The Wonderful 101 is an action-adventure game released in 2013. It was created by PlatinumGames and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. Hideki Kamiya directed the game, and Atsushi Inaba produced it. The game was released in August 2013 in most major regions, but it came out in North America the next month. Reviews of the game were mostly positive, though it did not sell as well as expected.
A remastered version of the game was released in May 2020 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows. This version was funded through crowdfunding. In May 2021, a version for Amazon Luna became available. The remastered edition is PlatinumGames' first game that the company published itself. A free downloadable content expansion called The Wonderful One: After School Hero was released in May 2023. A separate version of this expansion was made available the following month.
Gameplay
In The Wonderful 101, players guide a group of superheroes from a high viewpoint and can change them into special objects called "Unite Morphs." As the game progresses, players must explore each level to find citizens in need and recruit them to join their team of heroes. The more heroes a player gathers, the stronger the special powers of the "Unite Morphs" become. To use these forms, players must use up their battery meter, which can be refilled by attacking enemies normally or collecting batteries dropped by defeated enemies. Enemies also drop "O parts," which are used to buy upgrades, new "Unite Morph" abilities, and items. To transform the group of heroes, players draw specific symbols on the Wii U GamePad’s touchscreen or right analog stick, such as an "L" for a gun or a wavy line for a whip. In certain areas, the GamePad automatically switches the view to a traditional, third-person perspective, making it easier to explore tight spaces like indoor rooms or caves.
The single-player story is divided into levels. Each level ends with a grade based on factors like how quickly the player completes the level and how much damage the player receives. The game also includes a cooperative mode that allows up to five players to play together. One player uses the Wii U GamePad, while the other four use Wii U Pro Controllers.
The downloadable expansion The Wonderful One: After School Hero introduces side-scrolling gameplay with a single hero named Luka. Players can use Luka’s goggles to shoot lasers in any direction and switch between three different laser types, each with unique advantages. The expansion includes 12 stages, unlockable bonus stages, score attack modes, and online leaderboards.
Synopsis
The Wonderful 101 takes place during the third war in a series of battles between Earth and the GEATHJERK Federation, a group of space aliens from another galaxy who have attacked Earth. The only hope for Earth is the Wonderful 100, a team of superheroes who work for the CENTINELS Planetary Secret Service, an organization created by the United Nations to protect Earth.
The main heroes include Will Wedgewood (Wonder-Red), a teacher from Blossom City and the leader of the team, whose father was killed by an alien named Laambo. Eliot Hooker (Wonder-Blue), a police detective whose older brother was killed by an alien named Vijounne, joins the team. Other heroes include Jean-Sebastain Renault (Wonder-Green), a weapons expert; Mariana Kretzulesco (Wonder-Pink), a fashion model; Ivan Istochinkov (Wonder-Yellow), a Russian soldier; Momoe Byakkoin (Wonder-White), a ninja trainee; and Krishna Ramanujan (Wonder-Black), a video game expert and genius.
Supporting characters include P-Star, a robot who helps the heroes; Laurence Nelson (Wonder-Captain), the leader of the CENTINELS; Alice MacGregor, an operator for the Virgin Victory, a spaceship used by the heroes; and James Shirogane, a scientist who helps the team. Luka Alan Smithee, a student at Blossom City Elementary School, joins the team after his mother, a CENTINELS scientist named Margarita, sacrifices her life to help create an artificial intelligence named Mother Platinum, which powers Earth’s protective shield. Luka becomes Wonder-Goggles at the end of the story.
Another character is Immorta, the last member of the Galactic Police Federation, and her brother, Prince Vorkken, who was brainwashed by an alien named Gimme. Gimme infected Vorkken with a virus carried by an insect called Vaaiki, turning him into the leader of the Guyzoch space pirates. The main villain is Jergingha, the leader of the GEATHJERK Federation, who wants to destroy Earth to take control of the galaxy.
The expansion, The Wonderful One: After School Hero, introduces Sue, a classmate of Luka. A GEATHJERK scientist named Wanna, who appears as a boss in the main game, becomes the main antagonist in the expansion.
The story begins with a school bus attacked by GEATHJERK aliens. Will Wedgewood, the teacher, transforms into Wonder-Red and teams up with other heroes to fight the aliens using special powers called Unite Morph. Luka, a student, expresses anger toward both the heroes and the aliens.
The heroes meet on the Virgin Victory to plan their strategy. Earth is protected by a shield called Margarita, powered by five reactors. The heroes travel around the world to protect these reactors and fight the aliens. They meet Professor Shirogane, who explains that once the reactors are safe, they will use a satellite cannon called the Shirogane Comet to destroy the remaining aliens.
During the journey, Wonder-Blue struggles with anger over his brother’s death, causing problems for the team. Red helps him find a way to work together. Luka secretly joins the team to stay safe.
The heroes fight Prince Vorkken and his pirate crew, Chewgi. Vorkken wants revenge on the GEATHJERK and uses powers similar to the heroes. With help from Immorta, the heroes defeat Vorkken and convince him that revenge has made him evil.
At the story’s climax, Luka betrays the heroes and joins Gimme, revealing that his pendant controls the reactors. He explains that his mother, Professor Margarita, died while working on the shield and wants the aliens to destroy Earth to get revenge. The heroes defeat Gimme and learn that Margarita is still alive, having become the artificial intelligence Mother Platinum. Luka gives up his revenge, and Mother Platinum creates a giant robot called "Platinum Robo." The heroes use the robot to reach the Shirogane Comet and destroy the alien fleet.
Jergingha, the GEATHJERK leader, reveals that his people are from the future, where Earth becomes an evil empire called the Greater Galactic Coalition. The GEATHJERK returned to the past to stop this future. Jergingha’s fortress turns into a giant robot, but the heroes, Immorta, and Vorkken combine their powers to destroy it. The Guyzoch leave to rebuild the worlds they attacked. The heroes vow to prevent Earth from becoming an evil empire. Luka joins the Wonderful 100, and the team becomes the "Wonderful 101."
The story ends with the heroes saving a school bus from aliens, just like the beginning. Later, Luka trains with the CENTINELS using a VR program managed by P-Star. Strange glitches occur, trapping Luka in the simulation. He sees his classmate Sue inside and sends help for her. P-Star rescues Luka, but Sue is found unconscious. They discover that Wanna, the GEATHJERK scientist, survived and turned into a computer virus. He used Luka’s ID card to infiltrate the CENTINELS network and trap Sue.
Luka demands to return to the simulation to stop Wanna and save Sue. P-Star agrees but gives him only 15 minutes before the network is shut down permanently.
Development
The idea for The Wonderful 101 began during the time the Wii was popular. The original idea came from Tatsuya Minami, president of PlatinumGames, who wanted to bring together popular video game characters in one game. At first, PlatinumGames thought of using Nintendo characters, but Nintendo questioned how the game’s mechanics could fill an entire game. Director Hideki Kamiya also worried about combining different Nintendo characters into a consistent formula, like in Super Smash Bros. After Kamiya worked on another game, development paused until that project was put on hold. He then decided to create five original heroes who could transform into weapons. The group later grew to 100 heroes, and the style changed to resemble American comic books.
After meeting stretch goals in a Kickstarter campaign for a remaster, PlatinumGames released the game’s design document.
Although the game was initially planned for the Wii, it became exclusive to the Wii U after PlatinumGames and Nintendo finalized their partnership. To use the console’s unique features, developers used the GamePad to activate "Unite Morphs."
The game’s music was composed by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Akira Takizawa, Hitomi Kurokawa, Norihiko Hibino, Masato Kouda, and Rei Kondoh. The theme songs are "The Won-Stoppable Wonderful 100" and "The Won-Stoppable Wonderful 101." They were performed by Foresta in Japan and Jimmy Wilcox, Rob McElroy, and Bruce Blanchard in English. A two-volume official soundtrack was released in September 2014. For the remaster, Yoko Shimomura, Keiichi Okabe, and Yuzo Koshiro provided new arrangements.
The Wonderful 101 was first shown at E3 2012, called Project P-100. Nintendo later promoted the game with a "Wonderful Wednesday" campaign, releasing new character portraits each week before launch. Kamiya expressed concern about the lack of marketing, noting the game required more resources than Bayonetta, PlatinumGames’ biggest game. The game was later shown in a Nintendo Direct presentation.
In 2018, Kamiya mentioned ideas for a Nintendo Switch port. In 2020, PlatinumGames launched a Kickstarter to remaster the game for the Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows. Nintendo wanted the remaster to be exclusive to the Switch, but PlatinumGames wanted it on more platforms. Nintendo allowed the remaster but did not publish it, letting PlatinumGames self-publish. The Kickstarter aimed to gauge interest and help cover publishing costs. The team also planned to adapt the two-screen gameplay from the Wii U version to single-screen platforms.
The campaign quickly met its goals, raising over $2.25 million. Stretch goals included a 2D side-scrolling game about Luka and orchestral arrangements of two songs. The remastered version was released digitally in 2020, with additional downloadable content added in 2021 and 2023.
Some issues occurred with delivering rewards, such as art books and custom controllers, and the physical edition was delayed. Codes for the Switch version were also delivered inconsistently.
Reception
The Wonderful 101 received mostly positive reviews from critics. It has an average score of 78 out of 100 on Metacritic. Reviewers praised the game’s creative gameplay and the variety of combat options, but some found the difficulty of learning to play the game challenging. Some critics disliked this, while others, like Michael Nelson from Nintendo Enthusiast, believed the game required skill and was a good challenge.
Most reviewers enjoyed the game’s silly and imaginative story, characters, and humor. However, some critics thought the few jokes about adult topics were not appropriate for a game rated for teenagers. Some reviewers felt the game was too long and had repeated enemies and boss fights, while others believed the game’s pacing was fine because new abilities and upgrades were introduced regularly.
Players had to draw shapes on the GamePad’s touchscreen to create weapons. Some reviewers said the GamePad worked well for simple shapes like swords or fists but had trouble with more complex designs. Others found that using the GamePad for simple shapes and the right analogue stick for others was more reliable. The camera was criticized for being too far away to track all characters during battles but too close to see enemies outside the view.
Reviewers agreed the game was very challenging, as expected from PlatinumGames. Some said the controls and camera made the game harder. Most critics liked how the GamePad’s second screen was used creatively, but a few said using the controller’s gyroscope to move inside buildings was awkward. Many enjoyed the multiplayer mode, but some said it was hard to keep track of their characters. Most thought the multiplayer felt like an added feature that did not fit well with the rest of the game. The game’s colorful art style, exciting battle effects, and large, dramatic bosses were praised. The voice acting and music were also well-received.
Nintendo released 30,000 copies of the game in Japan at launch. It sold 5,258 physical copies in its first week in Japan and later sold 27,028 physical units there. The game reached 22nd place on the UK sales chart in its first week. In the United States, it sold 49,000 units by the end of 2013. This means the game sold a total of 79,000 units in Japan and the United States combined.
Legacy
Both Atsushi Inaba and Hideki Kamiya have said they are interested in making a sequel. In September 2024, it was confirmed that PlatinumGames officially acquired the Wonderful 101 trademark from Nintendo.
The seven main characters became Trophies in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Wonder-Red and Wonder-Blue became Spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.