I've been playing this game for YEARS back when it released on the Wii U. I never thought in a million years that The Wonderful 101 would have an official PC release. And yet here we are. So how does it hold up?

Maybe I'm being biased here but I genuinely believe this is PlatinumGames and Hideki Kamiya's magnum opus. The combat system is extremely intricate and complex but damn does it feel satisfying to master. This is NOT a cutesey wootsey Pikmin-style adventure game. This is very much an action game that ranks up there with games such as Devil May Cry and Bayonetta (2 other games Hideki Kamiya is responsible for. Go figure.). This is a game that does NOT hold your hand whatsoever nor does it do any spoonfeeding. You're gonna get punished. You're gonna get destroyed. You're gonna get nothing but consolation prizes along the way. You're probably also gonna get frustrated with the weapon switching gimmick and say the controls are bad and that it should've stayed on the Wii U where it belongs.

BUT!

Stick with the game and spend enough time learning to master the controls and you'll tap into an experience so cathartic that it's actually really difficult for me to put into words exactly just how fun it is to discover all the cool and intricate things you can do on the fly. This is a game that ALLOWS you to be stylish provided you got the skills for it. It employs all the stuff you've seen Dante and Bayonetta pull off and then some. Juggle combos, air dashing, STINGERS GALORE.

In The Wonderful 101, you control 100 super heroes who are able to morph into different weapons by lining up into their respective shapes by drawing with the right stick. Circle for fist, line for sword, a right angle for gun, etc.etc. At first it may feel overly complex (and to be fair, it is) but drawing the shapes is a matter of doing the gesture, not about precision. If anything, drawing the shapes would be more comparable to that of inputting a command in a fighting game. It's a gimmick that is extremely well thought out because the game takes into account what shape you did and how big you did it and whether you summoned it for yourself or passed it off to another hero for support. All of the characters that represent each weapon have their own charming and adorable personality.

Due to the nature of the drawing system, you have a whole lot more freedom in the combat than most other action games. In other action games, you usually swap between weapons at the push of a button but in order to make it less confusing for players, you usually only swap between 2 weapons (Bayonetta). Or, in some cases, if you have ALL weapons available, it's a matter of tapping the button quickly to get to your preferred weapon but if you accidentally pass it, you gotta constantly tap more to get back to it (Devil May Cry). In The Wonderful 101, switching is only done by drawing. No weapon wheel, no scrolling list, no menu. Nope, if you can think it, you can draw it. This can lead to moments where you can do just about anything you want provided you are skillful enough to gesture the needed glyphs. Want to punch an enemy into the air with your fists, switch to guns for bullet juggling before coming down with the hammer to slam them down to the ground? Yeah, you can do that. Want to keep an enemy stuck in slow motion with bomb so you can switch to whip and pick them up, toss them aside and then freeze them with claws? Sure, go ahead. Have fun.

All the enemies in the game are beautifully designed too. True to Kamiya's nature, the enemies all come in a variety of agressiveness, some being so reckless you'll need to pay attention to their telegraphing, from the movement they make to the sounds they make, in order to properly counter their attacks. Enemies come in a variety of different sizes and shapes. From a walking giant robot to an armored tank to a giant metallic turtle. All the enemies can be handled with any weapons you got but they've been cleverly designed in such a way that each one's got a weakness to certain weapons that you must discover and take advantage of.

It should be noted that since this is a Kamiya game, expect to run into a lot of mini-games. And I mean A LOT. You think Bayonetta had too much? Boy, you're in for a ride. Look, there's nothing wrong with the mini-games themselves as each one lasts just long enough for you to grasp its rules and controls before getting right back to the Wonderful 101 action, but since you're constantly being ranked for these segments just the same as the main game, it can get very frustrating trying to perfect these arcade bits, especially when you set out to do a Pure Platinum run. Some of these mini games can be overwhelming and down right punishing, even on the hardest difficulty where you can die in just one hit! Good lord. For what it's worth, all the mini-games feel just like their classic counterparts. You'll be playing stuff like Punch-Out, Zaxxon, Space Harrier and Star Fox, all for the sake of trying to save the world, so prepare yourself and hopefully you got some good arcade skills to survive.

The game's visuals aren't exactly the most amazing thing you'll see. The visual aesthetic employs a heavily inspired American Golden Age comics of the 1950's with the Japanese Tokusatsu action, ranging from Power Rangers (Super Sentai) to Kamen Rider with a chibi artstyle that heavily resembles Viewtiful Joe (yet another game Hideki Kamiya is responsible for. Go figure.). The game feels like you're peeking into a world made of toys, with the characters having a shiny plastic look to them, with the camera using a tilt shift effect to sell that look altogether. The texture aren't the most amazing thing here. In fact, given how this is a game that originally came from the Wii U, there's a whole lot of blurriness everywhere (even some text and screenshots) and it's a bit baffling that they'd be calling this a Remaster when it really is just a straight port. To be fair, I wasn't asking for the game to be remade but you'd think the Remastered title would imply that the game was given an extra amount of polish, which it doesn't.

For the PC port, I personally haven't had much issues experiencing the game however I've seen how it runs for other folks. Depending on your rig and resolution settings, you'll probably encounter some weird, unintended hiccups. To somewhat quote someone here on Steam, this port feels like it's being held together with Elmer's Glue. It makes me extremely sad that my most favorite game in the universe has a very shoddy port and while I am one of the lucky few to have a game that runs without any problems, this really falls into the "your mileage will vary" category.

As of this review's posts, the bugs that I've encountered include enemies ignoring bomb/hero time effects, the multiplayer camera being extremely buggy and input commands not behaving properly. Another big issue is the game being locked at 59fps. Now, for me, 59fps is a GODSEND because the original Wii U version ran soooo poorly, I would've been OK with the game just being locked at 30fps. 59fps is, no joke, the best thing the game could ever have BUT I know 60fps would've been a million times better and it actually does make me upset that PlatinumGames promised a locked 60fps experience when that's not entirely the case. Thankfully we do have fanmods that fix this little problem and I only hope that PlatinumGames will eventually patch this game to run exactly how it was intended to run.

Final verdict: Listen, I love this game a lot. There is nothing that's gonna keep me away from enjoying it. I only hope that if you do decide to jump in, you keep an open mind. This is not a game where you can just pick up and start getting Platinums right off the bat. It's a game that requires time, practice and patience to nail the combat system and if you're willing to go the distance, you'll find a game that gives you a whole lot more in return.

Finally I can sell my Wii U

Take the relentlessly punishing, yet rewarding combat/mechanics of an action game like Bayonetta, a dash of Okami's drawing, and the platforming of Viewtiful Joe. This is arguably Hideki Kamiya's finest game yet.

That helps give an idea of the game's creativity but it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface.

Here you have a game that respects your intelligence, yet demands you to take your time to learn what it has to offer. Learning how to dispose of tough enemies with the arsenal of moves provided, while also knowing how to move/keep your team together is satisfying, and fun as all hell.

The characters and humor throughout the story is also great, especially if you grew up enjoying Sentai/Power Rangers as a kid.

If you're a fan of action games, you would be doing yourself a disservice by not playing this game, especially on each higher difficulty.
At one point in time this game seemed like it was doomed to stay on a console that hardly anyone bought.
Now that it's on PC, it's a definite must have if you were to ask me.

10/10.
Would save Earth using the "Final Ultimate Legendary Earth Power Super Max Justice Future Miracle Dream Beautiful Galaxy Big Bang Little Bang Sunrise Starlight Infinite Fabulous Totally Final Wonderful Arrow...Fire!" again, and again.

Kamiya's magnum opus, in all the good and bad ways possible.
A hack and slash with a story about family and revenge, it's pretty unlike anything else I've played, a weird mix between DMC/Bayonetta, Pikmin, Viewtiful Joe, and Okami with a load of minigames ranging from shmups to a punch-out clone to break up the action.
The game doesn't really hold your hand and tell you what to do, it's a learning experience from beginning to end and the first playthrough is basically a giant tutorial, because like most of Kamiya's other games, the later difficulties start off right where the previous one ends with enemies formerly appearing at the end of the game being placed right near the start.
The tone and humor is comparable to a sentai show mixed with some western superhero elements and the voice work is great, it balances goofy and serious moments well. The story is engaging from beginning to end and the game has one of the best finales I've experienced in media.
The minigames are very hit or miss, and Kamiya went all out on them for this game, every operation has them in some form or another. The shmup and rail shooter segments can be very frustrating and long-winded while the couple of punch-out bosses are fantastic. Either way they're there whether you like them or not.
As of the time of the review, the game definitely runs better than it did on the Wii-U on pretty much any computer, but there are bugs here and there. The camera is in the wrong place at times when you're playing above 1080p, there's some visual glitches with character's suits and masks, and I encountered a crash at the end of the game, still a much better experience than playing on a Wii-U or trying to emulate.
Overall an absolutely fantastic game even with some technical issues and iffy mini-game.

At first this game can seem very inaccessible due to its abnormal controls and original home on the Wii U. Hopefully this review will clear up some misconceptions as well as highlight, in short, what makes this game so incredible.

TLDR: PLAY THE DEMO, it will give you a basic feel for the gameplay as well as a showcase of the game's spectacle. Any fan of Bayonetta, DMC and the likes should play this game right now. This game is incredible and my favourite of all time. The controls are responsive (when played with a controller) and the combat is incredibly mechanically deep, combined with an immense level of spectacle through its 20 hr story. It is just Wonderful.


First lets address what I see as the most common criticism, the controls. The game uses a 'drawing mechanic' where, using the right stick you draw a shape on the floor to switch weapons. Each weapon has its own unique basic shape, e.g. the fist is selected by drawing a circle and the sword is selected by drawing a line. On the original Wii U version you could draw these shapes directly onto that systems touch pad. This leaves many with the idea that this was how the game has, or at least is intended, to be played. This is incredibly false, the analogue stick is honestly the preferred control as it allows for quicker inputs and removes the need to move you hand away from the face buttons each time. The drawing mechanic works more like a fighting game input, and boils down to quick and distinct motions that are made to switch weapons. However I don't want to diminish the complexity of the system, which give the game incredible mechanical depth with how your drawing interacts with enemies, where you have to consider your spacing and surroundings to decide which weapons are best suited for the scenario.

Now the question is, why do many people consider these controls to be unresponsive and lacklustre? Personally i can't speak for the keyboard and mouse controls having played the entire game on a 360 controller, so if you are concerned about that then play the demo and see for yourself, sorry that I cant help with this one.
However the second more prevalent issue is with people not giving the controls enough time and investment to learn them properly. I don't mean that in an elitist 'git gud' way, personally I struggled with the drawing controls myself, finding them at best a moderate gimmick, and at worst an unresponsive mess. Well I was very wrong and after a couple of hours it just clicked. Not only did I figure out how to much more easily draw the shapes, but also the mechanic's place in the combat, which changed weapon swapping from an option in a menu to another layer of depth which endlessly rewards high-level play with an infinitely high skill ceiling, whilst being one of the most recently innovative additions to the genre. It something that WILL take some getting use to, but the result is such a rewarding experience with a combat system with hidden tricks and secrets waiting to be discovered, and when you do the satisfaction of intuitively discovering, then regularly using it is incredible. Having played [SEE ABOVE] hours of this game I am still excited to find a new strategy to taking out an enemy.


For me a camera can make or break an entire game, and luckily we are very much in the make category here. Having to sacrifice the right stick for drawing, the camera is a top down view of your little heroes. The only input you can give to the camera is a simple zoom in and out, which you will always want to be zoomed out. The lack of a movable camera may alert some but the camera will always place you in the middle of the screen, allowing you (most of the time) full view of all the enemies in the battle. You don't have to worry about babysitting a camera and instead keeps the focus on the action. Apart from that I should mention a distracting auto zoom when fighting very few enemies, which fortunately doesn't impact the enjoyment for the game but is a flaw nonetheless. Bear in mind the only character in your team that can take damage is the leader, and they will be circled with a big icon.


Didn't expect much from the story, it's not really why I play action games. Going this and similar games I expect shallow characters and overall cheesiness in service to the core gameplay. Keep this is mind when I say I was pleasantly surprised by this game's story, in that is wasn't abysmal. What you get is a charming romp with a likeable team fighting comically evil villains. It is not entirely without depth but only about a couple inches deeper than a puddle.


Many make with rightfully criticise the issues with the port, the slightly changed music is a minus, but I really must clarify that this game feels absolutely fine to play, and while you can definitely tell it was a Wii U game, it has no major impact on the PC version. The controls did get some unnecessary minor tweaks it still plays perfectly fine and unless you own a Wii U and can bear some painful loading times, this port is what we have and it is still an incredible game.


I will probably add and change this review over time to better illustrate my love for this game. Right now I am going for 100% and can confidently say it's by favourite game of all time. Whilst absolutely not a perfect game (looking at you Tetris), this game just feels so passionate and creative. Exploring so many mechanics and executing them all with a level of perfection and finesse unseen in the genre, I just want to congratulate Platinum Games. Before I go I want to give a few tips to better aid the experience and get you sailing smooth asap

• Don't expect good ranking and your first play-through. EXPECT CONSOLATION PRIZES, consider your first run a warm up act for the real thing. If you finish the game, boot it up for a second go at least for the first mission and see how you improved over the play-through.
  
• Buy Guts and Spring immediately after the prologue, you'll thank me later.
  
• Don't hesitate to experiment. Use your brain and try to intuitively tackle each enemy, you will be rewarded for doing so.

I'm leaving the comment open so please leave any question below, and any criticism of the game and my review. I will happily answer them.

NOTE: Although this game is a Remaster and port, this review will look at this version’s own merits.

The Wonderful 101: Remastered is an action game revolving around controlling an army of 100 heroes in battle to defend Earth from alien invaders. You’ll have to use your wits and reflexes to get the most out of their signature Wonder moves in this action-packed and stylish game by Platinum!



Although the premise of the story doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Platinum has added its proprietary Platinum coating to it to give it a very silly yet very bombastic feel. You’ll follow Wonder Red and his team as they trek across the globe to defend the Earth from the invading Geathjerk forces. How far can heroism and teamwork take you? What is worth fighting for? Is humanity worth saving? These questions and more are explored throughout the 9 Operations (around 27 total levels).

The overall story is very reminiscent of superhero and super sentai shows (e.g. Power Rangers, Kamen Rider) complete with overly verbose character reintroductions, a narrator that occasionally drones on, cool one-liners and deliciously cheesy melodrama.

The story also pokes fun of said tropes, making it much more tongue-in-cheek. For example, characters may start moving around as the narrator gives exposition or a character might slip and fall their way off screen in an epic moment.

Overall, it was a really fun journey.



This is Platinum’s wheelhouse. Their games have a very high skill ceiling and gratifying, slick and visceral combat. Nonetheless, as someone who has only played a small handful of Platinum games, I was apprehensive when beginning the game. Admittedly, there were a lot of times when I felt frustrated and defeated due to my skill level. However, the overall gameplay is fantastic and kept me coming back for more.

The game focuses on Wonder Morphing- transforming your fellow Wonders into weapons to fight the Geathjerk forces. Wonder Red’s is Unite Hand- a giant fist that can pulverize enemies. Wonder Blue’s is Unite Sword, capable of longer slashes and hitting multiple opponents. There are over 8 to discover and play with.

To transform your Wonders, you use the Wonder Liner. Drawing certain shapes on the screen with the Wonder Liner equips the corresponding weapon. For example, to use Unite Hand, I draw a circle which turns red to indicate a valid shape. The Wonder Liner uses your allies as “fuel”, so using more means you get stronger Wonder Morphs. You also require energy to Morph, so combat is a thrilling balancing act of resource management and skillful play.

Morph accuracy can be hit-or-miss sometimes due to how the game interprets your drawings. However, with enough muscle memory I was able to usually get what I wanted on the first try.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2308068165
Each enemy has a distinct moveset which makes them all challenging to fight. Even basic grunts might shoot at you from off screen if you leave them alone for too long. The simple joy of stringing together combos and doing perfect dodges is even better when up against a varied enemy roster.

The camera can be very claustrophobic at times which made navigation difficult if not annoying. You can zoom out, but not having a simple camera distance option is annoying.

Miniboss enemies are rather frequent and provide a nice chunk of difficulty. It may be annoying trying to figure out how to approach a specific enemy, but once it clicks and you get in the zone, the feeling you get is quite wonderful as you dismantle them.

The boss fights are both spectacles and very satisfying with their own unique gimmicks and strategies. Granted, some hinge entirely on mini-game (which there are quite a lot of) to succeed. You may have to do a shoot-‘em-up section to challenge a huge boss or even a Punch Out!-like game to duel a lone enemy officer. These typically don’t outlive their welcome and provide a break from the core gameplay. Granted, there might be a few that take some time to get used to.

There are also some platforming and puzzle sections to test your thinking and observation skills. Being a Wonderful is more than just beating baddies!

The game definitely has a steep learning curve, but getting better at it gives a really satisfying feeling of triumph.

There is so much more to discuss, but please check out the demo to see for yourself! It’s 1 entire Operation, so give it a test drive to see if it’s up your alley. Words can't adequately convey how it really feels to play the game and even the demo is just a sliver of what you can expect.

• You can even carry over your progress to the full release!
  
• PLUS you even gain access to the hidden Wonder-Bayonetta, based off the titular character of her own series!
  
• PLATINUM PLUS- the game is also now 32% off on Steam until December 14, 2020 at 10:00am PST!

The overall art style is very unique. Each character model is like a glossy action figure. On one hand, it gives everyone a very distinct and memorable look. On the other, it is also quite low-res. Regardless of both, having an army of toys at your command brings out a very child-like Saturday morning cartoon feel that can’t be found anywhere else.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2308063572
There is a wide variety of levels to discover ranging from typical adventure game locales to more weird and unique ones. The overall art direction is a real pleasure to take in.

The trademark Platinum QTEs are also on point here. There is a lot of amazing jaw-dropping action sequences and one that made me burst out laughing near the end of the game.



Another one of the Platinum big hitters, the soundtrack for the game is phenomenal. Everything has a very dynamic feel to it, truly making it feel like this is a superhero game. From rousing lyrical ballads about the Wonders to thrilling and intense boss music, I was always in the mood the game wanted me in for the scene.

Sound effects are also well-done. Gameplay feels that much more gratifying when you get nice audio feedback from everything.

I played with the English dub and it was overall pretty good. It has a campy feel to it that makes it really authentic to the source material.



Overall, the game ran solidly. However, I had 2 CTD’s in my 16 hours. Fortunately, the saves still worked after relaunching the game. This is definitely annoying given how sparse save points are and how arduous some rooms can be.

The overall graphical options are also quite lacking for a PC port.



I was honestly nervous picking up the title with the cult status it has, but I am glad I did. My hand wasn’t held on Normal, but the addictive gameplay of stringing combos and dodging hits kept me motivated. Accompanied with a wacky yet heartful story, epic audio design and a hyper-stylized visual aesthetic, this is one game I won’t forget. For fans of action games and superheroes, this game is a must-get.

Earth needs a hero, but it has 100 wonderful ones to save it. Would you do them the honors of being their plus one?
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2308059290

when i say that this game saved my life, i mean it in every sense of the word. this game holds such a deeply important and foundational part of my being, and i truly can't recommend it enough. for everything that it's done for me, i firmly believe it can do for everyone who plays.

our story begins with a rag-tag team of heroes one hundred strong, battling it out with otherworldly threats every other day to decide the fate of the earth. as the game progresses, you get a chance to see the many ways they interact with each other and the world around them. it's well paced and has plenty of twists & turns along the way. replaying the game all the way through will give you context you would have otherwise missed, to boot.

this game is a fun and unique experience initially crafted for the wiiU, with the main crux of the gameplay being the unite morph feature; wonderful ones link together in single file line, creating the wonder-liner. by drawing shapes, you can morph your allies into weapons, objects, tools and more. the best way i can think of to describe the gameplay is something akin to super sentai pikmin, what with how you command an army of bite-sized heroes to do what you want.

now before anything, what issues do i have with this game? quite literally only one. and it only applies to this remaster

the gameplay translates well onto other platforms, with the sole exception of the fact that the dual screen is clunkily implemented. while on its home console it would be as simple as looking down, the single-screen adaptation of this game brings with it challenge. most of the time you either need to have the screen brought up with a button combination, or have the main screen shrunk off to the side to make room for the sub screen. neither method is particularly well done, but it's honestly decent enough for the purpose it serves. most of the time the main screen is all you need, but it's in those finicky (and honestly gimmicky) moments that it becomes an issue.

aside from that, everything else in this game is absolutely stellar. the characters are well fleshed out and engaging, the story is easy to follow with genuinely intriguing beats, and the gameplay is unlike anything else i've seen. by far, this game has some of my favourite mechanics in any video game.

combat flows smoothly and rapidly, divided into operations (sections) that provide ample opportunity for things like speedrunning and perfecting your craft. if there's a level you enjoy, you can work at it over and over again to earn the prestigious pure platinum ranking at the end of the level. you can repeat any mission at any time, with most being split into 3 operations. you must play through each operation from the beginning, though; so going through in one straight shot is the only method of grinding out difficult parts.

if collection is more your speed, the game provides for you as well; collectables are rife in this game, providing you with lore, gallery pieces, achievements, hidden surprises, and much more. crafting is a smaller part, but it provides you items to use in levels once you have collected enough resources. the game rewards you for exploring through these things. slow or fast, whatever you want; the wonderful 101 provides and accommodates.

in that gameplay, there is also room for customization. finding your main and building a kit that works for you is part of the charm. the progression of this kit is resource-based, but well implemented. the crucial bits of the base kit are cheap, and any upgrades to those scale accordingly.

now, onto what i said earlier. this game genuinely did save my life. i was 11 in 2013. if it wasn't for the wonderful 101, i would not have been around to celebrate my 20th this year. it's hard to believe it's been that long since the darkest point in my life, but i'm a testament to the fact that awful times can and will get better with a little help.

i won't go into detail, but the only joy i found came in watching nintendo trailers with my brother. i think we used to watch them in the 3ds eshop. but lo and behold, the trailer for the wonderful 101 showed up one day. i was obsessed right from the get-go. a team of super heroes that work with and rely upon one another in such an intimate way to save the entire earth... something about it struck me. i watched that trailer over and over and over again, every single day. and when the wonderful 101 extended trailer came out, i watched that into the ground as well. i can still quote it word for word.

i played that game every single day. it was my light. when things were bad, i knew the wonderful ones would have my back. i felt like part of something. i genuinely did. the opening cinematic reminded me of that every time i booted up the game. "i knew we forgot someone; you." it gives me chills to this very day. i would seek out any and all fan art, i wrote fan fiction placing a gaudy little self insert into the world of the wonderful ones, i based everything i did around it. it became my life. it was my hope. it was everything to me. that little light at the end of the tunnel.

this is a game where the characters are accepted as they are, and regardless of their flaws they were still a part of the team. their unique abilities become something that is worked with, instead of repressed. they still contributed something to the world regardless of what they were. whether they were a teacher, a student, a prodigy, a detective or an artist, they all became equal when they put on the mask.

for those unaware, "masking" is a neurodivergent term that essentially equates to pretending to be "normal" in the eyes of others. it involves suppressing your symptoms and ignoring what comes naturally to you. masking costs a lot of energy to maintain. when you let the mask down, when you doff what is expected of you... that is where the true, authentic self is. the symbolism of the mask in this game is present; in the mask, there comes a level of detachment... yet there also comes power in letting that mask down, as you'll see later on in the story.

i experienced all of this far before my diagnosis with autism, but i feel that my experience with the wonderful 101 was a major cornerstone in understanding myself and the way i interact with the world because of it. it resonated with me for that exact purpose. everyone in the game is flawed, they interact with their surroundings in a unique way... yet they are not shunned for it. in fact, it becomes a mechanic, this unique individual contribution. this was my first true special interest, and it persists to this day.

the wonderful 101 is about finding yourself. finding others who, despite any differences, appreciate and respect you. and it's about working as one despite these differences. more than anything, it's about pushing past the trauma you have experienced, and becoming better for it. over and over again, characters are shown to be broken, hampered, hurt by their past... yet always, no matter what, they push past. they find their stride, and walk that path with power and confidence. finding who you are in relation to your unique circumstances, that's how you grow. that's where true power is.

unity, found family, appreciation. that's what this game is at its core. the explosions and supermassive monsters are the fun little cake on top, but that true meaning is there if you look. and it means something different to everyone who plays. that's the magic of this game.

replaying and rediscovering this game that means so much to me is like a dream come true. and now that it's accessible to more people than ever before, i urge you to play. i urge you to become a part of the wonderful 101. it might just give you what it gave me all those years ago.

putting it into words is nearly impossible, but i've done what i can here. it's something truly wonderful.

I backed this remaster on Kickstarter and have been playing it for the past couple weeks. This review is of version 1.0.0 so far.

Platinum's game of a million mechanics, The Wonderful 101 is a character action game of the "what do you mean this is a character action game? It looks nothing like one!" variety that encourages mastering the depths of its weird combat like God Hand, Vanquish, and Lucah Born of a Dream. It's a game that has like 5 different types of progression system to try and not overwhelm you and a game that references seemingly every sci fi B TV show and movie ever made in Japan and some outside of it (like possibly UFO for Alice?) and it somehow all works, giving a lot of ways for you to master it, while being immensely satisfying. It's also the longest game in its genre surprisingly so if you've ever wanted a like... 17 hour for 1 playthrough Char Act game this is the one, albeit the very weird one.

So how about the porting... well it's complicated.
In terms of core gameplay the port is on point, forget the gamepad, unlike Okami the control stick is the preferred way to play here with its speed that can be upgraded even further, just try to think of the drawing as visualized fighting game inputs if you will. Though I have seen a few glitches where I would use a multi unite only for the user to just stand there, and then when I recall them for their morph to still be stuck to them even when they are disbanded. I'm not sure if that was in the original version or not, but it seems rare, I only saw it about 10 hours in, though I saw it a few times in a row when it did happen.

In terms of performance the game runs much better than I expected on my computer... If you install this patch to fix the frame limiting and pacing that makes it play at 59fps initially and then jump up and down across the hours left on until it ends up at an unplayable 120fps on hour 20.
https://cookieplmonster.github.io/2020/05/16/silentpatch-wonderful-101/


...And now we get on to the porting bugs and limitations. It's pretty much a mess, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was rushed. If you increase the resolution beyond 1080p the depth of field apparently doesn't scale well. Since this is running on DirectX9 there is no multimonitor support so you can't recreate the separate gamepad screen. All the graphical settings are limited to resolution, HDR on/off (which is rendering rather than display, so it doesn't support your HDR monitor), and a Low/Medium/High setting where High is the WiiU's setting. You can't adjust shadows, antialiasing, or depth of field separately or even turn antialiasing off so there's really not much control or much to push here.

To list the problems that must be fixed before we start adding DLC:

NEW 1. Fix the invert X-Axis and invert Y-Axis options. The Invert X-Axis option inverts the Y-Axis and the invert Y-Axis option inverts the X-axis on all parts where the camera/vehicle movement comes into play! Please swap them to work properly. (How did that get past testing?)
2. Add controller rebinding (really dang important for a game that controls this dang unusually with this many QTEs in it, especially on consoles and for people with motor disabilities.) This is also an issue with Switch controllers as the 3 presets and start/select button switch don't recreate the layout on WiiU if you use Steam's "Swap A/B and X/Y to match Nintendo layout" and not using that makes the QTE prompts wrong
3. Add DS4 prompts (Not sure why the game notifies you not to use ds4windows and instead use Steam if it's not going to have DS4 prompts, once again important for QTEs)
4. Fix the frame limiter
5. Make all cutscenes skippable (the unlimited form cutscenes are not, which is especially annoying for the first one that explains unlimited form every time)
6. Make the game display prompts based on what device you are currently using to play, switching over immediately like other games, instead of only showing them based on what button you press to get past the start screen and what you adjust the "control guide" in System settings to
7. Fix the poor scaling above 1080p
8. Let us press select to stay in the loading screen to practice like in Bayonetta's port (loads too fast to use that feature) or ditch the loading screen practice and give a new practice mode
9. Add an option to make the Zoom in/Zoom out buttons work instantly, it's annoying to hold them.

It is DRM free though (yes you can run it without steam), so that's pretty neat.

In short this is a successful but messy port, I recommend it for its optimization (with the patch) and for how great the game itself is, but... good gosh you better fix this thing Platinum.

The Wonderful 101 redefines epic.

I can’t believe that an 8-year-old game holds up this well, but I guess it all comes down to how it was created. TW101 was a passion project of Platinum Games and you can definitely tell when playing. The studio peaked at this game and that’s exactly what you’ll get as a result: the apex of action games, the adventure of a lifetime.

I played this game to death back in my Wii U and yet I couldn’t resist getting it again on Steam by backing this remastered version on Kickstarter, it is that good. Forget about other modern AAA releases, this game feels like the biggest story you have ever experienced. The soundtrack, the action, the effects… everything feels larger than life and the thrill just never ends. Every time you think the game has reached its limit, it strikes back with an even bigger and crazier scene that surpasses all the previous ones. TW101 contains the most memorable and absurdly over-the-top sequences I have ever played, and this is still true even almost a full decade after its original release.

To achieve that, the game does not take itself too seriously, and that’s what makes it stand out. In any other average AAA title, the devs would want you to feel like every event in the game is serious business and all the stakes are as higher as they can get for the characters, but here P* wants you to just let go and enjoy the ride. They want you to feel like a little kid again playing with your plastic toys in summer while shaping the most memorable adventure for your tiny little action figures, and so they go all-out with the story and the gameplay (and visuals!) to create that feeling.

In that regard, make no mistake. You’ll be having a blast, but don’t be fooled by all the praise: this is not an easy game. If you want to squeeze the best out of it, you’ll have to earn it the hard way, as the difficulty curve is really steep specially in the first half of the game and almost nothing is explained (definitely not the most essential combat mechanics), but if you harden up yourself and take your time to discover and master its intricacies, it rewards you with one of the most satisfying hack’n’slash experiences in existence, there is still nothing like this game out there.

In any case, it is worth trying at least once in your life, as there are very few videogames with this amount of love and care put into every little nook and cranny. The character design is legendary, the plot works surprisingly well and manages to keep some twists and surprises despite its heavy focus on superhero clichés (and has one of the craziests final acts ever conceived), the music is fabulous and magnificent... even the voice actors do an astounding work here, you can tell they were having a blast too while recording all the voiceovers. Every line delivery is perfect and does a great job capturing the essence of the superhero theme, both cheesy and grandiose but with a touch of seriousness.

As a final note, if you are a fan of Platinum’s history, this is definitely a project for you as it includes a lot of nods and references to both Platinum and Clover that make the experience even more enjoyable once you start seeing it as a self-referential homage of Kamiya and his team. They had a ton of fun going through all their career memories and so they want to transfer that joy to us by creating an endless amount of unforgettable moments that will remain in our memories forever, and oh boy do they deliver. Just trust the fans, hop on this train.


Diplomacy has failed! Team, unite up!!

Easily one of the best, if not THE best action games I have ever played. Absolutely incredible all the way through, with a super in-depth combo system, lots of unlockables, tons of things to master and harder difficulties to keep you going - this game is a masterpiece. Shamefully underrated.