Stumped Quest

American Box art of Stumped Quest.
Developer(s)	Play! Software Planning
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)	Wii U
Genre(s)	Strategy, Adventure
Release Date(s)	November 01, 2013 November 06, 2013 November 06, 2013 November 06, 2013
Mode(s)	1 Player
Age Rating(s)
Media Included	Wii U Disc Digital Download

Stumped Quest is a 3D strategy and adventure game developed by Play! Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Wii U console. The game was released in Japan, in November 01, 2013 and later in the United States, Europe and Australia in November 06, 2013.

Gameplay

In Stumped Quest, the player controls their Woodchip character through eight different lands, trying to accomplish activities (in the game, called tasks). During most of the game, the TV display the game itself, while the Wii U GamePad shows a map of the current area, as well as some special buttons. However, some tasks require the player to use the touch screen, tilt the Wii U GamePad or to point it at the TV, among others. Despite the game being more focused on the tasks, the player can also explore areas, collect items and battle enemies, similarly to a platform game.

Woodchips

When creating a game file, the player must create their Woodchip character. They can choose its gender, body shape and "hairstyle" (which is actually the shape of their heads). They can also add some options such as different types of mustaches or eyelashes. After they are done, they must create a name for their Woodchip, or press the "Random" button, so the name is generated automatically.

Non-playable Woodchips appear in almost every area of the game. They can give useful tips or sell items. Most are not important to the story, but some play major roles.

Sometimes, the player finds Dylan, a young explorer Woodchip who is lost. The player can help him to find his leader, but avoid enemies, who make him to run away. If he is brought back, the player is rewarded with coins.

Health system

When the game is started, the player has 15 sections of heart points. It can be extended to 30 sections by getting a large number of points.

Treasure Clouds

Sometimes, the player may find a Chip Rocket, a gleaming star-shaped piece of wood. If the player jumps onto it, they are transported to a cloudy area where they find many coins. However. to obtain these coins, they must do things such as breaking blocks to create stairs, defeat enemies, balance on tightropes, moving the scenery with buttons and levers, among others.

Story

A strong storm attacks the Stump Village. When the Player wakes up, they find a note on the floor. It says:

Dear [player name]
Please come to the hall and talk to me. I'll be waiting for you.
From The Elder

After reaching the hall, The Elder explains that the storm destroyed the village's colossal oak – its fruits, leaves and sap were their food – and that the player is their only hope to find another sapling, on the top of the big Mt. Monzonite across the island.

The Player, then, built a ship to travel through the island looking for the mountain. However, after crossing a lake, the ship crashes, leaving them no choice but keep looking without it. They proceed traveling through a gusty forest, the Windy Woodland, and a desert with a giant pyramid, the Sawdust Desert.

They later reach the Waterspout Valley, a village that is built around a lake. This lake is drying because of some rocks blocking the waterfalls, and soon the land will become waterless, but the Player is able to solve this problem. They also defeat a monstrous octopus that threatens the area, and then they continue their quest. They manage to fix a sunken ship and use it to reach a spout that can take them to the top of a cliff, where Bone-In Cliff starts.

After going through the massive canyon filled with fossils, the Player finds themself on an icy town, where the residents are celebrating the Snowman Festival, and ask the player to bring the needed objects to build the traditional snowman. Right after being finished, it causes the ground to collapse, and the Player falls in, but they can get back to the surface with a mine cart ride. The ice lagoon that is near the exit gate melts due to some hot water geysers, preventing the Player to continue. However, they manage to block them, and escape from the freezing water, reverting the town back to its normal state.

The next area they reach is a StoneHenge-like area (the Stone Wheel) that contains a gleaming void on the center. The Player, realizing there is no other way, jumps into it. They reach a castle, where they are told that, in order to leave, they must go through twelve challenges. After the Player completes every challenge, they come back to the island, wondering what was that and believing it was just a dream.

The Player finds that they are very near the Mt. Monzonite. They start looking inside the volcano, but are hindered by various traps. In the end, they can see the summit. However, the lava starts to rise. They rush to the top, and the volcano erupts, apparently damaging the sapling. A big amount of enemies, as well as giant versions of them appear, forcing the player to defeat them all to protect the sapling. The Player quickly takes it to Stump Village.

When they get there, everyone watches them to plant the sapling on the spring and water it. After some moments, it grows into an oak that is even bigger than the older one, and the inhabitants cheer. Woodchips from Windy Woodland, Sawdust Desert, Waterspout Valley, Forest Floes and Stone Wheel also appear to thank the Player.

Enemies

Enemy Card	Name	Behavior	Stats
	Beetle	Beetles move back and forth. They don't attack the player.	HP: 05 Attack: 01
	Dragonfly	Dragonflies fly around. They try to sting the player.	HP: 10 Attack: 05
	Trap Plant	Trap Plants are stationary enemies that try to bite the player.	HP: 07 Attack: 05
	Owl	Owls appear from trees and chase the player.	HP: 05 Attack: 03
	Spike Plant	Spike Plants float due to their leaves and can be found either moving or idling.	HP: ?? Attack: 01
	Beaver	Beavers walk around and throw logs at the player.	HP: 10 Attack: 02 Log: 03
	Lizard	Lizards can walk on walls and use their long tongues to attack the player.	HP: 05 Attack: 05
	Frog	Frogs jump around and don't attack the player.	HP: 05 Attack: 01
	Spider	Spiders swing with their webs trying to hit the player.	HP: 01 Attack: 01
	Scorpion	Scorpions pinch the player with their claws.	HP: 10 Attack: 10
	Vulture	Vultures fly around and swoop at the player if they are near.	HP: 02 Attack: 05
	Fish	Fish swim calmly in bodies of water.	HP: 05 Attack: 01
	Eel	Eels chase the player in underwater sections.	HP: 05 Attack: 03
	Jellyfish	Jellyfish swim fastly on a route.	HP: 10 Attack: 05

Areas

Area 1: Stump Village
Find the exit!	The player must find the exit of and leave the house. On the floor, there is the note written by the Eldery.
Meet the Elder!	The player must travel through the village, looking for the Elder. They can distinguish him due to a dried leaf on his head and a greyish tone.
Get the birds!	The player must use a butterfly net to capture three golden birds that fly in circles and attempt to run away from them.
Reach the top!	The player must race with another Woodchip to the top of a hill, collecting walnuts to recover energy. There are also Beetles and Trap Plants that slow them down on contact.
Get some stumps!	The player must collect pieces of wood falling from trees with a basket. At least 30 pieces must be collected to complete the task.
Reach the stage!	The player must swing on vines and climb swinging planks to reach an area where the ship is going to be built.
Open the gate!	The player must find the village's lake and dive in to find a giant gate blocking the water passage. This lake is full of Fish and kelps.
Spin the valves!	The player must spin five valves by charging and bumping into them five times each. They must, then repeatedly tap Wii U GamePad's touch screen screen to open a gate.
Beat the plant!	The player must fight a giant carnivorous plant that coiling on the obtained parts. They must attack its stems and avoid the meteor-like seeds that it spits, as well as being smashed by the stems.
Assemble the ship!	The player must collect all the 30 correct wood tiles to build the ship. They must not get the parts that are cracked or wrinkled.
Turn the ship on!	The player must press every group of buttons on the floor to start the ship by pounding them. The first part has four buttons, the second part has eight buttons, and the third part has ten buttons.
Land properly!	To test the ship, the player must land it on five tragets on the floor. In the first part, there are three big targets, in the second part, there are two medium-sized targets, and the third part has only one small target.

Area 2: Windy Woodland
Climb the rocks!	The player must go through rocks and gaps of a canyon near the sea to reach the top of a grassy mountain near a wind gust.
Ride to safety!	The player must float with a parachute through wind gusts and reach the forest. They must avoid Dragonflies and Spike Plants.
Avoid the trunks!	The player must run and jump over trunks that roll with the wind to reach a yew. Due to the strong wind, it can be difficult to walk and jump to the opposite direction.
Slide and avoid!	The player slides in the tunnel made of hollow trunks and must avoid brambles by jumping over them. Sometimes, there is running water in the trunks, that can speed the player up.
Sail and avoid!	The player must tilt the Wii U GamePad to steer a raft and to shake it to row. If the player is hit by a tree root, one of the logs disappear. The raft is made of 10 logs. When they are done, the raft falls on a waterfall.
Up to the river!	The player must walk and climb trunks that are falling with the waterfall to reach the river again. The player can tilt the Wii U GamePad to balance the area.
Escape the maze!	The player must find a way out of a maze made of trees. This place is also infested with Lizards.
Spin the windmills!	The player is on a group of hills. They must climb windmills and jump on their blades to make them spin.
Break the rocks!	The player must use a hammer to break rocks that block the way to progress. Sometimes, the rocks drop enemies from their interior.
Destroy the rock!	The player must use a gigantic-sized hammer to break a very large rock brocking a passage. The rock must be hammered twenty times to break.
Get on the treetop!	The player must climb the branches of a very tall tree and reach the treetop. Sometimes, the player must use leaves that act as elevators (due to the wind) to reach higher areas.
Float with the wind!	The player must use a big-sized dandelion to cross a valley through the wind. Each time the player floats, it loses one seed, so the player can only float thirty times with it.

Area 3: Sawdust Desert
Cross the quicksand!	The player must jump from rock to rock on a quicksand area. Some rocks can be lifted by sand geysers, and the player is stunned for a while if they stand on it while being lifted. Some sinking leaves also appear.
Hit the buttons!	The player is on a 3x3 square. During three rounds, the player must memorize the sequence of shining squares and pound them in the same order.
Spin the switch!	The player must use the Wii U GamePad's touch screen to spin a giant switch, revealing the pyramid. The player must keep spinning, or the pyramid comes back to the underground.
Reach the entrance!	The player must reach the pyramid's entrance by the spiral pathway full of traps. They must also do it quickly, since the pyramid's entrance closes if it takes too long.
Make a bridge!	The player must find three blocks and create a bridge with them to reach the second floor. They are set in three small corridors with spikes, fire and rolling steel balls.
Remember the way!	The player must memorize a random route of blocks and try to advance on it. The other blocks create spikes. If a spike tile is stepped on, the player is sent back to the start.
Defeat the Beetles!	The player must defeat a cluster of Beetles, opening a door to the final room. Unlike other Beetles, these attack the player by running into them.
Find the right doors!	The player must enter doors on walls until they find the treasure room. The wrong doors contain Vultures or Scorpions. A Vulture steals the key before the player can get it.
Follow the Vulture!	The player must chase the Vulture that has the key. If the Vulture is too far away, it stops and stares at the player, giving them a chance to get nearer.
Shoot to the Vulture!	The player must point the Wii U GamePad to the screen and shoot the Woodchip to the Vulture. They must restart the task if they miss the Vulture.
Land safely!	The player must control the Vulture and land on a circle on the desert. If the player misses, a sand or water geyser takes them back to the Vulture's talons.
Get them off!	The player must scare Vultures to keep them from getting the key from the circle. To do it, they must use the leaf attack when a Vulture is near.

Area 4: Waterspout Valley
Find 10 rocks!	The player must look for 10 rocks on the valley. They can be distinguished for being darker, round and with a crack on them.
Open the passages!	The player must throw the rocks with a slingshot to break a wall and unblock the waterfall, pointing the Wii U GamePad at the screen and using the touch screen.
Collect 30 walnuts!	The player must collect 30 walnuts from trees and take them to the residents. In order to get these, the player must shake the trees using the X button when near them. Sometimes, Dragonflies come out of shaken trees.
Bounce high!	The player must bounce on a plank high enough to dive into the lake. They can press buttons or tilt the Wii U gamePad to get more points.
Break the rock!	The player must use Boost Nuts to build speed and crack a giant rock by bumping into it a few times. In order to crack it completely, they must hit three times on each of the three Boost Nut paths.
Go through the tunnel!	The player must reach the end of the tunnel, avoiding Eels, Fish, and algae that try to drag the player back if they touch them.
Beat the Octopus!	The player must beat a giant Octopus that is blocking the path to the deeper area. They must avoid being attacked its tentacles, and hit them with bombs. When its eight tentacles are hit, the Octopus disappears.
Find the ship!	The player must look for a sunken ship in the deep sea area.
Collect 10 parts!	The player must collect ten parts of the ship to fix it. Three of them are inside the ship, four are in oysters and the other three are being kept by Jellyfish.
Get them off!	The player must climb the ship's mainbrace to defeat some Lizards and Frogs. The task must be restarted if they fall down.
Get to the spout!	The player must pilot the ship to a giant water spout near a cliff. The player must use the Wii U GamePad touch screen to spin the rudder and steer the ship.
Avoid them all!	While the spout goes up, the player must avoid groups of Spike Plants and other enemies.

Area 5: Bone-In Cliff
To the highest clifftop!	The player must balance on bridge trunks and fight some enemies to reach the highest cliff, highlighted by a giant dinosaur skull and ribs forming a portal.
To the field!	The player must slip on ropes and walk on tightropes to reach a field. They must also avoid Fish that jump from the water.
Avoid the coconuts!	The player must walk through the field to avoid being hit by coconuts thrown by Vultures and falling from palm trees.
Climb the sticky wall!	The player must grab a wall covered in honey and climb it all the way to the top, avoiding pieces of rubble, Scorpions and Spiders.
Roll the boulder!	The player rolls on a boulder and they must use them to break a rock blocking the way. To move, they must tilt the Wii U GamePad to the direction they want to go.
Roll down!	The player must roll their boulder down a rock slide. It is made mostly of curves and the biggest part of the path has no rails, making it very hard to cross.
Smash the bones!	The player must roll their boulder to crush old bones and clean the area. In the first part, they must crush ten bones, in the second part, they must crush twenty bones, and finally, they must crush forty bones.
Find the key!	The player must use a shovel to dig spots on the ground, until they found the key to the giant door. Once they find it, they must take it to the door.
Reach the goal!	The player must reach a goal line in first place during a race with four other Woodchips on a set of rocks.
Get it working!	The player must pound a giant spine until it activates.
Ride to the end!	The player must ride the spine through a giant canyon, avoiding stones and other hazards and battling enemies.

Area 6: Forest Floes
Find a way!	The player must find a way out of a snowy field. This area contains Scorpions that come out of the snow, and spiders that appear from pine trees.
Escape from the avalanche!	The player must snowboard through a snow slope and escape from an avalanche that contains snowballs, fallen trees, rocks and giant hails.
Roll them!	The player must roll three snowballs from a tall mountain to the village. They must avoid touching icy crystals, that break the snowballs, and they must also use some snow-filled holes that make it bigger.
Collect them all!	The player must look through the valley and two find walnuts for the snowman's eyes, a seashell for its nose, three leaves for its mouth, and two branches for its arms.
Make the face!	The player must use the Wii U GamePad's touch screen to complete the snowman correctly.
Get to the rails!	The player must find a tunnel in the dark underground cave. Here, they find some Bats, Scorpions and Spiders.
Get to the end!	The player must guide a minecart through the rails, jumping gaps and shooting enemies with walnuts. They steer the minecart by tilting the Wii U GamePad.
Reach the surface!	The player must climb ropes and walls escaping from a swarm of Spiders that chase them all the way to the surface.
Get to the gate!	The player must cross the frozen lake to reach the gate to the next area.
Find the geysers!	The player must swim on the lake and find the hot water geysers that caused the lake to melt.
Close the geysers!	The player must use stones to block the geysers and stop them from melting the area. To do it, they must pull the stones from walls until they cover the passages.
Get to the top! Hurry!	The player must swim fastly to the surface to avoid the ice thorns caused by the freezing water.

Area 7: Stone Wheel
Get to the end!	This challenge is based upon The Legend of Zelda. The player must cross a misty forest, using a sword and a bow and arrow to take enemies down. The key to the next area is in a treasure chest.
Climb the wall!	This challenge is based on Donkey Kong. The player must climb a tall wall, swing on vines and attack enemies with barrels. The key is in a small ship in the end of the area.
Get to the top!	This part is based on Metroid. The player can turn into a ball and shoot wood balls with a cannon. They must look for the correct paths in an old castle.
Defeat the Spider!	The players must defeat a giant Spider that hangs on the ceiling of a cave. To do it, they must throw rocks at its webs to cause it to fall, and then, pound its head. This must be done three times.
Get to the tree!	This challenge is based upon Super Mario Bros.. The player must travel through a sidescrolling set of hills, where they can hit blocks and travel by pipes. The key is on a yew in the end of the area.
Bring the key!	This part is based on Pikmin. The player is on a forest, where they get the help of small leaf creatures that can be thrown around to defeat enemies and get items. The key is on a big rock, and can only be obtained by throwing the creatures onto it, and bringing it back to the start.
Get to the village!	This part is based on Kirby. The player is on a flower field and gets the ability of touching enemies to get their powers, such as climbing walls (Lizard) and creating webs (Spider). To get the key they must throw wooden stars at a giant tree to break it apart.
Defeat the lizard!	The player must defeat a giant Lizard that is attacking the village. To do it, they must wait for it to stick its tongue out, then grab it, pull it and drop it, causing it to slap the Lizard back. This must be done three times.
Collect them all!	This challenge is based on Animal Crossing. The player must use a net to collect a specimen of each of the game's enemies. Once they are done, they must talk to a Woodchip guarding the key to the next area.
Climb the mountain!	This challenge is based on Kid Icarus. The player gets the ability of flying for a short time. They must climb a grassy mountain with clouds to reach a temple with a plane on it.
Cross the sea!	This part is based on Star Fox. The players must drive a plane and shoot walnuts and small ships that try to destroy them. They must, then, land on a stone stage on a small island.
Defeat the Beaver!	The player must defeat a giant beaver that blocks the way to the next area. To do it, they must wait for it to throw a log at them, and then punch it to attack the Beaver back.

Area 8: Mt. Monzonite
Enter the volcano!	The player must find away to get into Mt. Monzonite.
Find the sapling!	The player must look for the sapling inside Mt. Monzonite, but being careful due to the traps, such as spears that cross the screen and moving spiky walls.
Run to the summit!	The player must climb rocky platforms and avoid fire to escape from the rising lava.
Defeat them all!	The player must defeat the enemies that appear on the summit. There is a total of one hundred enemies to defeat, and one bigger version of each enemy.

Items

Coin	Give the player 500 points on their final score in the end of an area.
Peanut	Replenish one section of the player's HP.
Boost Nut	Cause the player who eats them to run faster, being able to break large rocks and walk on water.
Twig	They can be used to deal double damage to enemies. They break after some hits.

Gallery

Woodchips

A male Woodchip thinking.

A female Woodchip intracting with a butterfly.

A female Woodchip sitting.

A male Woodchip interacting with butterflies.

Boxart and logos

American boxart.

American logo.

Beta logo.

References to other games

• Animal Crossing series
  • A Woodchip from Stump Village is a reference to Rover, with similar face and ears. He also says that he travels a lot.
  • The salesmen from item stores wear aprons that are nearly identical to Tom Nook's.
  • The ending theme is a remix of Go, K.K. Rider!.
  • A picture of a male villager and one of a female villager are seen in houses in Stump Village.
• Kirby series
  • "Kirby" appears as a random name.
  • A store in Stump Village has a Maxim Tomato on a shelf, but it cannot be bought.
  • Chip Rockets are a reference to Warp Stars.
• The Legend of Zelda series
  • "Link" and "Zelda" appear as random names.
  • A rock formation in Waterspout Valley is a spoof on Spectacle Rocks.
  • Stump Village is very similar to Kakarico Village from A Link to the Past in appearance.
• Mario series
  • "Mario", "Peach" and "Bowser" appear as random names.
  • A Super Mushroom and an 1-Up Mushroom appear on a shelf of one of Stump Village's stores. They cannot be bought.
  • A crashed Starshroom is seen in Waterspout Valley.
  • Wooden Thwomps appear in the pyramid in Sawdust Desert.
• Pikmin series
  • "Olimar" appear as a random name.
  • A Woodchip in Stump Village says the following: "Last week I went to a trip to a distant planet. Many little fellas lived there and they helped me with everything. I'll maybe visit 'em soon."