It's no secret that the Wii U era was a bit of a rough patch for Nintendo. Coming fresh off of the incredible success of the Wii, the Japanese video game company decided to attempt to ride that wave with a new iteration of their previous console. However, much of the Wii U's troubles came from marketing. Many consumers weren't quite sure what the Wii U was, whether it was just a gamepad peripheral for the Wii, a "pro" version of the Wii, or something entirely different. Regardless, many Wii U games were released to critical acclaim, but never reached many fans due to the system's lack of sales.
Despite this, Nintendo has taken the opportunity to reintroduce many Wii U games to Nintendo Switch owners by porting them over to the system, given the hybrid handheld-home console's success. One of the Switch's first Wii U ports, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, has even gone on to become one of the system's highest selling titles, beating its own annual sales year after year.
The ports of these games have gone on to sell better than ever on the Switch, such as Pokken Tournament DX and Pikmin 3 Deluxe, and now, the excitement surrounding the release of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury have fans arguing that so much of the Wii U's library deserves a second chance. And while many Wii U games have made their way over to the new system, there are still some worthwhile exclusives that are stuck on the previous console.
Star Fox Zero + Star Fox Guard
Co-developed by Nintendo and PlatinumGames and released in April of 2016, Star Fox Zero received generally mixed reviews, with many fans disappointed by the game's tricky control scheme and lack of originality. From the get-go, fans were disappointed to see what was essentially another remake of Star Fox 64, which had already been remade on the Nintendo 3DS in the form of Star Fox 64 3D. While many fan complaints about Star Fox Zero have to do with the game's convoluted controls, perhaps a port to the Nintendo Switch could find a remedy for the hybrid TV-Wii U GamePad control system.
Also co-developed by Nintendo and PlatinumGames, Star Fox Guard was a tower defense game set in the Star Fox universe released alongside Star Fox Zero. At the time, fans who purchased a physical copy of Star Fox Zero would also receive Star Fox Guard as a pack-in title. Otherwise, fans could opt to just purchase Star Fox Guard on its own on the Nintendo eShop for $10 less. Despite poor reviews of Star Fox Zero, Star Fox Guard seems have been much more well-received by fans.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Released on the Wii U in 2013, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD was a remaster of the original The Wind Waker game on the GameCube back in 2002. Although The Wind Waker originally received mixed reviews due to its cartoonish artstyle, it slowly became a fan-favorite over time. The HD remaster included a native 1080p resolution, some graphical enhancements, as well as various changes to gameplay. Perhaps this game will see the light of day on the Nintendo Switch as part of The Legend of Zelda's 35th anniversary.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Released in 2016, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD was a remaster of the original Twilight Princess game released on both the GameCube and Wii back in 2006. Twilight Princess HD was co-developed by Nintendo and Tantalus, and released 10 years after the original game, which was well-received thanks to its more dark and mature look. Like The Wind Waker HD, the game featured enhanced graphics and added amiibo functionality. Many fans hope that Twilight Princess HD will also be included in a future collection of Zelda remasters.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Developed by Koei Tecmo, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water was the 5th entry in the popular photo-based survival horror Fatal Frame series. While fans were puzzled to see this game come to a system like the Wii U, many enjoyed the game regardless. Maiden of Black Water is widely regarded as one of the last Wii U exclusives stuck on the system that should be ported to the Switch, with many hoping a potential port will revert back to the control scheme of previous Fatal Frame games, since Maiden of Black Water previously utilized the Wii U GamePad.
Game & Wario
The 8th installment in the WarioWare series, Game & Wario released on the Wii U back in 2013. Like other WarioWare titles, the game came with a variety of mini-games featuring Mario's raunchy counterpart and friends. Game & Wario was not very well received, garnering many middle-of-the-road reviews, mainly due to a lack of content and original ideas. With most of the gameplay revolving around the use of the Wii U GamePad, it seems rather unlikely that this title will make its way over to the Nintendo Switch anytime soon.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Ever since the release of Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii back in 2010, the series quickly became a fan-favorite, spawning multiple remasters and re-releases of the original game, as well as a sequel on the Nintendo Switch. Developed by Monolith Soft in 2015, Xenoblade Chronicles X was released on the Wii U and was praised by many. The open-world JRPG saw players taking control of mechs, traversing the mysterious planet Mira. With the recent release of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, many fans hope to see Xenoblade Chronicles X make a return soon as well.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
The unexpected sequel to the Nintendo DS' Kirby: Canvas Curse, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse was developed by HAL Laboratory and released back in 2015. While many were surprised to see a sequel to what was seemingly a one-off game that released a whole decade prior, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse was generally well-received. Although a mainline Kirby game hasn't released since Kirby Star Allies on the Switch back in 2018, many fans hope to see the return of Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, either adapting touch-controls on the Switch's screen, or pointer-controls using the Joy-Con controllers.
Art Academy: Home Studio
Developed by Nintendo and Headstrong Games, the Art Academy series found its home on the Nintendo DS back in 2009. The art training series took advantage of the DS touch screen and stylus, later releasing a new installment on the Nintendo 3DS, along with some spinoff titles. The series eventually made its way over to the Wii U in 2015 with Art Academy: Home Studio, containing 30 art lessons for players to indulge in. While Art Academy is more of a niche series for some, it found great success on Nintendo platforms, and some fans hope to see a re-release of Art Academy: Home Studio on the Switch someday, utilizing touch controls on the system's touchscreen.