5. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

While Captain Toad came out in 2014, the Toad Amiibo didn’t launch until Mario Party 10 came out in March 2015. The Amiibo added a fun bonus mode where you could play hide-and-seek looking for pixel toads hidden throughout almost every stage. It was an amusing add-on for an already great game. With other Amiibo, you could get extra lives, which isn’t that great but hey, it’s something.

4. Yoshi’s Woolly World

Contrary to Captain Toad, the more interesting Amiibo functionality in Yoshi’s Woolly World were the non-Yoshi ones. A wide majority of Amiibo unlocked a yarn Yoshi design modeled after that character. So, you could use your Mega Man Amiibo to unlock a design that would make your playable Yoshi look like Mega Man. That’s rad. Even the Yarn Yoshi Amiibo unlocked something fun, giving you an extra Yoshi when you’re playing in single-player, which is helpful in some puzzles.>

3. Code Name S.T.E.A.M.

While Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. wound up being disappointing, the Amiibo usage was novel. Using the four Smash Bros. Fire Emblem Amiibo, you could bring in Marth, Ike, Lucina, and Robin as playable characters. While some of them were woefully limited by short-range attacks, the four-team squad could be brutally overpowered. Also, the flavor text for each character is just delightful.

2. Super Mario Maker

Super Mario Maker is, in some ways, the poster child for what we’d like to see in Amiibo. The 8-bit Mario Amiibo added something unique and special (the Big Mushroom) that doesn’t hold back major parts of the game from others. Every other Amiibo brings in something fun that can be unlocked through regular play. The costumes, which let you bring in Sonic, Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer, and so much more, all feature wonderful touches that call to mind the series where the characters came from. Star Fox music plays when you complete a level as Fox or Falco. Each one has a unique animation when you press up. Ultimately, the Amiibo costumes are a small part of Super Mario Maker, but they have so much style.

1. Splatoon

Splatoon’s three Amiibo figures unlock substantial single-player content in addition to three new mini-games and powerful gear and weapons. It might be a bummer that so much content is locked behind three figures, but the content is so strong that it’s nearly worth the price of admission. The single-player levels challenge you to replay parts of the single-player using limitations and specific weapons. Try beating bosses with just the roller; it ain’t easy. And when you finish those, you unlock new retro-styled mini-games to play in between online matches. Splatoon’s Amiibo use was fresh, just like the game it supported.