The Best Games on Wii U: #15-11

Everyone may be enamored with Nintendo’s newfangled portable/home console hybrid, but its predecessor, Wii U, will always have a fond place in the ‘Dojo staff’s hearts. While the system will likely go down in the annals of history as the poorest performing home console to bear Nintendo’s name, it nevertheless managed to amass a truly impressive library of titles, many of which made a compelling case for its unorthodox (if never fully realized) dual screen display. Nintendo may be glad to finally be rid of its bungled Wii successor, but we’ll always be a little sad the system never got the attention it deserved, so this week we’ll be highlighting all of the truly great games Wii U had to offer.

15. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Every Nintendo console has been blessed with a few small surprises from the company: titles that don’t quite get the same attention or budget as Nintendo’s top tier franchises, yet still manage to deliver a strong experience. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a perfect example of a budget title done right. While it didn’t grab the attention of fans in the same way a new Zelda or Mario title might, Captain Toad proved that the little guy can still deliver a fun experience.

A spin-off of Super Mario 3D World, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker took the bonus stages from the former title and centered an entire game around them. Each stage followed a simple puzzle format, requiring players to rotate the level 360 degrees in order to find their way to the end. This seemingly simple mechanic, combined with the game’s brilliant level design, kept the title fresh and entertaining.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker might not be the biggest or most ambitious title on Wii U, but it’s a pleasure to play, the graphics are gorgeous, and it helped fill a unique spot in the Wii U library. The game more than deserves its spot on the list of the console’s finest games. Here’s hoping for a sequel on Switch!

Wii U has plenty of great games, and plenty of them are underrated. However, there are one or two that truly don’t get the appreciation that they deserve. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is one of them. Continuing Retro Studios’ revival of the Donkey Kong Country franchise, Tropical Freeze follows in the phenomenal first game’s footsteps. The New Super Mario Bros. franchise is great for what it is, but when it comes to 2D Nintendo platformers in the past decade, I find it hard to find an example that’s more charming, more creative, more challenging, more varied or simply reaches the heights of this wonderful adventure. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a fantastic game that I hope finds life elsewhere so it could perhaps reach the audience it so badly deserves.

13. Yoshi’s Woolly World

The original Yoshi’s Island is still widely regarded as one of the finest 2D platformers Nintendo has ever developed, but none of its sequels have managed to replicate the creativity and masterful level design that made it such a stunning, late-generation showpiece for SNES. A few, like Yoshi’s Story and Yoshi’s New Island, were serviceable iterations on the same basic gameplay concepts, but all of the dino’s starring roles since his solo debut have skewed toward a decidedly younger audience, and the series has lost quite a bit of its luster as a result.

On the surface, Yoshi’s Woolly World looks to be yet another kid-friendly romp for the dino, with its vibrant, craftwork aesthetic and saccharine soundtrack. Beneath this cutesy exterior, however, is the best Yoshi game since Yoshi’s Island. Developed by Good-Feel, the studio behind the captivating Kirby’s Epic Yarn for Wii, Woolly World is a deceptively sophisticated platformer that breathes some much-needed life into the series. Each level is laden with cleverly hidden secrets to discover, and like the best Mario games, nearly every stage introduces a unique gameplay concept that keeps the adventure fresh and engaging. This is especially true for the game’s bonus levels, which are some of the most inventive and genuinely challenging stages in any sidescrolling Nintendo game. While the recent 3DS port of Woolly World added a handful of unique Poochy stages and a few extra options — like Poochy Pups — to help guide players, the game remains one of the most visually stunning titles released on Wii U, which is reason enough to pick the original up over its handheld conversion.

Hyrule Warriors is reminiscent of Pokkén Tournament in that it’s as much fan service as it is a rockin’ video game. For fans of the Legend of Zelda series, as fun as combat can be in those titles, there’s never really been a chance to sit and enjoy seeing Link cut loose with his fighting abilities and take on packs of baddies all at once. Hyrule Warriors, a fusion of the Dynasty Warriors and Zelda franchises, allows players to do exactly that and then some. Link, utilizing everything from the Master Sword to a Fire Rod, shreds through waves of Moblins, Stalfos, Redeads, and more on his quest to save Hyrule. The combat is bombastic and over the top, with Link reigning down powerful volleys of attacks as easily as he breathes.

Besides seeing Link cut loose like never before, fans also got to experience playing as other series mainstays like Zelda and Ganon, as well as others who’ve never been playable before, such as Medli and Impa. Along with some original characters, the sheer variety of the cast makes Hyrule Warriors worth multiple play throughs. There’s something incredibly satisfying about finally seeing Impa show off her combat prowess rather than just having it suggested! Hyrule Warriors also offered a ton of skins for its cast of characters, making the fan service officially bring the roof down at 11 on the dial. While the game is available on 3DS, the Wii U version is vastly superior and worthy of any fan’s time.

11. The Wonderful 101

One of the most significant developments of the Wii U’s lifetime was the relationship developed between Nintendo and Platinum Games. The celebrated developer kicked off this new union with The Wonderful 101, a quirky and unique action game directed by an absolute master of the genre: Hideki Kamiya. Considering his history with likes of Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, Okami, and Bayonetta, it came as no surprise that this game delivered the goods.

The Wonderful 101 told the comical tale of the titular group of heroes battling an army of invading aliens. But rather than control one hero at a time, players could recruit an army of up to 101 characters that not only followed around the main cast, but also joined together to form the weapons used to smite evil. By drawing on the GamePad, players could form their horde into guns, swords, fists, and whips to take down baddies and solve puzzles. Not only was the mechanic as clever as it was fun, but it also gave the game a sense of scale not often found in the genre as building sized weapons slashed and smashed across the screen.

These inventive gameplay mechanics combined with the colorful presentation and ridiculous sense of humor to make The Wonderful 101 one of the Wii U’s most memorable titles.

So ends the second part of our list! What are your thoughts on it so far? And what do you think will nab the coveted number 1 spot? Share your thoughts in the comments!