Edit this page Hero line-up from The Wonderful 101 Remastered / Sorry, we don't have accessible text for this image :( / Image credit: PlatinumGames
The Wonderful 101 poster / Sorry, we don't have accessible text for this image :( / Image credit: Nintendo Co., Ltd.

The Wonderful 101

The Wonderful 101 is an action-adventure video game developed by Platinum Games for the Nintendo Wii U.

Screenshots and images

Company and staff credits

Publisher
Nintendo logo 1975 / Image credit: Nintendo
PlatinumGames Inc. logo / Logo from PlatinumGames' Twitter profile image. / Image credit: PlatinumGames PlatinumGames Inc.
Developer
PlatinumGames Inc. logo / Logo from PlatinumGames' Twitter profile image. / Image credit: PlatinumGames PlatinumGames Inc.
Director
Hideki Kamiya, Hideo Kojima, Tatsuya Minami and Shinji Mikami (cropped) / Sorry, we don't have accessible text for this image :( Hideki Kamiya
Producer
Atsushi Inaba (cropped) / Portrait of Atsushi Inaba from the PlatinumGames website. / Image credit: PlatinumGames Inc. Atsushi Inaba

Platform comparison

Platform Released Local Interfaces Target FPS Video Sound
PS4
North America
1 player
 Standard 60 1080p Surround 5.1
Switch
North America
1 player
 Touchscreen, standard 60 1080p Surround 5.1
Wii U
Europe
1 player
 Touchscreen, standard 60 720p Surround 5.1
Windows
North America
1 player
 Standard 60 4K UHD Surround 5.1

Game details

Release dates
  • 23 August 2013:
    • Wii U (Europe)
  • 15 September 2013:
    • Wii U (North America)
  • 19 May 2020:
    • PlayStation 4 (North America)
    • Switch (North America)
    • Windows (North America)
  • 22 May 2020:
    • PlayStation 4 (Europe)
    • Switch (Europe)
    • Windows (Europe)
  • 11 June 2020:
    • PlayStation 4 (Japan)
    • Switch (Japan)
    • Windows (Japan)
Also known as
  • Project P-100 (working title)
  • Za Wandafuru Wan Ō Wan (official)
  • ザ・ワンダフル・ワン・オー・ワン (official, Japanese)
  • The Wonderful 101 Remastered (official)
Genres

Development and pre-release

Was originally conceived by developer PlatinumGames' president Tatsuya Minami, who wanted to feature an all-star cast of Nintendo characters in one game. However the idea was rejected by Nintendo. Director Hideki Kamiya later further developed the idea based on the Japanese henshin (transforming superheroes) theme and an American comic book vibe. Nintendo accepted this idea and The Wonderful 101 became a Wii U exclusive game. 1

Publishing

In February 2020, PlatinumGames launched a crowdfunding project on Kickstarter to develop and publish The Wonderful 101 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC. The project reached its ¥5,425,000 (around USD $50,000) funding goal within 20 minutes of launch and went on to raise a total of ¥235,320,528 (around $1.8 million). Rewards for funders included being blocked on Twitter by game director Hideki Kamiya. The ports, titled The Wonderful 101 Remastered and representing PlatinumGames' first foray into game publishing, targeted an April 2020 release with physical and digital versions available for all platforms. The game eventually released digitally in May 2020 in North America and Europe, while the physical editions were delayed until June (North America) and July (Europe). 2 3 4

In Japan, The Wonderful 101 Remastered was released digitally on 11th June, 2020. 5

Graphics and art design

A Digital Foundry analysis of the visual performance of each version of The Wonderful 101 found that the original Wii U version targets 720p and 60 fps with dynamic scaling, and generally runs at 30-60 fps; the Nintendo Switch version targets 1080p and 60fps, and also runs at 30-60 fps; and the PlayStation 4 is limited to 1080p and 60 fps with no upgrades for PS4 Pro; and the Windows PC version is able to run at up to 60 fps and 4K ultra-wide, albeit with a stretched GUI in ultra-wide mode. 6

Sales and cultural impact

Was something of a flop on Wii U, selling 5,258 copies in its first week on sale in Japan and debuting at number 22 on the UK all-formats chart. 7

References

  1. US Gamer (2013, September 10). Wonderful 101 and a World Without Genres. http://www.usgamer.net/articles/wonderful-101-and-a-world-without-genres.
  2. Robinson, A. (2020, February 3). Platinum launches Wonderful 101 Kickstarter for Switch, PC and PS4. Videogames Chronicle. 1981 Media Ltd. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/platinum-launches-wonderful-101-kickstarter/.
  3. Kickstarter (2022, December 21). The Wonderful 101: Remastered. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/platinumgames/the-wonderful-101-remastered.
  4. Wales, M. (2020, May 1). The Wonderful 101: Remastered's physical release delayed due to coronavirus. Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/platinum-delays-the-wonderful-101-remastereds-physical-release-due-to-coronavirus-digital-launch-unchanged.
  5. Croft, L. (2020, February 26). The Wonderful 101 Remastered PS4 Release Date Confirmed for May 2020. Push Square. Hookshot Media. https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/02/the_wonderful_101_remastered_ps4_release_date_confirmed_for_may_2020.
  6. Morgan, T. (2020, May 15). The Wonderful 101 remaster is welcome - but console performance disappoints. Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2020-the-wonderful-101-tech-analysis.
  7. Videogamer (n.d.). The Wonderful 101 slows down Wii U sales in Japan. https://www.videogamer.com/news/the-wonderful-101-slows-down-wii-u-sales-in-japan.

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