Late last month, Nintendo unexpectedly revealed thatXenoblade Chronicles Xwould finally be coming to the Nintendo Switch in the form of a definitive re-release. This announcement might’ve been insignificant for the average gamer, but for the diehardXenobladefan, it was a big deal.Xenoblade Chronicles Xhas been trapped on the Wii U ever since its 2015 debut, and because of this, fans have clamored for a Switch port of the RPG for ages. Almost every entry in theXenobladeseries has been ported to Nintendo’s hybrid home console, but this game in particular has eluded the platform up until now. Now that aXenoblade Chronicles XSwitch port is finally a reality, more people will be able to play the game than ever before.
AlthoughXenoblade Chronicles Xis finally being freed from its Wii U prison, there are still a lot of games on Nintendo’s legacy console that have yet to make their way to the Switch. The Wii U was a massive commercial failure for Nintendo, given that it sold only 13.5 million units. Some might argue that the console’s underperfomance could be attributed to its lack of system-selling exclusives. And while that is true to an extent, the Wii U did have a handful of hidden gems in its exclusive portfolio, from both first- and third-party developers, that deserve a second chance on other platforms.
Xenoblade Chronicles X is Being Freed from the Wii U, But There Are Still Many Games Stuck on the Console
Many Mario and Zelda Games Were Released Exclusively on Wii U
The Wii U wouldn’t be a Nintendo console if it didn’t haveMariogames, and sure enough, it had plenty of them.Super Mario 3D WorldandMario Kart 8were perhapsthe most notable Wii U exclusivesin this series, but these were eventually ported to the Switch.Paper Mario Color Splash, Dr. Luigi,Game and Wario,Mario Party 10,Mario Tennis Ultra SmashandMario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, on the other hand, were not. Out of these sixMariotitles,Paper Mario Color Splashis the only one that provides a traditional, singleplayer-focused experience. The others fall under the puzzle, party, or sports game categories and aren’t really essential titles to play through.
Nintendo’s second flagship series,The Legend of Zelda, doesn’t have nearly as big of a presence asMarioon the Wii U. In fact, the only brand-newZeldagame that was released for the console wasBreath of the Wild; of course, that launched simultaneously on the Switch, so most people played it there instead. There are, however,twoZeldaremasters that are inexplicably stuck on the Wii Uto this day:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HDandThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. These games originally debuted on the GameCube in the early-to-mid 2000s, but they received some significant graphical touch-ups in their Wii U re-releases.
Several Nintendo Franchises Made Appearances on Wii U, From Kirby to Star Fox
The Wii U had exclusive entries from many other Nintendo franchises, as well, includingStar Fox,Splatoon,Pokemon,Kirby,Yoshi, andAnimal Crossing. The 2015 action-platformerKirby and the Rainbow Curse, for example, was solely released for the ill-fated eighth-generation console and never came to any other platform, perhaps due to its heavy utilization of the Wii U GamePad during gameplay.Yoshi’s Woolly World, on the other hand, didn’t take advantage of the Wii U’s controller all that much and was evenported to the 3DSa few years after its release. In spite of this, this 2015 2D platformer has yet to make its way to the Switch.
TheStar Fox,Pokemon, andAnimal Crossinggames on Wii U aren’t much to write home about.Star Fox ZeroandStar Fox Guardwere met with middling reception from critics when they launched simultaneously in April 2016. The 2013 action gamePokemon Rumble U, meanwhile, was critically-panned and garnered an underwhelming 49/100 rating on Metacritic. 2015’sAnimal Crossing Amiibo Festivaldidn’t fare much better, as this Amiibo-based party game also received universally poor reviews. At leastthe first installment in theSplatoonseries, which came out exclusively on the Wii U, was a big critical and commercial success.
Pushmo World, NES Remix, and Nintendo Land are Some of the Highlights of the Wii U Library
There are a few other miscellaneous Nintendo games on Wii U that are worth making note of.NES Remix 1and2, for instance, were arcade-style video games that compiled excerpts fromclassic NES titlesand shaked up their gameplay formulas. There’s alsoPushmo World, which was a well-received puzzle game that served as a sequel to the 3DS titlesPushmoandCrashmo. It’s important to mention the 2012 party gameNintendo Land, as well. This was a pack-in title for the Wii U that was designed to show off its unique GamePad functionality.
Release Date (NA, if applicable)
81/100
46/100
43/100
65/100
11/100
61/100
24/100
June 05, 2025(JP-only)
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
73/100
90/100
86/100
55/100
66/100
58/100
77/100
76/100
49/100
80/100
52/100
60/100
32/100
63/100
31/100
Tower defense
74/100
Rail shooter
69/100
54/100
72/100
June 13, 2025(JP, EU-only)
68/100
July 27, 2025(JP-only)
78/100
Games for Casual Audiences Were Abundant on the Wii U
The Wii U came out at a time whenNintendo was heavily trying to cater to casual audiences, so unsurprisingly, several sports, exercise, and party games were developed exclusively for the console. Among these releases were titles likeWii Fit U,Wii Karaoke U,Wii Party U,Wii Sports Club,Just Dance Wii U,Yo-Kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version,Rabbids Land,Sing Party, andYour Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013.
Yo-Kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special VersionandJust Dance Wii Uwere only released in Japan.
The Wii U’s Catalog of Third-Party Exclusives isn’t Great, to Say the Least
Nintendo was able to secure some third-party exclusives for Wii U that didn’t fall under the “casual games” category, but most of them weren’t exactly great. Thepoorly-received 3D platformersSonic Boom: Rise of LyricandSonic: Lost Worldwere only available on Wii U at launch (at least, the home console versions were), though the latter did eventually come to PC. Bandai Namco’s forgotten free-to-play co-op gameLost Reaverswas also released exclusively on the console, but it performed so poorly that it was shut down shortly after release. Likewise, the 2015 action-adventure titleDevil’s Thirdwas a complete failure on Wii U, too.
Perhaps the best third-party exclusives on Wii U were the indie games, likeFast Racing Neo,Temple of Yog,Meme Run, andAffordable Space Adventures. At the other end of the spectrum, some of theworst-rated games of all timewere released by major publishers solely for the console. Ubisoft’sSports Connection, Warner Bros. Interactive’sGame Party Champions, and D3 Publisher’sFamily Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcadeall received dismal Metacritic scores in the 30s and under. If there are any Wii U exclusives that don’t deserve to be ported to other platforms, it’s these titles.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
WHERE TO PLAY
Rebuild humanity on the mysterious planet Mira in this action RPG.
The year is 2054. Earth has been destroyed by an intergalactic war between two alien races, and humanity is on the brink of annihilation. A small number of survivors, aboard the USS White Whale, crash land on the vast and untamed planet Mira—and now it falls to you, as a member of BLADE, to help bring humanity back from the edge of extinction…with the aid of powerful giant robots called Skells!Choose from a huge variety of special attacks, skills, and classes in a combat system that’s as deep as you want it to be. Once you’ve proven yourself to BLADE, you’ll earn the right to pilot and personalize your very own Skell—a powerful machine that can fly, transform into a vehicle for fast overland travel, and wield immense strength in combat with customizable weapons and armor.As you go about the reconstruction effort, getting to know the people of New Los Angeles (NLA), you’ll build affinity with your party members and unlock quests for gear and other rewards. Join your choice of military organization within BLADE to take on even more missions—or even team up with up to 32 players from near and far online* in Squad Tasks, Online Missions, and extra-challenging Global Nemesis Battles!
