Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – Special Episode

The Nintendo Switch edition of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker can be expanded via DLC, the so called "Special Episode". It's actually quite cheap, costing only 5.99€ in Europe, where it recently even had a discount, making this the ideal thing to grab from Gold Points before they expire.

And it does add an entire episode to the game, featuring 18 courses in total. The catch is that only six of these courses are actually new, where the other two thirds are remixed versions of some of the original levels. There are also no Pixel Toads, making this feel very similar to the game's Bonus Episode overall.

What makes this stand out is that the entire episode was developed with the new "Adventure for Two" cooperative mode in mind. Unlike the main game, it even allows Captain Toad and Captain Toadette to travel together, which really rights a wrong.

It's also themed after crowns, where the two search for the legendary Super Crown from New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, which came out about two months before this DLC. And you will collect Shiny Crowns at the end of each level, instead of the usual Power Stars. It's actually quite fitting for when you've obtained the crown from the Mummy-Me Maze Forever and now are looking for an adventure to show it off.

The focus on coop gets reflected by the tasks of the remixed stages, Crown Capture and Boo Spotting. In the former you have to collect five smaller crowns, where a timer runs between each of them. If you don't collect one fast enough, then the crowns will reset and you have to start over with the first. While this is doable on your own, it has been kept quite strict, meaning that a second player will make this much easier.

In case of the Boo Spottings, however, you will certainly need the power of two, because in these courses there is the focus on defeating lots and lots of Boos, which happens almost instantly when they are hit by two spotlights at once. For this reason it keeps spawning Double Cherries when you play alone and don't have a clone. Controlling two Toads at once is probably easier than coordinating with another player, but the problem with this "mode" is that the Boos often appear right in your face, so that you will lose your clone and then get cornered by an overwhelming amount of ghosts.

There are five of both these types, but there is also a mine cart variant of the Scalding Scaffold Sinkhole for some variety. And near the end Wingo's Double Trouble awaits, where you have to fight the final boss of the game once more, but this time he essentially ate a Double Cherry himself, so there's two of them...

Again, this is in the spirit of the cooperative mode, where then it's a 2v2. Fortunately, they don't make you go through a whole stage before the boss this time, so you can focus on the fight itself. It's also very easy to tell who the true Wingo is, but the timed challenge is quite unfair. If they both use the storm attack at the same time, meaning that no turnips appear for one turn, you can't make the time trial goal... You have to be very lucky.

In any case, the highlight of the DLC are the new courses. It starts with the Shifty Shrine, where the whole level repeatedly opens up and closes. The Spinning Starmaze has three interconnected, rotating rings and will be remembered as the biggest brain teaser in the game.

The absolute standout is the Goomba Galleon, however, which has this miniature pirate ship stranded on a beach. It's absolutely beautiful and you wish that the game had more sceneries like this to offer. Cocoa Meltdown is also quite memorable, essentially offering you some sort of Choco Lake level, where rising hot chocolate acts as lava.

Only Flip Panel Panic is a bit underwhelming, nothing that you haven't already seen a couple of times from the Wii, Wii U and Nintendo 3DS era of 3D Mario. And you have to be mentally prepared that the DLC ends on another variant of the Mummy-Me Maze Forever, called Chaos in the Grand Labyrinth.

But don't worry... it's actually much easier – I even did it on my first try after a couple of minutes. There are only 30 floors, instead of 50, and the floors are only one quarter of the size. Plus, they look much more friendly, because this takes place on the outside, and you only get chased by a single Mummy-Me through the entirety of the thing. Also, statues placed on the safe floors show you what enemies you will be dealing with next. It's almost like they wanted to make up for the original and make it more fun.

However, to offer a different sort of challenge, you now have to catch a mole to reveal the exit. Since they actively avoid you, this labyrinth isn't just about dodging enemies on your way to the exit any longer. Instead, you have to be a bit more strategic. On some floors there are even multiple moles and you have to find the right one. Again, luck can be a deciding factor here, where sometime you might be able to grab the mole right from the start, so that the floor only lasts for a second.

Another challenge comes from the hidden objective and this might actually take you a couple of attempts. This time you will form a Toad Brigade throughout the course, where up to three other Toads can follow you, and your goal is to get all of them to the end. It's probably the most difficult in the floors with the Flaptors – birds that dive down once they spot you – and the Bullet Bills. However, even without fulfilling this bonus objective, the episode will be displayed as completed in the main menu...

Sadly, Toadette doesn't actually wear the Super Crown in coop, once you've obtained it. I guess that Nintendo didn't want to explain why it doesn't turn her into Captain Peachette.

Anyway, if you don't mind the many remixed levels, the Special Episode is very charming addition to the game that even fills some holes. It's a second, more fun attempt at what the Bonus Episode always could and should have been. And since it doesn't cost much, this is a good DLC purchase.