The Wonderful 101: Remastered Review

One of the biggest injustices in modern gaming is how overlooked The Wonderful 101 was after its initial 2013 release. It’s not that the game’s lack of financial success was surprising though – after all, its bizarre twists on the action genre already meant that its appeal was inherently limited, and this was further compounded by its exclusivity on the Wii U. However, after years of fan demand, and an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign, the game has now been given a second chance, with a Remastered version recently releasing on PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Seven years later, The Wonderful 101 is still the same extraordinary gem that it’s always been, even if this re-release doesn’t iron out all of the original release’s minor flaws.

What sets The Wonderful 101 apart from most action games becomes apparent within the first few minutes of play; you’re not just controlling a single character, you’re instead usually in control of an entire squad, potentially reaching 100 overall characters. If this sounds too chaotic to feasibly work, then you’ll be glad to know that The Wonderful 101 manages to evoke the feeling of controlling a big crowd of characters in some rather smart and streamlined ways.

The most notable feature is the Wonder Morph, which transforms the crowds into giant weapons via the drawing of shapes with the right analog stick (or the DualShock 4 touchpad, for those playing the PlayStation 4 version). For example, drawing a circle will create a fist, while a straight line creates a sword. It can initially feel a little bit cumbersome using shapes to switch between weapons - especially when the shapes gradually become more complex throughout the duration of the game - but it eventually feels surprisingly natural. How long it takes to become accustomed to these shapes will vary from player-to-player, but an extremely lenient restart system along with the ability to replay past levels means that new players can have plenty of practise without feeling too punished.

Morphing isn't the only mechanic that requires mastering however. While combat can initially seem rather simplistic, with just a single button being dedicated to regular attacks, and a second button being used to make the crowd charge at enemies to stun them, the intricacies start to quickly pile on top of each other as new enemy types and abilities are introduced. The game initially starts with just the sword and fist, but relatively early on players will unlock the ability to Morph into a gun which can damage enemies at a longer range, a whip which can peel away spiked enemies defence, along with many more Morphs being introduced throughout the course of the 12-hour adventure.

Each of these Morphs not only have their own unique uses against specific enemies, but they also possess various other unlockable moves that can be activated via quickly moving the left analog stick in specific directions, and each of these moves also have their own advantages and properties.

The rabbit hole of obtuse systems in The Wonderful 101 runs extremely deep, and experimentation is heavily incentivised and rewarded. Unfortunately, much like in the initial release, the game is maybe a little bit too cryptic for its own good at times. While experimentation can be – and often is - extremely gratifying in this game, The Wonderful 101 fails to fully emphasise how important some of its integral systems are.

The Unite Guts and Unite Spring abilities for example – the fundamental block and dodge abilities - are completely optional abilities that have to be bought within the game’s store before they can be used. While they’re considerably cheaper than all of the other abilities that can be purchased throughout the game, the fact that they aren’t a part of the player’s initial arsenal undercuts just how important these two abilities are.

The Wonderful 101: Remastered could have easily included a few additional optional tutorials to further explain some of its mechanics without breaking up the flow of the game, making it slightly more digestible for new players, but unfortunately the remaster doesn’t seem to be any less intimidating for newcomers than the initial release. This won’t be an issue for returning players who are already familiar with The Wonderful 101’s mechanics, but it’s a shame that the rather steep learning curve hasn’t been somewhat reduced this time around.

The gameplay is inarguably the main reason to play The Wonderful 101, but huge credit needs to be given to the game’s narrative, which far exceeds the quality of writing typically expected from the action genre. The set-up is simple: there’s a group of heroes called The Wonderful 100, and they protect Earth from alien invaders in a story that’s reminiscent of children’s Japanese superhero fiction, often poking fun at the tropes and conventions of the genre. It’s a mostly light-hearted and straightforward narrative, with a few moments of drama to add some tension, but what makes the story truly shine is the cast of characters and remarkably witty dialogue.

The chemistry and range in personalities found within the core cast – from the virtuous Wonder Red to the somewhat incompetent and arrogant Wonder Blue – makes the majority of the cutscenes and story beats thoroughly enjoyable to sit through, while its sense of humour feels sharp and natural. The story in The Wonderful 101 isn’t just there to provide context for the gameplay, but it further elevates the scenarios, culminating in one of the most shamelessly over-the-top finales I’ve ever witnessed in a videogame.

The sheer scale of the galactic invasion is exemplified through the game’s large variety of different set pieces and gameplay scenarios. While The Wonderful 101 is an action game at its core, it’s a title that frequently experiments with different gameplay styles, tipping its hat to a variety of different genres. When these divergences and gimmicks hit the mark, they pay-off extremely well, further escalating the insanity to new heights. The previously mentioned finale in particular wouldn’t be nearly as memorable without the game’s willingness to break away from its own genre’s restraints.

They can sometimes miss the mark however, occasionally feeling more frustrating and confusing than exhilarating or exciting. My least favourite of these gimmicks are the moments when you’re restricted in the number of heroes you control, either to just a single hero or a small group. These moments greatly obstruct the flexibility of gameplay, and while they can at first feel like a stark reminder of the importance of having a larger crowd of heroes, they’re repeated a few too many times before the credits roll.

Thankfully a few of the gimmick sections have been improved from the Wii U version, with the sequences that involve having to keep track of multiple screens at once now feeling more natural than they did on the Wii U. The ability to resize and move around a second smaller screen, as opposed to constantly having to refocus your eyesight between the Wii U’s gamepad and TV screen, makes keeping track of the chaos a much less daunting task.

The Wonderful 101 is such a spectacularly diverse game that it needs to be experienced first-hand to fully comprehend. At times it can feel like an overload of information, but it’s this relentless creativity that makes The Wonderful 101 a magnificent title. This isn’t just a unique spin on the action genre, it’s a title that oozes with enthusiasm in a way that very few games do, and although the remaster doesn’t do quite enough to alleviate the daunting learning curve, it’s one that action fans have no excuse to skip.