CAPTAIN TOAD: TREASURE TRACKER: A HERO WHO CANNOT JUMP, AND A HUNDRED TINY PUZZLE BOXES
8.0 of 10 bananas. Nintendo's diorama puzzle game: Captain Toad cannot jump, so you turn the camera around tiny worlds to find the path to a star. Clever, cozy, and perfect in short sessions; easy, and the Switch version is not cheap for a 2014 Wii U game.
By the Alpha. Switch cartridge listing. Updated Nov 1 2026.
Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, update history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, and it also plays on Switch 2. It first came out on Wii U in 2014; the Switch and 3DS versions arrived in July 2018 with new courses based on Super Mario Odyssey (developed and published by Nintendo). The Amazon button is the Switch cartridge. At my Nov 1 2026 check it was sold by a third-party seller named BoukayBoutique and shipped by Amazon, a few dollars under the 49.99 dollar list price, and only 6 were left. Sellers and prices change, so look at the seller before you pay.
Get Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker for Nintendo Switch on AmazonStore check, Nov 1 2026: new copies on offer from a third-party seller, BoukayBoutique, shipped by Amazon. Prices and sellers change, so look before you pay.
Sit with me a moment. Most heroes leap. Captain Toad carries a backpack so heavy he cannot. So you stop thinking like a hero and start thinking like a carpenter: turn the little world, look behind the wall, and find the ladder nobody else saw.
What It Wants To Be
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a 3D puzzle platformer. Each level is a small diorama you rotate with the camera. Toad and Toadette walk, climb, pluck turnips, and use pickaxes, but never jump, so every route is a puzzle. Each stage hides three gems and a bonus goal. On Switch, a second player can help with a second Joy-Con, and a paid Special Episode DLC added more levels in 2019.
What Works
Critics gave the Switch version generally favorable reviews, and OpenCritic lists 84 percent of critics recommending it. The level design is clever and dense, the art is full of small details, and the levels are short enough for a bus ride. It is a great game to play next to a child, one turning the camera, one solving.
What Breaks
Listen well. It is easy for most of the run, and the hardest challenges come late. The Switch version swapped out the old Super Mario 3D World levels for Odyssey ones, so Wii U veterans get only a few new stages. Co-op is light, since player two mostly helps. And for an old game, near full price is steep.
Who Should Play
Play it if you love puzzles, cozy games, or want a calm game to share with a kid. Skip it if you want action, or if you already finished it on Wii U.
STRENGTHS
- Clever diorama puzzles
- Charming tiny worlds
- Perfect for short sessions
- Great to share with a kid
HONEST COSTS
- Easy for most of the run
- Few new levels for Wii U owners
- Light co-op
- Near full price for an old game
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