I never thought I’d see the day, but The Wonderful 101 finally got an encore. It was like the one reason why I hadn’t boxed up my Wii U yet. I even went as far as to buy new pieces of furniture to actually put that gamepad somewhere so wouldn’t neglect it as much. Tough luck though, The Wonderful 101: Remastered is all I ever wanted.

The Wonderful 101 is one of my favourite games ever. Heck, it might just be my favourite. Wonder Red has been my Steam Avatar for over 7 years now. The soundtrack never left my music player and the box art serves as my lock screen on my work computer so my students have to admire it whenever I hit that Win+L.
What makes The Wonderful 101 so amazing then? Let me tell you. This is quintessential video games. Colourful graphics, upbeat music, gameplay that is easy to learn but infinitely rewarding to master, crazy story, mad set-pieces and nearly infinitely replayable. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

The Wonderful 101 is mad crossbreed between Pikmin, Okami and Bayonetta and Power Rangers. You take control of a squad of up to 100 super heroes who can combine into giant technicolor weapons based on the symbols you draw with the right analog stick. Circle gets you a giant fist; a straight line makes for a sword, and a straight ‘L’ makes a gun and then some. The bigger the symbol, the bigger the weapon. You’re limited by your energy, so draw conservatively. You need certain weapons to avoid damage. The fist can absorb fire, the sword can reflect lasers and nullify lightning, while the whip can be used to rip spikes off your enemies. Drawing these symbols requires some practice, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to unlock the wild combo potential. Before you know it, you’ll go from having trouble with drawing the hammer, to unleashing 3 different attacks at once while continuously pounding the smaller enemies with your spare forces. And there are enemies to spare. Countless unique enemies and magnificent boss fights are a treat every time. Combat is so involving it becomes an art form onto itself. The game is therefore not shy to demand absolute perfection from you. This is a Platinum game after all. After every battle you’re weighed and measured, and when found wanting, you’ll go home with less than Pure Platinum. This game will condition you to hate the colour gold, but in the end, the reward is pure satisfaction.

In The Wonderful 101 you need to protect the Earth against and alien invasion. You start off with Wonder Red, who is a school teacher by day and a textbook superman in the face of danger. You’re joined by Blue, a swarthy police officer; Green, a portly sniper; Pink, a vivacious socialite; Yellow, shy Russian; White, public weeb and Black, hacker supreme in an effort to repel the unyielding torrent of alien invaders. The story is told through amazing cutscenes with dialog lifted straight out of snappily written Saturday morning cartoons. It is a bit pedantic at times, but amusing all the way through. I can sit through it without skipping every time. The dialog, characters and enemies are also full of Platinium Games references and Easter eggs, so if you’re into their work, you’re in for a treat.
What sets The Wonderful 101 apart from other games is the way it handles its set pieces and the pay off will always make you smile from ear to ear. After a long and intense boss fight where it is all hands on deck, the music rises to the heroic tunes of a newly orchestrated main theme that sets the mood for something incredible and it does not disappoint. Although you may frown on quicktime events, The Wonderful 101 does them tastefully, with ample time to react, incredible payoff when you pass and hilarious consolation if you fail.

Visually, the game is seven years old now. The PC version upscales cleanly to 1080p (I can’t do 4K on this PC) and a heavy dose of anti-aliasing makes it all look smooth. The framerate is also smooth at 60fps on a GeForce 970. A much needed boost from the 30fps on the Wii U. The game is violently colourful and used high-gloss models to give that action figure look. Facial animation is a bit ‘8-bit’, but that’s the trade off for having 100 of them on screen at any time. However, it’s the total picture that counts, the comedic timing and amazing screenwriting really put everything together. Don’t dismiss it for looking cartoony until you have beaten your first real boss.
The soundtrack was composed to scream heroism at every note. Brass, choirs, marching drums, it has it all. The principal voice cast does an incredible job selling the insane story credibly. It gets a bit over the top, but at this point, over the top is the new normal.

The Wonderful 101 will humble you the first time through. Don’t feel bad, this is normal. It will take time to come to grips with the controls, the camera, the combat system, how to draw a hammer, dodging, counters and crowd control. It’s a lot to take in. However, do not let that ‘plastic’ trophy get you down. Just get to the end, smile and all, and then go right back to the beginning with all your powers already unlocked and ready to fire. Suddenly you’re playing a new game. No longer are you trying to beat it; you’re trying to own it. Additionally, the game has so many secrets and things to unlock, you’ll be occupied for a while. Take into account that it also includes Platinium Games’ general quality of life care and you won’t need another game for the rest of this pandemic.

All in all, I cannot recommend this game enough. Its insanely cool set pieces are worth playing, the music is worth enjoying and the combat is so cool, it is prize to master. The PC version is a simple port, but it did what it needed to do, 60fps, smooth textures and little to no load times. You’ll be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t try it. For me, I’m just happy I can now get a higher definition avatar. It has been a long time coming.