THE WONDERFUL 101: REMASTERED Throw some shapes and remaster alien faces
Stylish character action games are bread and butter to PlatinumGames, the studio whose staff worked on the likes of Devil May Cry and God Hand, and which established itself with Bayonetta. The Wonderful 101 very much follows Platinum tradition, taking you from mission to mission, scoring each battle you have, and allowing you to mix some dazzling combos, buffet-style. But also it’s like nothing else you’ve ever played.
What makes The Wonderful 101 feel original is that it’s more of a characters action game.
Up to 100 of them, to be exact (the extra one is you, the player). You control the Wonderful Ones, an international group of heroes with secret identities. With the world under threat, they must come together. Newbie Wonder-Red (teacher by day) is assigned leader of the mission to repel the GEATHJERK invasion (Guild of Evil Aliens Terrorizing Humans with Jiggawatt bombs, Energy beams, Ray guns, and Killer lasers).
WONDERFULS ASSEMBLE
United, the heroes can pull off feats that would be impossible individually. Specifically, they can combine to create Unite Morphs. While the legion is made up of heroes with bizarre specialities (such as Wonder-Clown, Wonder-Ice Cream, and Wonder Beer), the main characters are colourcoded and teach you new weapon forms. Wonder-Red allows the team to use UniteFist, Wonder-Blue Unite-Sword, while others take you through to the likes of guns and whips.
Using the ‘Wonder-Liner’, with the analogue stick you draw a shape by forming a line with the Ones, which dictates who will be the group leader and which weapon you’ll be using in your attacks (you can use the touchpad but it feels clunkier and space is limited).
A circle turns red and a tap of e creates the fist. A line, and you get the sword. Later weapons get more complicated, but it’s able to generously recognise the simple patterns.
The size of the shape has an impact on the usefulness of your weapon. The bigger it is, the more damage it will do. But you’ll need people to squish into a large form, as well as enough of the battery power you collect throughout each level. You can find and collect more Ones, and rescued citizens will join in on a perlevel basis. Each weapon has its own advantages, so you’ll end up swiftly drawing new shapes
“UNITED, THE HEROES CAN PULL OFF FEATS THAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE INDIVIDUALLY.”
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You might be small, but together you can take on anything.