The articlegameplay, story, development, reception
Gameplay
Nintendo Land takes place in an amusement park setting, which serves as a hub for the twelve minigames, which are depicted as the park's attractions. A robotic character named Monita guides the player through the game's features and attractions. The first twelve minigames of Nintendo Land are based on popular Nintendo franchises; two of the attractions (Metroid Blast and Mario Chase) are based on Wii U tech demos shown at E3 2011, but are modified to feature Nintendo characters. These minigames are designed to incorporate elements which utilize the features of the Wii U GamePad, often in conjunction with other players using Wii Remotes and Nunchucks (with some games supporting up to five players in this configuration).
The combination of Wii Remotes and Wii U GamePads allows for asymmetric gameplay, where players have different experiences depending on which controller scheme they use. Completing minigames and certain objectives earns coins, which can be used to play a single-player pachinko minigame. Winning pachinko stages will earn new items (of which there are 200) for decorating the Nintendo Land hub area.
Development
Development of Nintendo Land started shortly after the release of Wii Sports Resort and was made at a time when the Wii U had not been finalized yet which led to the team experimenting with different prototypes. One of said prototypes involved the use of a gyroscope, which directly led to Shigeru Miyamoto incorporating the technology into the Nintendo 3DS.
The team's goal was to create a product that showcased all the features the new console could do. This led to a problem, as unlike the similar Wii Sports, the games were not inherently related. Early on one staff member suggested that they attempt to do something that would unite the various Nintendo franchises. As the team considered this too grand a concept, the idea was at first not taken seriously.
Reception
Nintendo Land received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 35 out of 40.
Critics praised the game's party atmosphere and attractions, particularly the way they were developed and built up, though a few were critical of simply showing Wii U GamePad capabilities. IGN praised the game for showing the Wii U capabilities, its gameplay, and its detailed and HD graphics, claiming that "Wii Sports has met its match" and giving it an 8.7 score.
