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[Oidisco]

This game seriously pissed me off at times. The puzzles, chase sequences, Gamepad sections were all terrible, and in general the level-design wasn't the best.

I did end up finishing it though, and the moments where it shines are absolutely worth getting through those crappier parts of the game. One thing I found helpful was replaying the 1st Operation a few times over the course of the game. It's relatively simple and less chaotic compared to everything else, so it's a good way to practice combos, dodging and blocking.

 

[OryoN]

I don't understand the GAF love.
To me W101 felt like "Ok - What random bunch of consecutive inputs do I need to do to get through this next set piece?" Ugh.

Well, that explains a lot...

Wonderful 101 isn't a game you just start playing. Wonderful 101 is a masterpiece. It's a game you study for hours. Only then can you appreciate its majesty.

I agree! I find that the vast majority of people - who can't appreciate the gem that this game is - just couldn't understand the intricate mechanics of this game. From there, much of their criticism seem rather unfair.

I swear this has to be the most divisive game I've ever played where I'm 110% on the side of "Amazing." I have no idea how people find it so difficult. It's to the point that I can't even give advice because I just don't understand how some find the mechanics so incomprehensible.

I, too, have no idea why. Though the deeper aspects of the mechanics are left to experimentation and discovery(for those willings to invest), most of the basic stuff that one needs to get through the game, and have fun doing so, is there. The only fault being that the game doesn't urge new players to purchase/equip unite guts and spring. It just leaves them wondering why they suck so badly, or why the game is so incredibly hard, for hours. We gamers share some blame too. We have gotten pretty lazy these days in the way we approach games. All that could be avoided if a player just bothered LOOKING in the store and previewing the first two easily/only affordable items on the list.

 

[Kintaro]

A forum that adores Dark Souls but struggles to understand The Wonderful 101 is...baffling to me. Yes, I'm generalizing a bit here but...weird. =x

 

[Timeaisis]

Took me till like mission 6 to get it to click. I was really frustrated before that. It's really freaking good once you get it.

 

[SmokedMeat]

I shelved it after the battle with the doppelgänger team. Speaking of which it's a concept Platinum seems to adore so much it's in every game they make. Gotta have that doppelgänger in there.

Anyways that battle was just one big clusterfuck, as Were both jumping around whacking each other as I whittle down their blue health bar, then yellow, purple, orange, indigo, pink, white, and red before it finally ends.

Intended to go back at some point, but just haven't had the desire.

 

[Coffee Dog]

A forum that adores Dark Souls but struggles to understand The Wonderful 101 is...baffling to me. Yes, I'm generalizing a bit here but...weird. =x

Dark Souls is a very familiar game. You can come to it with knowledge of other games and apply that. It's not exactly mass appealing, but it is significantly easier to grasp.

W101 plays like a combination of action games, strategy games, with fighting game elements. It requires you to manage elements of three already very niche genres. It's not a surprise that it would be difficult for a lot of people to get their heads around.

 

[LiamR]

A lot of the criticism here seems to stem from people who have no idea what they're doing and sound terrible at the game.

 

[Windom Earle]

According to your Avatar you like a videogame that challenges you. And yet you are afraid of a little action brawler.

For some reason action games tend to stress me out (If they are not Bayonetta). Souls series is more slow paced, so I can live with that.

Play the demo until it clicks. I spent hours replaying the demo,
so i could get a hang of the controls and combo system before the game came out. Btw, the demo doesn't explain much.

Thanks, will do that!

 

[ironcreed]

I got it from Gamefly yesterday, but am going to send it back. Trying to maintain control of this giant group of characters feels like a mess and I just can't get into it. I still love Platinum, though. I just don't like this game.

 

[Timeaisis]

Dark Souls is a very familiar game. You can come to it with knowledge of other games and apply that. It's not exactly mass appealing, but it is significantly easier to grasp.

W101 plays like a combination of action games, strategy games, with fighting game elements. It requires you to manage elements of three already very niche genres. It's not a surprise that it would be difficult for a lot of people to get their heads around.

I don't know about all that. Dark Souls took me 15 hours to figure out. TW101 took me around 5. The difference is DaS has mysterious concepts wrapped around familiar mechanics, while TW101 has familiar concepts wrapped around unique mechanics. Once you grasp combat mechanics for TW101 everything else clicks. Not so for DaS. TW101 was much easier to learn for me. After the initial struggle it was all fun. Dark Souls had many moments where I thought I got it, but then realized I did not.

 

[Jintor]

I shelved it after the battle with the doppelgänger team. Speaking of which it's a concept Platinum seems to adore so much it's in every game they make. Gotta have that doppelgänger in there.

Anyways that battle was just one big clusterfuck, as Were both jumping around whacking each other as I whittle down their blue health bar, then yellow, purple, orange, indigo, pink, white, and red before it finally ends.

Intended to go back at some point, but just haven't had the desire.

My only problem with that damn doppelganger fight is that the framerate TANKS, especially when you have Hero Time equipped.

Otherwise, Vorkie is A+, especially once you start learning how he operates. (He's pretty simple on normal, but I'm gearing up for a hard run at some point)

 

[Weltall Zero]

Or hovering the fist above you and…pause! SLAM! Gotcha.

What the hell? What was the problem with this move? It was perfectly telegraphed! Seriously, this is reaching "complaining for the sake of complaining" levels.

 

[kinggroin]

A lot of the criticism here seems to stem from people who have no idea what they're doing and sound terrible at the game.

Plus the game not holding hands.

This is definitely a title that gives back what you put in, and more.

Aint nobody got time for that

 

[Sushigod7]

Watch these videos

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrwWQGfD4d7H_r3hkL6xsJRbQK_R5Du0y

Do it, I'm serious.

Holy shit mind blown by first video this is amazing I just started playing I'm going to study these.

 

[AggroWill]

It's a Platinum game, so... the mechanics? Definitely. The story? Fuck no.

 

[Jintor]

What the hell? What was the problem with this move? It was perfectly telegraphed! Seriously, this is reaching "complaining for the sake of complaining" levels.

I've never figured out of if it's REAL -> REAL -> FAKE-OUT or not. If it's not I can still dodge it but it ruins the awesome thing you do where you punch the guy with his own arm. (To be fair that can happen like five times in that fight)

 

[bananafactory]

The biggest challenge for me so far is performing the moves/combos even once I know the input required , something I've never been good at in games. It reminds me of every time I've tried to play a fighting game and struggle to pull off the simplest command.

 

[H2intensity]

I guess this is a big issue I have with games like this. For a game to warrant a second playthrough, the game had to have been really fun the first time. If I'm not enjoying myself not even halfway through the game, I'm probably not going to give a second playthrough another thought, let alone finish it.

that's why i suggesting people who got hard time to learn it should play it in easy difficulty..in easy difficulty the game is fun and when you finished it (you should finish it cos the whole story is awesome..crazy one XD ) then after that, you already master all the technique and can enjoy the game in a new way...

 

[skLaFarebear]

I shelved it after the battle with the doppelgänger team. Speaking of which it's a concept Platinum seems to adore so much it's in every game they make. Gotta have that doppelgänger in there.

Its actually a rival fight and they're the best thing to happen to video games ever. DMC3's Vergil fights are proof of that.

Imo, this is the second best game Kamiya's ever made (okami is first) and the best game Platinum's ever put out. This game is a freaking masterpiece aside from the sometimes clunky controls. Its basically the Gurren Lagann of video games.

 

[Marjar]

that's why i suggesting people who got hard time to learn it should play it in easy difficulty..in easy difficulty the game is fun and when you finished it (you should finish it cos the whole story is awesome..crazy one XD ) then after that, you already master all the technique and can enjoy the game in a new way...

The problem is that I was playing it on easy. :X

 

[10k]

I finished the game on Normal (with some deaths of course) without even watching tutorials.
I did play the demo for about 2 hours though.

I was gonna say the same thing. I found that when I struggled I switched from drawing with my finger to the right analogue stick and then boom. Vicious combos and frantic fun. You guys are making me want to play this game again haha.

 

[SweetDonuts]

Still waiting for it to click for me, it's interesting and I didn't find the controls all that hard to grasp, but I'm just not finding it that enjoyable.

 

[The Technomancer]

So when I'm Unite Whipping spikes off of someone, is there some technique to getting it to grapple? Currently I'm just wailing on him and sometimes it randomly grabs the spikes

 

[Jintor]

So when I'm Unite Whipping spikes off of someone, is there some technique to getting it to grapple? Currently I'm just wailing on him and sometimes it randomly grabs the spikes

It grapples at set damage intervals. If you want to grapple faster, use a bigger whip

 

[Weltall Zero]

So when I'm Unite Whipping spikes off of someone, is there some technique to getting it to grapple? Currently I'm just wailing on him and sometimes it randomly grabs the spikes

It depends on the size of the whip. With a full size whip (100 members), it will latch on after two full combos.

 

[kunonabi]

It's a very weird game. Once it all comes together, it easily rivals the best action games, but it's so different from everything else, and (more importantly) it doesn't explain itself even close to sufficiently, so you actually have to put in effort to make it click. I love Kamiya so much that I knew there was something brilliant in there, but I definitely struggled for a while, watching videos and talking to people before everything made sense to me. Some of the more important stuff (dodge, block) have been mentioned, but also don't even bother trying to draw weapons with the stylus. Learn how to do it quickly via the right stick, as this will let you combo between weapons effortlessly once you get it down.

personally i prefer using the touch screen with my left thumb for morphs. works even quicker than the analog stick for me.

w101 is one of those games where you get out of it what you put in. It doesn't tell you everything because it wants you to experiment and really think about your approach to new situations.

 

[Holy Order Sol]

People are pointing others to youtube videos to quickly bring them up to speed regarding the basics because they missed them the first time around. You don't actually NEED to watch that if you pay attention and try things out early in the game.

Now if you want to see what the game looks like when mastered sure take a look.

Also if you can't handle Normal right away, just go with Easy. Just like Bayonetta, the game is built so that you can take advantage both of your upgrades and what you've learned as a player on subsequent playthroughs.

 

[bobbychalkers]

So when I'm Unite Whipping spikes off of someone, is there some technique to getting it to grapple? Currently I'm just wailing on him and sometimes it randomly grabs the spikes

Platinum actually posted a tips and tricks section on their blog, it goes over some of the more hidden mechanics, I'll just rip it from there:

- Beware the Giant Whip
Let’s talk about those spike-armored pains-in-the-rear, the Gedie Dough-Goo.
I’m sure a lot of you think that beating them is a time-consuming and risky business, what with all the whipping and the peeling and then some more of the whipping and the peeling.

It helps to know then, that when a Gedie Dough-Goo is staggering, you can peel off several parts at once by creating as large a Unite Whip as possible.
If the Unite Whip is large enough, you can take off a huge chunk of the Gedie Dough-Goo’s armor, and it’s even possible to completely strip him naked in only two staggers.

Did you know that the moment the Gedie Dough-Goo starts spinning is actually your best chance? Many players might be inclined to run away to avoid being hit, but hitting the Gedie Dough-Goo with a Unite Whip while its spinning actually makes it easier to stagger.

Get a nice, large party together and witness the devastating force of Unite Whip! If you’re not very good at drawing large shapes in the heat of battle, you should purchase the Unite Charge Custom Block.

Tons of good info on it if you want to read on:
Tips and Tricks pt1
Tips and Tricks pt2

 

[Piers]

What the hell? What was the problem with this move? It was perfectly telegraphed! Seriously, this is reaching "complaining for the sake of complaining" levels.

I'm talking on the level of newcomer. Yes, of course you'd see it coming after he squashes you enough times.

But when he randomly switches between straight-up slamming to pausing, that sort of design is basically saying "I want to throw players off."

There are options to it, though, and quick reflexes help regardless. Besides that, recently I got the Punch-Out bottle cap. Unfortunately P* decided to start the fight in question with the boss sucker punching you with a random attack. With no checkpoints to speak of, that's kind of cruel, even if an optional challenge.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

The biggest challenge for me so far is performing the moves/combos even once I know the input required , something I've never been good at in games. It reminds me of every time I've tried to play a fighting game and struggle to pull off the simplest command.

Same here, i beat the game and i dont think i pulled off a combo, not on purpose anyways.

 

[Jarsonot]

Just got stuck in operation 3 (I believe).

Spoilers, I suppose, though minor:



Ship is burning down, I'm on the run. Ship is rotating, burning up. Gotta avoid the fire, stay with the rotation so I don't fall off. Exploring around and I find a hole I can hammer open but I'm not falling for that again! If you open it you're pulled into the next section without being able to continue exploring.

So I ignore the hole and continue on, find a dial I can turn, turn it. An obstacle is removed, allowing me to continue, but I'm not falling for that again! Some places auto advance you and don't allow to go back and continue exploring.

So. Not knowing which way ends the segment vs having fabulous treasure, I hammer the hole and fall into the ship.

The ship is spinning, there are people to rescue. I'm moving along, rescuing. Some enemies, then a huge wall of fire. Hurts me if I touch it, can't go past it.

It's suspicious though, has a couple things that might be movable/spinnable? But can't seem to get to them so maybe not? And there are some people I still can't seem to rescue, for some reason I can't rope them up with my line. So after fiddling around trying to rope up the people, about 10 minutes and 1 death later (trying things to put out the wall of fire) I head in the other direction.

Nothing. Can walk back for a ways, but there's nothing. Takes a while to check, because the ship is spinning and you can only see a bit at a time, so you have to move, and then wait for the spin. Anyway. Back to the fire.

+ and - do nothing. I'm guessing because I'm inside the ship? But I read through the quick guide, and aha! The sword can absorb electricity! That's right! There was electricity back there, so I head back and try for a few minutes... Nope. Quick guide.

Aha! The hammer can protect you from incoming fire! Now I know what they mean by that, and it's not literally "fire" but by this point I'll try it. Nope.

So. Can't go back. Can't go through wall of fire. Have tried looking for exits. Have tried everything I can think of on wall of fire. Hand grabs, whips, sword, gun, hammer, wonder line, jumping, etc.

There are still people I can't rope in, have throughout this process tried many, many times.

Since + and - don't work I can neither quit nor save the game through the menu, end up turning it off and wishing I hadn't chosen to open up the hammer hole in the first place.

--end of frustrating story--

There are (so far) a disturbing amount of things not communicated to me either WELL or AT ALL. The combat is fun, but I've been frustrated a few times in the platforming ("oh for god's sake - I needed a ladder there?") ("oh you can't jump that, unlike the many others you can") ("oh, this completely normal looking far corner triggers a cutscene, but only if one ventures far enough into it after seeing it's barren and not worth venturing into!") and in the environmental "puzzles" just not explaining what they want from me. I'm not stupid, and I am willing to RTFM and try things out, but when that's necessary time and time again only to reveal what seems less like a puzzle, more like shitty design...

Maybe it gets better. I'll keep playing (I do enjoy the combat) and hoping maybe each time will be the last. =)

 

[LoveCake]

This might help.

Probably won't make you amazing at the game instantly, but it certainly won't hurt to watch them. How familiar are you with these kind of action games? (Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising).

It's also absolutely imperative that you purchase Unite Guts and Unite Spring as soon as possible and learn how to use them. Without those two abilities you will not learn how to battle properly and will not have fun.

I used that guide when i got W101 & it helped.

 

[viewtiful_dru]

I at the other hand, don't understand how people familiar with DMC and Bayonetta kind of games don't get W101. It is exactly the same philosophy, the combat system in contrary with what you believe is super polished and open for exploration and imo it's very easy, even if you die you continue right where you died.

Seriously, not all games are for everybody, if you can't advance in the game, just let it go, but calling the game a 'mess', a 'fail' and unpolished is just not true.

That's my conflict too, since I love DMC3SE, Viewtiful Joe, and Bayonetta.

And all the other P* games I've played have just clicked immediately (MadWorld, Infinite Space, Vanquish, MG Rising).

Maybe there was too much going on. I really did have a hard time following the action tbh, and drawing some of the commands was difficult too.

I want to give the game another shot.

 

[BatDan]

It's a Platinum game, so... the mechanics? Definitely. The story? Fuck no.

Actually, this is one of the most straightforward stories from Platinum.
It helps that it's based on Sentai/Power Rangers, where the plots are fairly easy to follow (being a kids show and all)

 

[Neff]

Actually, this is one of the most straightforward stories from Platinum.
It helps that it's based on Sentai/Power Rangers, where the plots are fairly easy to follow (being a kids show and all)

Yeah 101 is the first story from Kamiya that I not only didn't hate but actually liked.

The guy may be a game directing genius but man he (usually) sucks at telling stories.

 

[Lernaean]

That's my conflict too, since I love DMC3SE, Viewtiful Joe, and Bayonetta.

And all the other P* games I've played have just clicked immediately (MadWorld, Infinite Space, Vanquish, MG Rising).

Maybe there was too much going on. I really did have a hard time following the action tbh, and drawing some of the commands was difficult too.

I want to give the game another shot.

Do it, just play the first mission over and over until you get the combat flow and Pure Platinums start falling on your head. Then move to the next and show yourself what you learned.

Drawing is not so hard, it just takes practice to master, like any other thing worthy.
Always have drawing as the equivalent of weapon switching to Bayonetta. In drawing's case it's a bit harder to pull but gives you the potential to use every weapon in your arsenal instead of a preset selection, and that's what makes it's combat more interesting.

Also forget the little buggers, don't think of them as little people but as one character. One character that switches weapons like a maniac and if he gets hit his weapons do less damage.

If you go past the design you'll see it's just another Bayonetta.

 

[ohlawd]

yeh lol people been linking Saur's vids and I've finished the game twice with little difficulty without watching those

I should definitely learn some super advanced shit from him when I go for a 3rd run.

 

[Supermanisdead]

This game is very straightforward and simple to understand. Draw the weapon, use it to attack. If it doesn't work, try another weapon. AND GO TO THE DAMN SHOP MENU. There's a reason why every checkpoint ends at the WONDERMART.

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

Watch these videos

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrwWQGfD4d7H_r3hkL6xsJRbQK_R5Du0y

Do it, I'm serious.

Yep, these are mandatory viewing for anybody starting out in Wonderful 101. I made a similar thread to this after starting myself, and somebody linked to those videos. I watched them, and the game really opened up.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

If you go past the design you'll see it's just another Bayonetta.

The game, in my head, is Bayonetta + Okami + "Hold Y to Run like Mario Platformer." That's how I came to terms with it on my second run of the demo, and everything fell into place. Like before even bothering with advanced moves or any of the stuff in Saur's videos, at a base level it's dumbed down Bayonetta + Okami drawings. If you're familiar with either or both of those concepts and still can't wrap your head around TW101.....I don't get it. Likewise if you've played through Bayonetta and are still having issues reading the screen and parsing out what's important through the visual spectacle....I don't get it.

It's a game so linked with prior games that the only way I can figure out all the confusion is that there are lots of people new to the genre, or lots of people are simply psyching themselves out thinking that it's more complex than it actually is. Like when you go looking for help and see people comparing the stick shapes to fighting game inputs, immediately there's a red flag thrown up for a portion of the audience, but it's not a fighting game at all. They're just shapes. Or when people see a bunch of characters on screen and get RTS shivers or compare it to Pikmin, but the characters are more like Sonic's rings than either of those, and above all should be thought of as one character powering up, not many. Or when people yell "CONFUSED" at inputs and moves even though everything you need is in the menus, and you've done all of them before in other games.

I wish everyone could understand. It's such a wonderful experience.

pls understand

 

[Lernaean]

I wish everyone could understand. It's such a wonderful experience.

pls understand

Wonderful indeed >.<

 

[Supermanisdead]

I'm going to download the demo right now to see what turned people off it.

 

[rottame]

I think it's a fantastic game, but the design is not as elegant as Bayonetta's. It's hard to explain, but the game never really creates a coherent whole. It's more like a lot of - usually good - mechanics working together in not such a great way.

For example, it's not always clear which attacks can be countered and which cannot. You just need to memorize. The Y attack is... well, I played the whole game twice at hard and I'm still not sure it's useful at all. Some enemies are more vulnerable to certain weapons, but it's not something that the player can immediately understand. Some weapons do not clearly show their strengths and weaknesses (it took me a whole run to get that the sword is less powerful than the fist) and some are under used, like the gun.

Also, the game could use some streamlining. Some abilities should have been available from the start and some (like the weapon charge) should have been unlocked automatically during the game, imho. There should also have been a faster way to select weapons without having to draw them every single time. Finally, less novelty levels would have improved the pacing and replayability.

W101 is still a great, great action game. But it lacks the depth and the elegance of Bayonetta.

 

[Amazeballs]

I shelved it after the battle with the doppelgänger team. Speaking of which it's a concept Platinum seems to adore so much it's in every game they make. Gotta have that doppelgänger in there.

Anyways that battle was just one big clusterfuck, as Were both jumping around whacking each other as I whittle down their blue health bar, then yellow, purple, orange, indigo, pink, white, and red before it finally ends.

Intended to go back at some point, but just haven't had the desire.

The Vorkken fights test you on the mechanics of the game. What works against you as the player works against him. For instance you can knock out his henchmen and deprive him of units for morphs. His defensive and offensive abilities can be countered by everything in your arsenal, and conversely he has moves to counter everything in your arsenal. For instance spring can be counter by the sword and whip breaks though guts. They're one of the more well-designed encounters when you consider what they set out to do.

 

[Munkybhai]

So I just started the game and I'm about an hour in. I was really enjoying it at first, but I feel like I'm actually getting worse as the game goes on. My gold and platinum medals in early missions have turned to consolation prizes, and now I'm dying lots (I'm even playing on easy).

I remember playing it and my girlfriend kept asking me why I kept dying and I said that I had no idea what I was doing. Even the simplest enemies were confounding me, and I was barely scraping through the levels.

I didn't watch those videos, and I can't remember when it happened, but I suddenly was able to traverse through the levels with confidence. The game really became fun then. You really have to learn the controls and the enemies' tells.

 

[Soodanim]

I played the demo a few times, liked it, then bought it. But I haven't actually played it much at all. Maybe a couple missions in. I think I need to sit closer to my TV or something, because there's a fuckton happening on screen at any one time and I lose myself in it all. Watching the tutorial videos seems like it will help though.

What's blown my mind is that I didn't have a clue you could draw weapon shapes with the gamepad. No clue whatsoever.

 

[Arc Christelle]

also preople, CREATE WONDER CARDS. People who payed it keep telling me they never knew it was in the game. Save up your ingredients and make em.

 

[Marcus]

GAF gave this game such good praise but im about 5-6 hours in and its actually just fucking bad.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

Such a charming, deep, rich and rewarding game this. But yes, it's a game that demands an effort from the player, which is a good thing.

 

[Isaccard]

Thank you for this thread, I've been struggling with this game recently myself, and the info here is definitely helping.