The Wonderful 101

 Wii U
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 546 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 472 out of 546
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 546
  3. Negative: 40 out of 546
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  1. wellspokenman
    Oct 3, 2016
    3
    Bad. Not misunderstood. Just bad. Wonderful art and a great concept sucked me into this, but the lack of clear objectives, horrendously unreliable controls, bad mini game after bad mini game and complete lack of communication to the player left me seriously frustrated. What a terrible, terrible game. I deeply regret taking the time to finish this.
  2. tmgravy
    Jan 24, 2015
    0
    Awful. Simply awful. None of the features work correctly. Most of the game is frustrating and made me feel like I was controlling a punching bag. Avoid at all costs.
  3. stingrayBR
    Feb 3, 2015
    0
    This game is the perfect example how the controller could broke a game. The Wii U gamepad is a total mess and confusing , the simple act of drawing a weapon is a pain
  4. Matthewlh
    Sep 14, 2014
    0
    Easily one of the worst games I've ever played. Don't play it.
    For those who claim that difficulty makes a game worthwhile I'm playing it on "normal." Games are meant to be fun, not difficult. Difficulty should be a choice not a requirement. It is stupid to make a game look so childish then be so difficult. It is great this is not going to be a viable IP. It should stay that way. Don't    Easily one of the worst games I've ever played. Don't play it.
    For those who claim that difficulty makes a game worthwhile I'm playing it on "normal." Games are meant to be fun, not difficult. Difficulty should be a choice not a requirement. It is stupid to make a game look so childish then be so difficult. It is great this is not going to be a viable IP. It should stay that way. Don't waste money on this nonsense.    … Expand
  5. PuckMan
    Sep 15, 2013
    2
    When switching weapons in a fast paced action game that requires quick reflexes and split second timing it is vital that the player is able to do so as quickly and efficiently as possible. Traditionally this has been achieved using a normal control pad and a single button press, The Wonderful 101 does things a little differently (much to my annoyance). To change weapons in The WonderfulWhen switching weapons in a fast paced action game that requires quick reflexes and split second timing it is vital that the player is able to do so as quickly and efficiently as possible. Traditionally this has been achieved using a normal control pad and a single button press, The Wonderful 101 does things a little differently (much to my annoyance). To change weapons in The Wonderful 101 (an action which will be required thousands of times) the player must look down at the gamepads touchscreen, remove the stylus from it's holster, draw a squiggly line roughly in the shape of the weapon they want to select then quickly press one of the face buttons, put the stylus away and look back up at the TV screen and continue playing. Oh and that's when it works, there will be many times you will mess up and have to do it all again, just to change weapons.

    But the controls are just the beginning of this games problems. Levels are mostly made up of a series of skirmishes involving enemies with health bars that require far too many hits to deplete. With a combat system that has none of depths or nuance of it's big sister Bayonetta you know your in button mashing territory and my god does it feel like hard work.

    Artistically the graphics look nice but the flashy visual effects make it impossible to see where your tiny little men are or sometimes even distinguish them from enemies. The static camera also obstructs your view regularly.

    The pain keeps piling on in the form of an indecipherable leveling up system and when unreliable touch screen controls combine with irritating quick time events the game becomes virtually unplayable.

    On a positive note the voice acting is very good but that counts for little when the game underneath is so horribly broken. Hopefully lessons will be learned here as to not shoehorn touch screen controls into games where it is not necessary or logical to do so.    … Expand
  6. AJCk19
    Jul 9, 2021
    4
    I really want to like this game, but it just needs to improve the controls. Hopefully they make a Wonderful 102 for Switch and PC.

    PROS
    Aesthetics and presentation is nice; I absolutely adore the characters.

    CONS
    The controls are so frustrating. I be better off playing some sort of other action game like Bayonetta, God of War, or/and Devil May Cry.

Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best Wii U Game of 2013
5
#5 Most Discussed Wii U Game of 2013
1
#1 Most Shared Wii U Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 75
  3. Negative: 0 out of 75
  1. Level7.nu
    Dec 12, 2013
    60
    The Wonderful 101 bursts with charm, humour and style. It is very easy to care for the characters and their universe. But frequent trouble with the controls breaks the tempo far too often. Something that also racks up the challenge unnecessarily high in an already hard game. But at the same time the battle system is a joy, if hard to master. It’s a very good game with some rough edges that feels very well needed on the Nintendo Wii U.
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  2. Universo Nintendo
    Oct 29, 2013
    90
    This is the kind of experience which Nintendo promised when it announced the console - the kind of experience it deserves.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 24, 2013
    80
    Full of ideas, humor and difficulty, The Wonderful 101 will keep you glued to the screen, which can be both good & bad. But a little bit of challenge from a difficult game never killed anyone, right? [Issue#234]
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