The Wonderful 101 Beginner’s Tips

If battling humongous robots using a variety of over-the-top superpowers sounds like fun, check out The Wonderful 101. Nintendo and Platinum Games’ quirky Wii U game punches its way to retail September 15, bringing with it hours of fast-paced and delightfully hectic combat starring a fun mix of bizarre superheroes. It’s also quite difficult, so to help make sense of it all, here are some basic tips every aspiring superhero should know.

Go in-depth with Prima’s official The Wonderful 101 guide.

Choose the Perfect Control Option

Although Nintendo advertises The Wonderful 101 alongside the Wii U Gamepad, you can also use the Wii U Pro Controller or Wii Remote and Classic Controller Pro. Experiment and pick the one that works best for you.

Visit the Wonderful Mart

Before tackling a mission, head to the Wonderful Mart and stock up on supplies using virtual cash called O-Parts acquiring during gameplay. There are a variety of things to buy, like items that replenish precious Vitality and the Unite Gauge.  In addition, you’ll be able to pick up different Unite Morph attacks and skills/perks for the team. The better equipped you are, the easier it will be to survive.

Use the Wonder-Liner to Launch Unite Morphs

Standard punches won’t do much good against enemies. To make these invaders feel the pain, you’ll want to harness the power of the Wonder-Liner to utilize Unite Morphs, powerful attacks that’ll easily smash and blast those aliens to pieces. You will also need to use the Wonder-Liner to grab hard-to-reach objects and form bridges.

To launch most Unite Morphs, you’ll need to either draw a shape on the Gamepad touchscreen or sketch the corresponding shape with the right analog stick, which is a bit easier to do with so many bad guys crowding the screen. 

Remember: the more superheroes you use with the Wonder-Liner, the more powerful the Unite Morph will be. 

Tired of using the current Unite Morph? Tap the Y button.

Keep an Eye on the Vitality and Unite Gauges

Always be aware of the top left corner of the screen, where you’ll see the Vitality (health) Gauge. Once that runs out, it’s game over.

Along the top, you’ll notice the Unite Gauge. This increases as you collect Wonderful Batteries within the game world, and the energy decreases whenever you use the Wonder-Liner and a Unite Morph. It replenishes over time, and will increase by one whenever you collect 20 Wonderful Batteries.

Recruiting Up

The best way to grow your superhero army is to find everyday citizens within the world and “Recruit Up” to have them join your cause. To do this, stand near these people and encircle them with the Wonder-Liner using the right analog stick. Keep in mind you don’t need to form a complete circle around them for this to work.

Revive Stunned Allies

You lose team members each time they take damage from enemies. This causes them to lie around stunned. The bigger the team, the stronger your Unite Morphs, so always revive as many downed superheroes as possible. Doing this is easy enough. Just walk over someone and he or she will automatically rejoin the fight.

Destroy Everything

During your travels, you’ll come across tables, trees, streetlamps and cars. Quickly smash these objects to receive O-Parts and the occasional item. A surprise Wonderful Noodle Soup may save your life.

Change Squad Leaders

At certain points, you will need to change squad leaders. This is especially true when opening containers filled with goodies. To do this, draw that squad leader’s corresponding Unite Morph. You may also do this by pressing Up on the d-pad to access the list of heroes and selecting the one you want with the A button.

Tip: Dashing (press and hold Y) is the best way to get around in a hurry.