOTE: I believe my thoughts don't do the game as much justice. If you want a better take on the game, I will post a link(s) to the youtuber Matthewmatosis who gives a great and detailed non-spoiler review while still giving some good tips on the combat system that helped me as well.

Have you played the game? What are your thoughts? Comment below!

Captain Ultra Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVPSaXL0bnM

The Wonderful 101 Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvHKxnMv04k

The Wonderful 101 Matthewmatosis Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYEb19dBGzc

Matthewmatosis: How to Enjoy The Wonderful 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqAAdrSlwws&t=1618s

Matthewmatosis: Recommending The Wonderful 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rysBiZmYshk