Nintendo Land Review

Nintendo Land is a package featuring a plethora of mini-games with the intention of showing off what the GamePad can do. Because of its structure, reviewing this title like others would be unfair so each mini-game in the title has its own mini-review, allowing for a more in-depth explanation of what Nintendo Land has to offer. In short, Nintendo Land is a game of mixed success: some of its mini-games are undeniably exciting and fun to play whereas others are a bore and will very fairly be revisited, meaning that Nintendo Land can quickly become repetitive due to the fact that players will be participating in the same activities over and over again. Despite this, Nintendo Land is far from a failure and the fact that it comes free bundled with the Deluxe/Premium releases of the console makes the deal even sweeter.

The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest

Out of all of the mini-games featured in Nintendo Land, the one focussing around the Zelda franchise is certainly the most expansive of the lot and successfully captures the charm of the series it’s based on. In Battle Quest, the player's Mii is transformed into a Link version of himself and is armed with a bow to fight back hordes of nasties as he patrols the world of Hyrule. Instead of being an open-world-Monster-Hunter-type game, Battle Quest is an on-rails variety with the Mii/Link moving automatically and players moving the Wii U GamePad around to aim before flicking the analogue stick forward to shoot. Whilst it’s not exactly deep in terms of gameplay, what makes this one of the better sections of the game is the amount of levels on offer: whereas the majority feature maybe three or four, Battle Quest instead features an exciting ten levels to progress through. Despite this, later levels do become slightly repetitive but due to their short length, it’s never a major issue as it’s not the type of game to be played for long periods of time anyway.

Pikmin Adventure

Also with an impressive range of levels, Pikmin Adventure is an enjoyable romp through the Pikmin world. Players will take control as the leader of the little pikmin, leading them and utilising their skills to take out the horrible monsters and crates in the way of success. Tapping the Wii U GamePad screen with the stylus propels the pikmin forward at the nearest enemy to deal damage and some of the later missions undoubtedly require a lot more thought than just “tapping away”. Also, Pikmin Adventure is a very nice looking mini-game, with the environments being very colourful, varying and well-designed. Add in pikmins that level up depending on the amount of Nectar eaten and increasingly more difficult enemies alongside a surprising amount of levels on offer. Pikmin Adventure, like Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, is easily one of the games in Nintendo Land that players will find themselves going back to constantly.

Metroid Blast

Metroid Blast puts players in the shoes of Samus Aran as she controls a flying pod (or on foot if players use a standard Wii remote) to take out waves of enemies in arenas. Despite the fact that it’s a solid idea that is executed rather well and has a surprising amount of missions on offer, Metroid Blast’s biggest feature is the controls and that they are very difficult to use. Moving backwards and forward with one analogue stick whilst manoeuvring up and down with another and at the same time positioning the Wii U GamePad to aim and fire is rather frustrating initially and although it does become easier the more you play, it’s hard not to think that this could’ve been handled in a considerably easier way. It’s a shame as Metroid Blast is a lot of fun but if you don’t “get” the controls and fast, you could find yourself become rather bored rather quickly.

Mario Chase

Mario Chase is easily one of the best mini-games on the package, due to its quick yet intense fun that the whole family will enjoy. Users with the GamePad play as Mario whilst those with the standard Wii controller play as the Toads as they run around the map in pursuit of each other. With four people, this can prove for some pretty exciting sessions as Mario tries to steer as far away as he can from the Toads. Whilst each gaming session is practically the same, the fact that it’s four up to for people to play obviously means that depending on who has the GamePad and who has the controller depends on how long or how exciting the match is. It is repetitive, yes, but undeniably exciting and great fun.  

Luigi’s Ghost Mansion

Luigi’s Ghost Mansion is very similar to that of Mario Chase, with one player running away and the others chasing them until they either catch them or the timer runs out. However, this time, the player with the GamePad takes control of a ghost whilst Luigi and the other characters (each with a normal Wii controller) hunt around with flashlights looking for you as those using the TV have no idea where the ghost is. Like Mario Chase, this is a great mini-game for Nintendo Land and is a lot of fun, despite the fact that it’s very similar to the aforementioned. Hunting for the ghost is exciting and briefly revealing players locations to the hunters can lead to some tense and fun moments. Overall, a solid addition to the game.

Animal Crossing: Sweet Day

Animal Crossing: Sweet Day is a similar experience to Mario Chase and Luigi’s Mansion but instead of chasing someone down for the fun of it, players now have an objective. Those with the Wii controller take control of an elephant with the task of collecting sweets and delivering them to his or her bases whilst the player with the GamePad must run around and try to defeat said elephant to stop them from getting the sweets. It’s certainly good fun but it’s not as frantic as Mario Chase and Luigi’s Mansion due to the fact that the characters run so slow, meaning that what was once an exciting formula in past mini-games is just a bit too tedious in this one. It’s still fun and charming and it controls well, but it’s just not as fun as the others.

Balloon Trip Breeze

Balloon Trip Breeze requires players to tap and swipe the GamePad screen to control a Mii hanging from a balloon with the intention of collecting the other balloons hanging from the sky, dodging enemies and generally getting to the end of the level. Despite being very colourful, Balloon Trip Breeze suffers from a sense of repetitiveness, meaning that no matter what time of day the level is set in, they all blend together to create a mini-game that whilst full at first, becomes a bit of a bore. This is all down to how fast the game moves: it moves so slow that it’s never exciting, never tense, just boring. Balloon Trip Breeze quickly becomes a mini-game that won’t be played often, or for long.

Yoshi’s Fruit Cart

Whoever knew that telling Yoshi to eat food would be so much fun? Yoshi’s Fruit Cart requires players to draw a line for Yoshi to follow for him to eat the fruit and get through the door to finish the level: the only complication is that on the GamePad, you cannot see where the fruit is so you must guess and hope that you draw the line in the right place. Yoshi’s Fruit Cart is relatively simple but is actually surprisingly addictive and I found myself playing for quite a while (until my lives ran out, anyway). Graphically, the mini-game is very simple but effective and the Game Pad responds very well to the stylus’ movements. Overall, one of the simplest but most enjoyable games available in the package.

Octopus Dance

Out of the games included on NintendoLand, this is easily one of the weakest. In Octopus Dance, players must use the joysticks and tilt the GamePad accordingly to copy the moves of a dancing man beside you without fault. It sounds simple and that’s because it is. Whilst some of the stages do pose a significant challenge, there’s never any sense of enjoyment because once the moves get going, you quickly realise that each stage is the same as the one before it, just a little more difficult. Music is usually a large aspect to dancing games, be them mini or not, and Octopus Dance never features any music to get you going, to get a rhythm with, making the whole affair seem a bore. A shame, honestly.

Takamaru’s Ninja Castle

As seen in the Wii U trailer, Takamaru’s Ninja Castle requires players to flick the GamePad screen to fire shurikens at Ninjas to free the annoying robot who’s been dealing you all the tutorials. Set in the Ancient World, the mini-game has an unmistakable atmosphere of everything ninja, from the costumes to the music to the bamboo shoots you fight through. As fun as this little title is, it simply lacks the depth of the other mini-games and is just the same thing over and over again, which is a shame. Flicking the shurikens is easy and effective, although the aim can sometimes seem a little off and a hit that would’ve usually worked, for some peculiar reason, doesn’t, forcing you to throw again. It’s brief fun but nothing really more than that.

Donkey Kong’s Crash Course

Out of all of the games featured in Nintendo Land, Donkey Kong’s Crash Course is easily one of the best and most infuriating of the lot. Despite being only one section long, a section that can be completed in way less than two minutes, this is a mini-game that will drive players to the edge with the desire to see the levels end. You play as a Mii-head on wheels and, by tilting the Wii U GamePad, will guide this vehicle through a series of platforms, doors and conveyor belts in the pursuit to save the Princess at the end. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. Donkey Kong’s Crash Course is the perfect example of trying a level over and over again to get it just right. And when the sign announcing its completion comes up, it’s a great moment that will never be forgotten. Well, that’s perhaps an over-exaggeration but it’s still pretty relieving. Controlling the vehicle is easy and simple but the difficulty comes from timing jumps correctly and not tilting too far to keep the speed steady. And although it is only a few minutes long, replayability comes from attempting to get faster times and higher scores. So, Donkey Kong’s Crash Course is simple but damn good fun.

Captain Falcon’s Twister Race

Captain Falcon’s Twister Race is a very basic racing mini-game for Nintendo Land where players manoeuvre through the levels by looking at the GamePad and tilting it to turn corners. It sounds simple and it is but it’s also rather shallow as the areas start to blur together due to their similarity. It is an enjoyable game but up to a point where it suddenly becomes repetitive and slightly boring. As you dodge the obstructions and drift towards the ramps, there’s never any real sense of excitement as they whizz by and it makes the whole experience a bit of a bore.