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Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker may be a Wii U title that'll sit in a few North American stockings this Holiday — it arrives on 2nd January in Europe — with a combination of a reduced retail price and a charming aesthetic. It takes cute to a new level, while its brand of challenging but slow-paced puzzles could suit a varied audience.

It's all an expanded spin-off of the bonus levels in Super Mario 3D World, of course, though the origins of the idea are rather intriguing. Game Director Shinya Hiratake has stated that the original concept, years ago, was for a diorama-styled game for the Legend of Zelda franchise — Link is a character typically without a conventional 'jump', and that was the core of the idea; it was subsequently revived years later in 3D World and Treasure Tracker.

We must have done too good of a job with our demo, because during our presentation, Mr. Miyamoto asked us how we were planning on bringing these dioramas into production. He thought we were pitching him an actual physical product design.

...We like to think that Mr. Miyamoto finally realized the vision we had for a diorama those many years ago.

Are you looking forward to this release, and is a part of you sad that the original Legend of Zelda concept never got produced? Let us know, and don't forget you can read our detailed impressions of the title in our Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker preview.

[source gameinformer.com]