Every Wii U Exclusive Missing from the Switch After Xenoblade Chronicles X

As someone who grew up with the Wii U and fondly remembers the endless hours spent playing Wii Sports Club and Yoshi’s Woolly World, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia when looking at this list. The console was truly a gem for casual gamers, offering a plethora of sports, party games, and rhythm titles that were hard to find elsewhere.


Last month, out of the blue, Nintendo unveiled that I’d get to experience Xenoblade Chronicles X on the Nintendo Switch, in a special updated version! For me, as an ardent fan of the Xenoblade series, this wasn’t just any news—it was a major milestone. Ever since its debut in 2015, Xenoblade Chronicles X has been confined to the Wii U, and fans like me have longed for a Switch port of this RPG. It feels like every other game in the Xenoblade franchise has made its way to Nintendo’s versatile console, but not this one—until now! With the Switch port of Xenoblade Chronicles X officially confirmed, more gamers will get a chance to explore this incredible game than ever before.

Even though Xenoblade Chronicles X has been released from its confinement on the Wii U, there are still numerous games from Nintendo’s past console that haven’t been ported to the Switch yet. The Wii U, unfortunately, didn’t perform well commercially for Nintendo, with only 13.5 million units sold. Some people might contend that the console’s poor sales could be due to a lack of exclusive games that would drive sales. However, while this is partially true, the Wii U did boast some hidden treasures among its exclusive library, both from first-party and third-party developers, which merit a second opportunity 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

Without doubt, a Nintendo console like the Wii U wouldn’t have felt complete without games featuring Mario. Notably, it boasted some exclusive Mario games such as Super Mario 3D World and Mario Kart 8, but these were later ported to the Switch. In contrast, games like Paper Mario Color Splash, Dr. Luigi, Game and Wario, Mario Party 10, Mario Tennis Ultra Smash, and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games were not ported to the Switch. Among these six Mario titles, Paper Mario Color Splash is the one that offers a traditional, single-player experience, while the others belong to the puzzle, party, or sports game genres and might not be considered essential playthroughs for everyone.

Nintendo’s primary series after Mario, The Legend of Zelda, isn’t as prominent on the Wii U compared to Mario. In truth, the only new Zelda game released for this console was Breath of the Wild, which also debuted on the Switch, leading many players to opt for the latter version. However, two remastered versions of Zelda games, The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD, are still exclusive to the Wii U. These games initially came out on the GameCube in the 2000s but were given graphical updates in their Wii U re-releases.

Several Nintendo Franchises Made Appearances on Wii U, From Kirby to Star Fox

The Wii U boasted numerous exclusive games from various Nintendo series, such as Star Fox, Splatoon, Pokemon, Kirby, Yoshi, and Animal Crossing. For instance, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (a 2015 action-platformer) was solely available on the Wii U and not any other platform because it heavily relied on the Wii U GamePad during gameplay. In contrast, Yoshi’s Woolly World didn’t require much of the Wii U controller and was later ported to the 3DS. However, despite not utilizing the Wii U’s controller extensively, Yoshi’s Woolly World (a 2015 2D platformer) has yet to be released on the Switch.

The games like Star Fox, Pokemon, and Animal Crossing on the Wii U didn’t receive much praise. Specifically, Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard, launched in April 2016, received mixed reviews from critics. The action game Pokemon Rumble U from 2013 was heavily criticized with a Metacritic score of 49/100. Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival from 2015 also got poor reviews across the board as an Amiibo-based party game. However, the initial Splatoon series, exclusive to the Wii U, was a significant hit in both critical acclaim and sales.

Pushmo World, NES Remix, and Nintendo Land are Some of the Highlights of the Wii U Library

Here are some other noteworthy Nintendo games on Wii U that deserve attention:

The Will U Has More than 30 Exclusives of Varying Quality

List of Wii U Exclusives That Are Not on Nintendo Switch

Name Release Date (NA, if applicable) Genre(s) OpenCritic Rating Metacritic Rating
Affordable Space Adventures April 9, 2015 Puzzle, Adventure 79/100, 74% Critics Recommend 81/100
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival November 13, 2015 Party 48/100, 5% Critics Recommend 46/100
Devil’s Third December 11, 2015 Action, Hack-and-slash, Third-person shooter 44/100, 3% Critics Recommend 43/100
Dr. Luigi December 31, 2013 Puzzle 68/100, 30% Critics Recommend 65/100
Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade December 4, 2012 Party N/A 11/100
Fast Racing Neo December 10, 2015 Racing 82/100, 78% Critics Recommend 81/100
Game & Wario June 23, 2013 Party N/A 61/100
Game Party Champions November 18, 2012 Party N/A 24/100
Just Dance Wii U April 3, 2014 (JP-only) Rhythm, Music N/A N/A
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse February 20, 2015 Platformer, Action 72/100, 54% Critics Recommend 73/100
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD September 20, 2013 Action, Adventure N/A 90/100
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD March 4, 2016 Action, Adventure 85/100, 91% Critics Recommend 86/100
Lost Reavers April 26. 2016 Action RPG, Multiplayer 40/100, 0% Critics Recommend 46/100
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games November 15, 2013 Sports, Party 56/100, ?% Critics Recommend 55/100
Mario Party 10 March 20, 2015 Party 65/100, 16% Critics Recommend 66/100
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash November 20, 2015 Sports 56/100, ?% Critics Recommend 58/100
Meme Run December 18, 2014 Endless runner, Platformer N/A N/A
Nintendo Land November 18, 2012 Adventure, Party N/A 77/100
Paper Mario: Color Splash October 7, 2016 Action RPG, Adventure 76/100, 58% Critics Recommend 76/100
Pokemon Rumble U August 29, 2013 Action RPG N/A 49/100
Pushmo World June 19, 2014 Puzzle 80/100, 60% Critics Recommend 80/100
Rabbids Land November 18, 2012 Party N/A 52/100
Sing Party November 18, 2012 Music N/A 60/100
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric November 11, 2014 Action, Adventure, Platformer 31/100, ?% Critics Recommend 32/100
Sonic Lost World (also on PC, 3DS) October 29, 2013 Action, Adventure, Platformer 60/100, 25% Critics Recommend 63/100
Splatoon May 29, 2015 Third-person shooter, Multiplayer 81/100, 78% Critics Recommend 81/100
Sports Connection November 18, 2012 Sports N/A 31/100
Star Fox Guard April 22, 2016 Tower defense 74/100, 42% Critics Recommend 74/100
Star Fox Zero April 22, 2016 Rail shooter 69/100, 28% Critics Recommend 69/100
Temple of Yog December 16, 2015 Shoot-em-up, Action, Roguelike 55/100, ?% Critics Recommend 54/100
Wii Fit U November 1, 2013 Fitness 75/100, 54% Critics Recommend 72/100
Wii Karaoke U December 8, 2012 (JP, EU-only) Rhythm N/A 68/100
Wii Party U October 25, 2013 Party N/A 65/100
Wii Sports Club July 25, 2014 Sports 66/100, 25% Critics Recommend 68/100
Yo-Kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version December 5, 2015 (JP-only) Rhythm, Music N/A N/A
Yoshi’s Woolly World (also on 3DS) October 16, 2015 Platformer 80/100, 70% Critics Recommend 78/100
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013 November 18, 2012 Fitness N/A 76/100

Games for Casual Audiences Were Abundant on the Wii U

During its release, the Wii U was primarily aimed at a more casual gaming audience. As a result, numerous sports, fitness, and multiplayer games were specifically designed for this console. Notable titles among these releases included “Wii 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”, and “Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013”.

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The Wii U’s Catalog of Third-Party Exclusives isn’t Great, to Say the Least

On the Wii U, Nintendo managed to secure several third-party exclusives that steered clear of the “casual games” genre. However, many of these didn’t live up to expectations. Games like Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic: Lost World, which received negative feedback, were only available on Wii U at launch (the home console versions, that is), with the latter eventually making its way to PC. Bandai Namco’s free-to-play cooperative game Lost Reavers was also exclusive to the console, but it struggled so much that it was closed down soon after release. Similarly, the action-adventure game Devil’s Third in 2015 was a disappointment on Wii U as well.

It seems that some of the standout exclusive games on the Wii U were primarily indie titles such as Fast Racing Neo, Temple of Yog, Meme Run, and Affordable Space Adventures. On the flip side, several poorly received games, many of which were published by major companies exclusively for the console, include Ubisoft’s Sports Connection, Warner Bros. Interactive’s Game Party Champions, and D3 Publisher’s Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade – these games were met with Metacritic scores in the 30s or lower. If there are any Wii U exclusives that shouldn’t be adapted for other platforms, it would likely be these underperforming titles.

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2024-11-04 22:35