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. rodericrinehart
    Feb 7, 2015
    7
    I appreciate the game and I think many people will love it, but it just wasn't for me. The art and story seem to be great, but I would have preferred not to draw shapes on the GamePad.
  2. kiwijinxter
    Jan 6, 2015
    6
    If you know and play Platinum's popular games like Bayonetta 1 & 2, then you know what to expect with Wonderful 101, also by Platinum: it will be frantic, it will have crazy big-ass bosses, it will rate you with pure platinum, platinum, gold, silver, bronze or er... consolation medal (means you sucked at that particular segment of the game - which I did for quite a few parts of the game).If you know and play Platinum's popular games like Bayonetta 1 & 2, then you know what to expect with Wonderful 101, also by Platinum: it will be frantic, it will have crazy big-ass bosses, it will rate you with pure platinum, platinum, gold, silver, bronze or er... consolation medal (means you sucked at that particular segment of the game - which I did for quite a few parts of the game). However, it's different from Bayonetta though.

    The premise of Wonderful 101 is all about rather quick drawing reflexes. The whole game is based on having a group of tiny heroes that "form" (called unite morph!) the weapon you use against the alien invaders. And to "form" the weapon, you have to draw it out e.g. for a sword, it's a straight line up then press A; for claws, it's a reverse Z then press A; etc. So mostly the learning curve really revolves around drawing the weapon. (here's a hint: use the right thumb pad, I found it more responsive than drawing on the touchpad).

    My first 2-3 missions was a chore as I struggled to find my balance in how to draw the darned shapes. So I really hated it at first. But once I got the hang of it, I started enjoying it more as the game became much smoother and I became more proficient at getting at enemies. In fact, I found Wonderful 101 much easier to pickup than the 3DS' Kid Icarus Uprising which I gave up on as I hated its controls - I would say Wonderful 101's gameplay is saved by the responsiveness of the right thumb pad. Like Bayonetta, what kept me going at the game is that there is generally some freshness in every mission, and the bosses are really fun to deal with.

    Plus the game's storyline can offer a chuckle or two. Generally the game doesn't take itself too seriously so it has a lot of slapstick comedy, which is actually quite funny. Even bosses add to the comedy.

    However, there are some things that irk me in the game. Firstly, the camera angle. Sometimes it's hard to tell which way you're supposed to go because it's very limited in it's panning. It gets worse when you're inside a building and you have to use the game pad to move around - it's a pain. Sometimes it's because of the horrible camera angle means I fall to my death because I can't see where I'm going. Secondly, quick time events. Those frantic button presses at some points in the game is stupid and gives me repetitive strain injury. I think it could've done without it. Thirdly, sometimes the wrong unite morphs get registered and you end up using the wrong weapon and you have to frantically redraw. Fortunately, Platinum was smart enough stop time when you draw, so you don't get hammered. Fourthly, there are some cheap deaths. Sometimes, it's because I'm landed in a totally foreign situation where there is no hint on what I'm supposed to do and some moving contraption just killed me off.

    Overall, I felt the game overall was actually quite difficult. I played it on Very Easy and even then I died quite a few times. But the storyline and the variations in gameplay did keep me going to the end. I think this game could be much much better if they sorted out the camera angles and ease the controls a little. If you're looking for a perfect Platinum game, play Bayonetta 2. The Wonderful 101 feels more like a prelude to the greatness contained in Bayonetta 2. What Platinum didn't get right in Wonderful 101, they perfected in Bayonetta 2.    … Expand
  3. kevin1616
    Sep 30, 2013
    6
    The game is good. The quality is there, but I thought it was going to be something better. Gaming sites were patronizing the game as if it was going to be a system seller when it is not. The game is good, enjoyable and a good purchase if you love action games, but there are more thing to play on the WII U so I would not recommended unless you have played all games available on WII UThe game is good. The quality is there, but I thought it was going to be something better. Gaming sites were patronizing the game as if it was going to be a system seller when it is not. The game is good, enjoyable and a good purchase if you love action games, but there are more thing to play on the WII U so I would not recommended unless you have played all games available on WII U because I would recommend any game before this one.… Expand
  4. curzon_dax
    Jan 2, 2021
    6
    It seems like a game that you might love if you're really into that genre, but it can be frustrating to control and it is very spammy at graphics and sounds for little reason. It reminds of old arcade games that were mainly trying to impress the people watching them rather than the ones actually playing.
  5. Lycria
    Oct 9, 2016
    5
    I went into The Wonderful 101 with Bayonetta 2 and Metal Gear Rising fresh in my mind. But what i got was just a mess.

    First off for whatever reason Nintendo/Platinum insists that the gamepad is used. During certain segments you will go inside a building and the perspective will change to the screen on the gamepad. You can use the - button to change between which screen shows what, and    I went into The Wonderful 101 with Bayonetta 2 and Metal Gear Rising fresh in my mind. But what i got was just a mess.

    First off for whatever reason Nintendo/Platinum insists that the gamepad is used. During certain segments you will go inside a building and the perspective will change to the screen on the gamepad. You can use the - button to change between which screen shows what, and even show the map/screen on the lower right corner but this is just a hassle.

    Also the game doesn't start you with any sort of dodge ability. This is acquired from the store fairly early if you check it out, but before you get to the store the first mission on normal and higher can be frustrating. Enemies will attack you with laser precision and with the lack of a targeting system it makes it hard to focus on enemies. Now I'm sure they did this because of the sure size of some of the battles, but seeing how you can be fighting one large enemy off to the left, and another will charge you from the right and takes away 15% of your health in one hit can start to get irritating. Some enemies can also have shields, allowing you only to attack from the rear makes it difficult to kill some of the larger enemies.

    The story is alright, but lacks some of the writing that Viewtiful Joe and Bayonetta had (the art is very reminiscent of Viewtiful Joe).

    Overall the game play is not as intuitive as I would of hopped, and creating weapons can get annoying when you're trying to creating something in the short amount of time they allow you (you need to draw out the item with the right joy stick)

    For myself I didn't think the game was terrible, but I also was not having any fun while playing it.    … Expand
  6. Stlouzilla
    May 30, 2017
    6
    The Wonderful 101 is that rare Nintendo game that simply didn't resonate with me. The presentation and lore is vibrant and interesting, the core concept is unique and engaging, and the gameplay is innovative and solid but something about it doesn't hit home. The game is very busy and I couldn't get invested to the extent that it seemed to demand. It may sound simple and reductive but IThe Wonderful 101 is that rare Nintendo game that simply didn't resonate with me. The presentation and lore is vibrant and interesting, the core concept is unique and engaging, and the gameplay is innovative and solid but something about it doesn't hit home. The game is very busy and I couldn't get invested to the extent that it seemed to demand. It may sound simple and reductive but I just didn't think the game was very fun.… Expand
  7. darkzaga
    Mar 29, 2017
    7
    No es un mal juego y no son malas las mecánicas. No soy objetivo con mi nota ya que es una cuestión personal el hecho de no gustarme. Esperaba el juego con muchas expectativas y este no llegó a cumplirlas.
  8. Meta1234
    Apr 21, 2018
    7
    Great credit goes to the originality of the game in terms of gameplay mechanics. I also see some enthusiastic reviews from other users.

    Unfortunately for me, I got stuck and never completed the game since I could not keep up with the pace of the game. If I give it another go in the future (small chances) I will update the score accordingly.

    For now it is a 7.
  9. XV_
    May 11, 2019
    6
    I didn't expect Wonderful 101 to be this bad, but here we are. I really liked the character design and all the artistic choices grew on me, also the plot took an interesting twist here and there and the story has a lot of heart, however the storytelling isn't on par and there's a lot of cringy and cheesy comedy that didn't work for me, even the game seemed to be annoyed by it btw.

    The    I didn't expect Wonderful 101 to be this bad, but here we are. I really liked the character design and all the artistic choices grew on me, also the plot took an interesting twist here and there and the story has a lot of heart, however the storytelling isn't on par and there's a lot of cringy and cheesy comedy that didn't work for me, even the game seemed to be annoyed by it btw.

    The worst problem is the gameplay, it has a lot of great ideas but they all fall short, very very very short. The battle system is a mess and there's a lot of enemies that have way to much HP, boss battles that are like 10-15 min feel like an eternity because there's a lot of hit and run in this game, perhaps I was playing it wrong (I did look for how to play videos), but it seems that the game tries too hard to not explain the mechanics. I died a lot but it doesn't even matter because you have 5 continues and Arcade style you appear on the same spot with the same HP of the enemy, that was good because it will be a torture to any level from start.

    Thanks to this game I discovered what I dislike of Hideki Kamiya's games, that they always have a lot of ideas but lack the polish and they really overstays its welcome. By the 3/4 of this game, I was really looking forward to finishing it but the thing just went on and on, if my homeboy Wonder Red and some other main characters were there, maybe I didn't make it at all. I will not recommend this game to anybody unless you're like a big fan of Kamiya's work and want to play all of his games, but if not, maybe you should skip this one.    … Expand

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

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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.
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  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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