Back in November, we thought Captain U would be the last Wii U game released on the system. But, thanks to Markanime, that's not the case.
Pad of Time is a 2.5D platformer inspired by N64 classics that lets you travel between the past, present, and future of every single level. We hear you, Sonic CD fans! And we don't need to travel too far into the future to play it, as the game launches on 13th April.
There are no Time Warps to run through here; you can swap between the three time periods whenever you want at the touch of your screen. It's also got a bit of a Paper Mario vibe, with 2D character models and polygonal backgrounds with tons of colour and depth to them.
And don't worry, folks, if you don't still have your Wii U (gasp! How could you?), the game is also coming to Switch. But the Wi U release has a really neat little mode that lets you play through the entire game like it's a Game Boy game, changing up the visuals to those blocky sepia and green tones we so fondly remember.
Here's what we should expect from Pad of Time, straight from the press kit:
Pad of Time is a classic action-adventure game with a Nintendo 64 retro aesthetic with a twist! In this game, you’re able to use a time machine to swap between the past, present, and future of every level.
Our main characters are ready to mess up with “the time-line” for their own benefits and face tough bosses.
Key Features
- Classic platformer game 2.5D graphics with Nintendo 64 retro aesthetic (Paper Mario)
- Time traveling, experience the past, present, and future of every level
- 3 Playable Characters with unique abilities balanced, fast and strong
- Kawaii Chibi looking characters that fits perfectly with Nintendo Systems
- Play the entire game with a Gameboy look [Exclusive feature on Wii U]
- Based on an online animated web series
- Game developed by a solo indie game dev as a side projectMain Characters
The main characters are three brothers: Mark, July, and Art.
Mark, the geek brother. He created the Pad of Time and only wants to test it. His abilities are balanced and he is recommended for beginners.
July, the smart and skilled sister. She wants to know more about the time itself. This character is always wearing roller skates and moves fast, if you’re an experienced gamer, this is your character.
Art, the big brother, he owns a museum and wants to get valuable pieces from the past, this character is the slowest but jumps higher, if you have already beaten a level, Art will be useful for replayability.
It sounds pretty darn fun, but it also looks great. We love those background visuals that pop with colour, and the Game Boy mode is an adorable little touch.
Don't forget, Nintendo recently announced that the Wii U eShop is closing next March, so if you want to get Pad of Time on your trusty ol' Wii U, then you'll need to get in pretty fast.
What do you think of Pad of Time? And will we see any more Wii U releases soon? Let us know in the comments!
Comments 13
3 more games are coming in the Silver Falls series in 2022! I'll wait for a review for this! Looks ok!
Wii U is most definitely life. I still play mine daily with my family.
Wii u is life and more
The WiiU is love. The WiiU is life. The WiiU is eternal….
There were two games released in December 2021, Captain U and another one. It seems like they were both released on the same day.
So at a minimum Captain U shares the honor with one more game.
But I suspect that similar to the Genesis/Mega Drive, the Dreamcast, and many other beloved consoles, people will keep making games for the Wii U for the foreseeable future. It has a very unique feature that if done right, could make for interesting game play ideas.
I miss the days when games were unique to the console. The games might have shared the same name, but they were different experiences. So if you owned a Genesis/Mega Drive and a SNES, you could buy both games and get unique experiences. With that in mind, I would have loved for Nintendo to have released a unique version of Breath of the Wild for the Wii U. A version that showcased their original vision with the Gamepad before they merged game play styles to the Switch.
Life in my ole girl yet then! Still play it every day and will never take her down to a second hand shop or put her on ebay. Wii U until I'm an old fart and can't play anymore!!
Next, the Max Payne Remake for Wii U please with 1st person aiming mode on the Gamepad and 3rd person on TV😁
Oh dang this game actually seems pretty decent. Might have to check it out before I can't
Looks great? Gameplay concept sounds great but it looks like it needs a while longer in the oven. The characters being so simplified is cool and stylish but everything else, the UI, the backgrounds the 3D assets...they look placeholder.
Wow Wii U still kicking huh? It's like that scene from Austin powers with the girl that gets shot up with the machine gun and still keeps coming. WHY WONT YOU DIE?
That looks terrible
Yeah I’m not sure what Nintendolife saw that “looks great”, but I promise you that game is going to be absolutely no fun to play.
Characters appear floaty and don’t even look like they’re in the level. Platforming looks uninspired, just blocks to jump on. And those last few shots of bosses—oh boy. No personality in their design. Don’t be fooled by the “N64-inspired” claim; that’s just an excuse for this game looking nasty.
@Hikingguy With Nintendo closing the door on new Wii U eShop titles soon, creating games for the hardware might be more difficult in the near future, since the games would need to either somehow be released physically, most likely without Nintendo's assistance and approval, or digitally, which is an issue for systems without modded firmware.
I don't disagree with you that there could be long lasting community support for the Wii U, I just think there will be a bit of a gap as the community develops more tools to work with the Wii U once Nintendo closes the official development doors.
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