It is the dream of any cult classic game to be revamped and brought into the modern era. For The Wonderful 101, cult darling of Platinum Games, that dream seems poised to come true. The tease in February of Wonderful 101 finding a home on the Switch has come to pass, and at first, people were very happy.
The appeal of the original Wonderful 101 came from a mix of colorful, creative environments, and unique gameplay. All the action and flare people have come to expect from Platinum was condensed into a simultaneously small and large environment that saw heroes combine into huge shapes to destroy robots and aliens. The game was largely held back by being released on the Wii U, with touch-screen controls that were awkward at best.
With this in mind, it's easy to see why the Kickstarter to remaster the game was successfully funded so fast. Unfortunately, problems have arisen with the Kickstarter that have left backers somewhat bitter. For starters, the physical release of Wonderful 101 remaster was delayed in some regions, in part due to COVID-19. While backers have been understanding of this, UK backers have been less understanding of the unexpected fees they've been getting. Shipping fees that UK backers did not know to expect have been cropping up, and they've been pretty pricey, approaching £20 in many cases.
The additional cost is due to the handling fees imposed in the UK, which many players did not expect to apply to the physical shipment of the game to them. These players feel blindsided by the additional fees, and have even made their grievances known in the game's Kickstarter comment section. While there is a warning that Platinum is not responsible for additional fees and foreign shipping costs outside the US, it was added several days after many had already backed the game. Players feel that Platinum did not do its due diligence in warning players what the full cost of the game would be, and compounded with the physical copy's delay, they are angry. It's safe to say that if a Wonderful 101 sequel is in the cards, it may be best to keep it off of Kickstarter.
It's a shame that the reception has turned negative for something so many were enthusiastic about at first. Prior to the delay and extra fees, the Kickstarter for Wonderful 101's remaster was considered a big success. Not only would a Steam version of the game also be produced, a whole new mini-spinoff would also be made. This mission focuses on Luka, and for fans who have played the first game front to back, the new content would be very welcome.
There aren't many games like Wonderful 101, which takes inspiration from Super Sentai shows and American comic books in a way few other games do. This makes the handling of the fees an even greater shame, since everyone who backed the game is certainly a fan craving the only possible way to enjoy this formula. Hopefully any future Platinum Kickstarters will be more forthcoming with what backers will have to pay.
The Wonderful 101 Remastered is available on PC, PS4, and Switch.
Source: Nintendo Life