An image of Mario in Super Mario Maker
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The Wii U games we want to come to Switch
Despite a stellar launch year for the Nintendo Switch, we’re hoping these Wii U games aren’t gone forever.
By Adam Cook
5 min readPublished on
Nintendo have had some ups and downs when it comes to their hardware, but the story of the Switch is one of unquestionable success thus far. Many would argue that it’s like holding a mirror up to the fate of the poor Wii U, because for every failure that the previous console had, the Switch has had a success. Mario Kart 8 was incredible on Wii U, but sales of the hardware meant it was destined to remain unplayed by the majority, and that was a great shame.
We say “was”, because Nintendo are a smart company. The Deluxe edition of MK8 is even better, fixing every tiny complaint people had with the original (the battle mode was vastly improved for the Switch edition), while Splatoon got a sequel which was also a drastic upgrade on the original offering new and fun strategies to ink your foes. Slowly but surely Nintendo are teasing us that they may yet bring more Wii U titles over to Switch. Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are coming, and that got us thinking about which Wii U titles we desperately want to see brought back to life on Switch. These are some classics we hope aren’t left on the scrapheap for too long.

Super Mario Maker

Frankly, we can’t believe this one hasn’t been announced yet. One of the very best, most inclusive games on Wii U (and although it wasn’t as amazing, the 3DS version was okay, too), it should probably even be a pack in with every new Nintendo console. The idea is simple: you create levels on the go via the touch input of the Switch’s screen, then upload your levels to the server for other people to play while they sit on their sofa staring at the big screen. There could be a solution that makes designing levels slightly less precise in docked mode: perhaps you use the D-Pad and sticks to place items. One thing is for sure, we’re desperate to play this game again, and it’s the reason we haven’t yet packed our Wii U away. There were some truly mad, impossibly difficult creations from the community and we want that back.

Pikmin 3

We know that a new Pikmin is in the works, and that legendary producer/designer, Shigeru Miyamoto (he of Mario, Zelda, Star Fox, F-Zero, and Donkey Kong fame) is going to be involved, but given how Nintendo are putting Bayonetta 1 and 2 together, preceding the release of Bayonetta 3, why would they not squeeze out a Switch version of the fantastic Pikmin 3? This colourful, whimsical and outright adorable strategy game is fun for all the family, and feels like a no brainer to play in handheld mode. Pikmin 4 must surely be properly announced soon, since it’s rumoured to have been in development for over two years, but Pikmin 3 would satisfy us in the meantime.

Pushmo World

Not many people have heard of the wonderful world of Pushmo (known as Pullblox in Europe), but they are phenomenal puzzle games that rival the beloved Picross series for their fiendish nature. In Pushmo World you use a 3D environment to move Tetris-like pieces (here call pushmos) to create assailable platforms you can climb to get to the top of the course. There’s a story, too, and you play as Mallo, a rotund cat who is rescuing children. You simple push or pull the blocks, climb them, and rescue the kids over 200 levels of bliss. Bring this to Switch please, Nintendo, especially since World even had a level creator that meant you could share created puzzles with people online.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

You’re either a fan of the Donkey Kong Country series, or you’ve got bad taste in games: we love these games. What we do know is that Retro Studios (the developers behind Metroid Prime and the Donkey Kong Country series) have been very quiet ever since the 2014 release of Tropical Freeze. This gorgeous side-scrolling platformer may not star Mario, but it’s got a real sense of style and contains some truly challenging levels. Worse yet, because it’s a Wii U-only game and it doesn’t involve Mario, even fewer people played this one than some of the other games on our list. Even now it holds its value on the second-hand market, so we’d love Nintendo to re-release it on Switch and give it the wider audience it truly deserves.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

No that’s not a typo, and yes that’s a strange name for a game. This game is a crossover between Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei (the hugely popular Atlus developed JRPG series). Released in 2016, this is a game that very few will have played due to being put out so late in the console’s life, but it’s a great role-playing title that deserves another chance at success. It’s a long game, with sprawling themed dungeons and turn-based combat. It’s probably the most unlikely game on the list to get a second chance, but that won’t stop us from hoping.

The Wonderful 101

PlatinumGames make fantastic titles, and yes we know we’re not telling you anything new. You’ve played NieR: Automata, you’re hyped for Bayonetta 3, and given the high quality reader you are, you know how great a game like Vanquish is, too. But even by their own standards, Platinum’s The Wonderful 101 is a weird game. The idea is that the heroes can use a morph ability which lets them form a shape to attack with, and this is where it gets difficult. Relying heavily on the touchscreen of the Wii U’s GamePad means a Switch version of Platinum’s most under-loved game would be tricky because you predominantly draw weapons for your characters to use (by forming the shapes on screen) with touch, but you could also use the analogue sticks, so it’s not impossible. This game deserved better than being an exclusive on a system which, while great, had such low sales. We know Nintendo and Platinum still work together, thanks to Bayonetta 3, so maybe, just maybe this could still happen?
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