Truth be told, the Wii U was one of Nintendo's greatest commercial failures. Whether because the console's name led many consumers to think it was merely a Wii peripheral, or because of the few new features its gamepad introduced for casual players from the previous system, it ultimately "failed to take off." For that very reason, its successor, the Nintendo Switch, was already being produced and, by contrast, became a considerable success.
The Wii U nevertheless received several excellent titles, and its owners have numerous excellent games to choose from. We therefore decided to select its best games from among the well-reviewed and popular releases.
The games on the list are not ranked by importance.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
This was essentially the most-awarded Zelda up to that point, both before release in hands-on sessions by journalists and fans at events around the world, which identified it as one of the year's greatest prospects, and afterward, when it won several Game of the Year awards and became one of the highest-rated games in history. That is no small achievement, but what changed so much in Breath of the Wild that it shone so brightly in the eyes of every kind of player?
Here, you discover a Zelda focused on exploration as you travel through fields, forests, and mountain peaks while learning what happened to the ruined kingdom of Hyrule. You explore Hyrule's regions however you wish, in the finest The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim style, traveling from the mountains in search of new destinations and then defining your own path into the desert.
Along the way, you will face enormous enemies, hunt wild beasts, and gather ingredients for the food and elixirs needed to sustain you on your journey. More than 100 Trial Shrines, or dungeons, are available to discover and explore in any order, and combined with familiar elements from the series, this was something remarkable.
Investigate the world your way and solve a variety of puzzles within, using traps and devices to obtain special items and other rewards that will help you on your adventure. There is also a good range of clothing and equipment to enjoy, whether making yourself stealthier or wearing garments suited to hot and cold temperatures.
Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition
Guacamelee! is an action platformer in the finest Metroidvania style, set in a magical world inspired by traditional Mexican culture and folklore and featuring many interesting, distinctive characters. Guacamelee! builds on the classic open-world Metroidvania platform style—like having an entire castle to explore, as in Castlevania—and adds a strong melee combat component, a new dimension-switching mechanic, and dual-screen cooperative multiplayer throughout the story. Its gameplay was acclaimed and is worth a look if you are a fan of the genre.
Skylanders Swap Force
The "toy game" that is so popular on Wii U. In Skylanders SWAP Force, the Portal Masters embark on an adventure through the mysterious Cloudbreak Islands, where a magical volcano gives the heroes the power to swap halves or merge, transforming them into a special team known as the SWAP Force. After rebuilding this team, the Portal Masters must send Kaos and his evil plan back to Cloudbreak to save Skylands.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
This was one of the Zelda series' most acclaimed games up to that point and impressed many people with its "cartoon" visuals in the original GameCube release. Described as a definitive version of the game, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is remastered and presented in 1080p. Players can experience cel-shaded scenes in high definition on their televisions or the Wii U GamePad. The streamlined interface lets players manage their inventory easily by assigning an item to any button. Improvements also include the ability to view maps instantly and zoom using the GamePad controller's touchscreen.
With the Swift Sail, which lets you gather wind and speed across the waves; the new Tingle Bottle feature, through which you can connect with other people on Miiverse; and the challenging Hero Mode, available from the moment you start the game and in which you recover health only by gaining a new Piece of Heart or Heart Container, using a Red Potion, or visiting a fairy fountain, Wind Waker HD is a feast for anyone who wants to return to its world or explore it for the first time.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut
In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, you play Adam Jensen, a security specialist handpicked to oversee the defense of one of the most experimental biotechnology companies in the United States. But when a covert operations team breaks in and kills the scientists he was hired to protect, everything you think you know about your job changes within this story. In an era when scientific advances routinely transform athletes, soldiers, and spies into enhanced superhumans, someone is working very hard to ensure that humanity's evolution follows a highly unusual path.
A game with excellent gameplay and story, it is available on Wii U as exclusive content titled the Director's Cut. It is undoubtedly worthwhile for action fans seeking a more "adult" atmosphere on the console.
Zombi U
Even though it is not revolutionary, Zombi U is a good survival horror game that should appeal to fans of the genre. Its dark atmosphere, good single-player and multiplayer modes, and enjoyable use of the Wii U GamePad as a scanner make the experience highly entertaining. Although it received mixed scores from specialist outlets and is genuinely not a technical masterpiece, the overall experience earns it a place on this list.
Splatoon
The shooter with Nintendo's "face" is undoubtedly one of the console's best! Strong in every respect, it offers players a solid, beautiful, and above all entertaining experience while innovating within the genre through characters who shoot colorful ink at one another.
Splatoon also has an entertaining online and offline multiplayer mode whose objective is to cover the entire environment in the color assigned to your character. The main campaign is very short, however, and the environments sometimes become repetitive.Even so, because of its courage in "reinventing" the shooter genre to appeal to every kind of player, Splatoon is essential for all Wii U owners.
Mario Kart 8
It is very rare for a list concerning any Nintendo console not to include a Mario Kart game among the best, and the eighth edition is no exception. Following the philosophy of "if it isn't broken, don't fix it," Mario Kart 8 brings no major new feature to the series but raises everything that made its games successful to the highest level.
Its incredible graphics stand out, running at 1080p with beautiful environments, vibrant colors, and carefully crafted details. Considered by many the best game in the series, Mario Kart 8 definitely deserves to be played.
Rayman Legends
What makes this game interesting is its versatility! As the adventure progresses, you unlock new abilities that provide access to unexplored areas of earlier stages, considerably increasing replay value. The Wii U version is considered the most entertaining because of its use of the GamePad, with a second person touching the controller to pull levers, move platforms, cut ropes, and more.
Rayman Legends is also excellent in its technical aspects, but the rich visuals stand out. Practically everything on screen has some kind of animation, creating a highly pleasant effect and the feeling of a game carefully "polished" by its developers. Refining all the elements that made Rayman Origins a success, Legends is an excellent platform game and deserves a place on this list.
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Developed by Retro Studios, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze follows the formula of the Nintendo Wii's Returns, but does it even better. Interestingly, musician David Wise from the Super Nintendo trilogy is among the composers, bringing new arrangements of classic tracks and filling the hearts of many grown men with nostalgia.
At its core, it is a good 2D platform game with a high level of difficulty that evokes games in the genre from the 1990s, though it is somewhat "gentler" than its predecessor. Finally, it is well produced in every respect: beautiful graphics, excellent gameplay, considerable length, variety, and fun. Do you enjoy "run-and-jump" 2D platformers? Get it now!
Sonic Lost World
The only main-saga game released for the console—Sonic Boom is a subseries developed by Americans, while the main saga is developed by the Japanese—is considered a step backward from Sonic Generations by the vast majority of players because of its slow gameplay and resemblance to Mario games. Even so, Sonic Lost World remains an excellent platform game. It has good cartoon graphics, a fixed frame rate of 60 frames per second, an excellent soundtrack, outstanding stage design that encourages exploration and introduces new mechanics in every environment, a blend of creativity with the series' clichéd themes, entertaining boss battles, and exceptional gameplay that many consider the blue hedgehog's best from a technical perspective.
The adventure's polish stands out, as it is free of bugs, camera problems, and other shortcomings. It is true that this is not the blue hedgehog at his best, since the game does not "dream very big," but it executes its concept well and is another excellent game starring the mascot. We only hope the next one is not so similar to the plumber, even if it is exclusive to Nintendo consoles! After all, Mario is good at being Mario, and Sonic is good at being Sonic.
The Wonderful 101
Creativity is the word that best defines The Wonderful 101! In this highly original adventure, you control 100 heroes who must stop an alien invasion, and players can transform them into weapons, bridges, and other things by touching and drawing on the GamePad screen or using the analog stick.
Its "friendly" graphics, good dose of humor, and excellent gameplay also make it a great choice. It is true that the controls are difficult to become accustomed to and require time for learning, while the high difficulty can frighten many players. Once the gameplay is mastered, however, the game shines.
Super Mario 3D World
Like Super Mario 3D Land for Nintendo 3DS, 3D World seeks to blend the mustachioed Italian's classic style of "run from point A to point B" stages with the open three-dimensional world of games such as Super Mario 64. New features include several playable characters—Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad—and local multiplayer. What makes the title shine, however, is that it does not remain in the "comfort zone" like the New Super Mario Bros. games, which are becoming repetitive over time and lack innovation. 3D World has stages with creative designs and introduces new mechanics that make its environments highly distinctive without losing the "feel" of the mascot's games.
It also seeks to excel in every respect: exceptional graphics that make extensive use of lighting and shadow effects this time and feature carefully planned details; an excellent soundtrack; creative stages; outstanding level design that pursues variety according to the selected character's abilities; progressively increasing difficulty that can cause a "headache" during the final stretch even for experienced players; and several other qualities that make it an excellent game. It has a few camera problems, especially when we play with four characters simultaneously, but this flaw becomes insignificant beside all its strengths.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Considered by many the best in the series, it takes every element that made its predecessors successful to the highest level. The graphics are excellent, rich in detail, and run at a stable 60 frames per second. The soundtrack is also of a high standard, with remixed music, tracks reused from the games associated with the characters, and addictive original pieces. Above all, however, the traditional frantic and varied gameplay stands out. Any controller compatible with Wii U can be used, and while the commands are simple, every character is distinctive in their movements.
New features include support for up to eight people playing simultaneously instead of the traditional four; a character customization mode that changes their moves and grants unique power-ups; support for Amiibo, which are controlled by the computer and can be fought; and a mode called "Masterpieces," in which players can try demo versions of the games that made the characters famous, such as Super Mario World, Mega Man 2, F-Zero, and Kirby's Dream Land. The game's only flaw is its online mode, where matches "lag" constantly, greatly hindering the experience. If you enjoy any chapter of Super Smash Bros., however, it is practically impossible not to like the Wii U version.
Bayonetta 2
A SEGA franchise developed by PlatinumGames, in the same way that Pokémon is Nintendo's property but developed by Game Freak, Bayonetta 2 is an instant classic and therefore essential for Wii U owners. Exclusive to the console, Bayonetta 2 is violent, has frantic and exciting combat and beautiful lighting effects, is varied, and features a protagonist in tight clothing who should please many people!
Most interestingly, it has broad appeal for the right reasons, striking a balance between depth and accessibility that successfully reaches several kinds of audiences. Its main flaw may be the central adventure, which lasts only around ten hours. Still, it is one of those games we play several times and complete across multiple save files. It is undoubtedly one of the console's best games! As a bonus, it also comes with a port of the first game, providing the chance to play the classic that began the franchise.
Super Mario Maker
Although I did not want to include multiple games from the same series, it was unavoidable in this case, and Super Mario Maker enters the selection as another game starring the mustachioed Italian. It lets you create your own 2D platforming Mario stages, with the option to choose among four graphical styles: the first Super Mario Bros., Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros.
Interestingly, the system is easy to learn and highly intuitive, and the stages you create can be shared on Nintendo's server for other people to play. You can also customize the main character with Amiibo, even controlling Sonic within a Mario game! Finally, there are a few stages built in advance by the developers, and these are editable as well. The game's major flaw is the inability to place checkpoints, an "oversight" by the developers that prevents a perfect score.
Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate
This game was initially released for Wii, then Nintendo 3DS, and finally arrived on Wii U in an expanded version. All three are exceptional and easily earn places on any best-games list, as happened with our selection of Wii games.
An action RPG with hundreds of hours of content, the Ultimate version introduces new weapons, has Full HD resolution, and also improves camera control. The online mode works perfectly, offering an excellent opportunity to make new friends and explore the world cooperatively. Beyond that, it is the good old Monster Hunter 3, and if you have not yet had a chance to try it, this is your opportunity!
Trine 2: Director's Cut
Developed by the little-known Frozenbyte, Trine 2: Director's Cut is a 2D puzzle platformer that can be played by up to three simultaneous players as a wizard, thief, and warrior in cooperative mode, or by one player controlling all three. The idea is to use each character's unique abilities to pass through the stage, whether by crossing a door, shooting an arrow to open a path, and so on.
The medieval theme and use of monsters such as goblins, as well as a princess and witches, could have produced a generic game, but the director managed to give Trine 2 an identity of its own. Both its gameplay and graphics are highly distinctive, with the latter becoming the greatest highlight thanks to beautiful art direction that created environments rich in animation and detail. If you want an experience different from conventional games while also "exercising your brain" in a 2D platformer, this is an excellent opportunity.
