Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a charming but predictable spin-off

Yoshi's Island, WarioWare and Luigi's Mansion are all great examples of the House of Mario at its creative best when exploring the oddball adventures of Mario's lesser known co-stars.

But Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is not Nintendo's usual supporting actor spin-off. More than inspired by Mario's adventures, the gameplay here is lifted directly from the plumber's latest platforming outing, 3D World, and expanded into a full release (though one that at £30 / $40 is slightly cheaper than other Wii U games).

The result is a package that is surprisingly predictable compared to the ingenious inventions Nintendo's presitgious EAD Tokyo team has delivered in the past, though enjoyable none-the-less.

In Treasure Tracker, 3D World's six puzzle mini-games are swelled into a package comprising more than 70 levels, each channelling the same core camera-swivling gameplay Mario fans will already be familiar with.

Captain Toad and partner-in-hording Toadette, weighed down by a heavy swag backpack, can't jump or attack unaided, which leaves every stage presented as a big 3D puzzle. Players are challenged with reaching a power star at the end of each stage by spinning the cuboid world to discover hidden routes to the golden bounty.

Like 3D World, interactive touch screen elements are occasionally introduced, allowing players to manipulate platforms or switches using the Gamepad. For the first time Treasure Tracker also introduces power-ups, allowing the Captain (and Captain-ette) to smash through blocks with a time-constrained pickaxe item, multiply with Mario's familiar Double Cherry, or pluck turnips from the ground to toss at roaming Shy Guys.

On paper Captain Toad might sound terribly complex, but for a game about 3D puzzles its challenge level actually remains surprisingly conservative. If you focus on the main objective, the power star can easily be reached on each stage in a matter of minutes in your first attempt - and the extra lives will stack up.

More complex platforming elements from Mario are occasionally introduced, such as 'switching' platform tiles and self-destructing blocks, but the 3D puzzle element is ultimately never explored to its challenging potential.

Nintendo attempts to present additional difficulty via hidden crystals and secret objectives in each level, though sadly neither are much fun to pursuit or satisfying to accomplish. The former act like Super Mario 3D World's green stars: three gems are hidden in each level, some in plain sight and others buried in the ground or concealed behind locked doors, but ultimately none require much imagination to unearth and collected gems are never lost upon death.

Secret objectives are revealed once you've cleared a level for the first time. The most entertaining of these challenge you to approach the stage in a different way, using only a low number of switch presses or avoiding being spotted by enemies. Far too many however rely on familiar templates - 'find the hidden golden mushroom', 'collect X amount of coins' - and are uninteresting to chase.

"For a game about 3D puzzles its challenge level actually remains surprisingly conservative"

The occasional challenge to replay levels either chased by an evil mummy or with hidden Toad companions to find, adds to the filler. There are also a number of Super Mario 3D World levels which can be replayed sans-jump, but these too bring little to the package.

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For a game so visually adorable, it almost feels harsh to deem that Captain Toad's biggest flaw is an overall lack of real design imagination.

The more cynical fans might suggest that Treasure Tracker's levels were never intended to make up a full game release - and the vast majority of its challenges certainly feel tied to the game from which it was born, and never reach the lofty heights of its brilliance and creativity.

Like 3D World, Treasure Tracker's stages steadily introduce new power-ups, enemies and increasingly gorgeous environments. However, virtually all of these ideas and concepts are directly borrowed from the former and never developed, bar a few welcome flairs at the very end of the game.

It's in those twilight levels where you can glimpse some of the imaginative gold standard we've come to expect of Nintendo's premium development team, which flips Captain Toad's core concept on its head - sometimes literally- with excellent stages designed to mimic giant pinball machines, chaotic ghost chases and even a retro-tastic Donkey Kong course. In comparison, the other 75% of the game, though rarely dull, feels pedestrian.

The majority of Treasure Tracker's levels, though well designed, feature gameplay revolving around established mechanics such as the Double Cherry, boost pads, projectile-lobbing Spikes and more, which sadly leaves the overall package with the feel of an expansion pack. An expansion pack that boasts more charm and appeal than most, but from the maker of some of the best 3D platformers of all time, we can't help but feel a little bit disappointed.