Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews

As a remaster, this updated version of The Wonderful 101 is not going to impress anyone with its minor improvements to performance and small adjustments to make it a bit more accessible to newcomers. However, the fact remains that this is The Wonderful 101, one of the best action games of a generation, and one that has tragically – until now – been locked on a relatively niche console. This remaster is the best way to play The Wonderful 101, which is something that I can’t recommend strongly enough, for those willing to power through its learning curve.

Just like the Franken-console it first called home, this groundbreaking Nintendo-published, Platinum-developed game felt like an amalgamation of everything both storied studios did best. [Issue #47 – July/August 2020, p. 76]

The Wonderful 101 Remastered is an incredible action game, one definitely worthy of playing for those who skipped over it on Wii U. The unique battle mechanics make it a standout and borderline essential for action game fans, while those more casual fans who just want a big explosive adventure will find a lot to love here. And if any game deserves to be played by a wider audience, this has to be it.

The Wonderful 101 remains one of the most brilliant and original action games ever made: an amazing brawler with elaborate mechanics, a colorful cast, and amazing boss fights and gameplay variations.

The Wonderful 101 is not for everybody, and while the Wii U didn’t really do it any favors, I think it’s initial reception was proof of that. But time has passed, tastes change, word of mouth spreads, and appreciation grows. So maybe, with The Wonderful 101: Remastered, “not for everybody” includes at least a few more people this time.

The Wii U classic is just as entertaining as it was back in the day, even if it’s more of a port than a remaster.

Marrying astonishing spectacle and overwrought drama, The Wonderful 101: Remastered is one of the most memorable action games you’ll ever play. Its delirious excesses come with a price, and it’s one that’s at little harder to forgive this time, with the original’s flaws remaining untouched, and a few compromises made to accommodate the Wii U version’s dual-screen set-pieces. But for all its minor frustrations, it’s a game that rewards patience and perseverance. Grit your teeth through its control quirks and camera foibles and relish the giddy spectacle of a game that doesn’t know when to stop.

This is a wild Japanese superheros-spoof mixed with a hack&slay extravaganza. Despite control issues this was and still is in a lot of ways a remarkable videogame.

As a remaster it could’ve been better, but it still manages to keep all the fun intact. It’s one of the most unique hack & slash games ever made, and if you missed it on Wii U, you shouldn’t miss this second chance.

Like an orchestral (Platinum) score, The Wonderful 101 requires some deciphering first and many repetitions - as this slightly Remastered rendition show - to be assimilated. Only then, pleasure kicks in, while revealing its grandeur. Such jubilation leads to forgive, if not forget all the rambling through this delirious, overactive and genuinely unique work of Hideki Kamiya, still destined for the rare "happy viewtiful".