Hello again, friends. I’ve been having fun with this little series where I try to find games from other consoles that have been ported to the Switch, and it is time to pluck the low-hanging fruit. Indeed, this is the first article in this series where finding five more games I’d like to see is more difficult than finding ten that have already come. The Wii U had a tough life, and there are a lot of reasons why it failed but no one can say it didn’t have some great games. Many of them made the hop to the Switch, and that’s what we’re looking at today. We’ve got ten of our favorites here in no particular order, and as usual we’ve also added five more we’d like to see. To the games!
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ($59.99)
And we’ll start with the lowest-hanging fruit of the low-hanging fruit, Mario Kart 8. The best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch and one of the best-selling games of all-time, period. And it’s easy to see why: this game is a good time for almost anyone, regardless of skill level, and the more players you add the better. It’s packed with courses and characters from the get-go, and you can expand it to a wild degree with the DLC course packs. To put it into perspective, almost half of Switch owners have this game in their collections. Wowza.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury ($59.99)
For better or worse, Mario’s 3D outing on the Wii U didn’t make the heaviest of use of the system’s unique features. That made it a good candidate for a Switch release, and when it finally came it had a rather robust extra adventure in tow. Super Mario 3D World is a really fun game that takes a very different approach from Super Mario Odyssey‘s exploration and discovery focus, one that is more about those good old-fashioned obstacle courses. No reason why you can’t enjoy both kinds!
Bayonetta 2 ($49.99)
This was one of the games that tempted me to get the Wii U to begin with, and in the end I didn’t play it much on there. Well, it happens. Bayonetta 2 came to the Switch fairly early on, and it was a welcome addition to the library. It also initially came with a port of the first game, and that’s a bonus we can all get behind. I still think the first game in this series is the best, but Bayonetta 2 is a really fun sequel that is just as irreverent and action-packed as its predecessor.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ($59.99)
I’m not the world’s biggest fan of Rare’s Donkey Kong Country games, and I had a different but equal set of issues with Retro’s take on the franchise. Still, I have to push my personal issues aside and acknowledge that Tropical Freeze is one heck of a platforming treat for fans of the genre. It’s gorgeous, creative, and fast-paced, and it has a new Funky Mode! How can you resist?
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ($39.99)
It’s a shame that Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker appears to have swung and missed on three different platforms, because this is a charming and highly compelling puzzle-action game. I’ve bought it three times and played it through three times. It fits the Switch like a glove, and between the new Odyssey levels and DLC there’s plenty here to merit a double-dip for Wii U owners.
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition ($59.99)
Speaking of games that did the three-system tour, here’s Hyrule Warriors in what I believe to be its final form. You know, until the next Nintendo console launches. Not only does this version of the game include all of the content that was added to the game over time, it also runs fairly well on the Switch. Which isn’t a given for any Warriors game, so let’s enjoy that moment. Seriously though, this is a Zelda fan’s dream in a lot of ways. Certainly worth playing, and this is the best way to do that.
LEGO City Undercover ($29.99)
Okay, yes, LEGO. These games are to an extent very similar to one another and lean heavily on their familiar licenses to appeal to the player. So how could a LEGO game with no Marvel or Lord of the Rings or Star Wars license possibly distinguish itself? By being absolutely hilarious, that’s how. This is by some measure among the very best-written of all the LEGO games, and if you have any fondness for classic cop movies or TV shows you’ll have a blast making your way through this game.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe ($59.99)
You never really know, do you? Pikmin seemed like its moment in the sun was limited to a brief window of the GameCube’s life, and the release of Pikmin 3 on Wii U only appeared to back that up. The game was good! The sales were not! How much of that was as a result of the platform, though? Nintendo decided to give this one another go, and it’s a good thing. Pikmin 3 Deluxe did well enough globally on the Switch to get the series rolling again, and it’s probably more popular now than it has ever been. Pikmin 3 Deluxe: a good game. Maybe not as good as Pikmin 4, but still very good.
Rayman Legends Definitive Edition ($39.99)
Okay, I need to include at least one game on here that Nintendo had nothing to do with. Rayman Legends is the follow-up to Rayman Origins, and while it was made multiplatform in the end the game was clearly designed around the Wii U. That multiplatform release meant it had to work on consoles without the Wii U’s unique aspects, and that is perhaps part of why it made a smooth transition to the Switch. This game is regularly on sale for ridiculously low prices, and if you enjoy a good 2D platformer I can’t imagine not owning it.
Pokken Tournament DX ($59.99)
You want Tekken on Switch? Sorry! Harada doesn’t, and that means you get no Tekken. The closest thing we’ll ever get is Pokken Tournament DX, which isn’t exactly Tekken but isn’t exactly not Tekken, either. It’s a fun fighting game that shows us yet another side of the Pokemon world, one where problems are solved in a far more real-time manner than the core series presents. Also, combos. Pokken was another early transplant, and I think it’s one a lot of people missed out on. If you like 3D fighters, what other options do you have on Switch?
And… 5 Wii U Games We’d Like to See on Switch
Xenoblade Chronicles X
This is the top pick on most people’s lists, and I probably don’t need to explain why. We have all three of the mainline Xenoblade Chronicles games on the Switch, and that is fantastic. A really nice trilogy of RPGs, there. But Xenoblade Chronicles X has its own very cool thing going on, and it would be a shame if it didn’t get carried forward to a newer platform at some point. Maybe it’s too late for that to be the Switch, but it would be really nice to have everything in one place.
Yoshi’s Woolly World
Confession time: I actually enjoy all of the Yoshi platformers. Yes, even Yoshi’s New Island. I just think they’re neat. But even as a fan of the series, I can see which ones are better and which ones are worse. I think Yoshi’s Woolly World is probably one of the better games in the franchise. Sure, it’s no Yoshi’s Island SNES. Nothing ever will be. But it’s good looking, enjoyable to play, and hits a decent difficulty curve. The 3DS port is fine, but imagine how nice this game would look playing on the Switch’s screen?
NES Remix 1 & 2
Nintendo World Championship has enough overlap with this that I am almost ready to give up on any prospects of this quirky take on the NES classics resurfacing on the Switch. But I will not completely give up until it’s all over! The off-beat challenges in this game are a lot of the appeal, and the pure speed-running aspect of NWC probably won’t be able to replicate that. It’s really something to have games you’re intimately familiar with turned on their heads. Fingers crossed this isn’t dead. We didn’t even get SNES Remix!
Pushmo World
One thing I miss in the modern era of Nintendo is the small games it was pushing out in the 3DS/Wii U era. There are a lot of good ones from that bunch, but Pushmo was my favorite. A charming puzzle game with a clever gimmick and some serious teeth in its more complicated stages, Pushmo came in strong but seemed to have completely faded by the time this Wii U installment arrived. Maybe the Switch’s bigger userbase could juice it? I just want more Pushmo, friends.
Those Legend of Zelda HD Remakes
Insiders have been calling them for ages. Fans have been asking for them since the start. But will we ever see those fine remakes of Windwaker and Twilight Princess on Switch? The answer is increasingly looking to be in the negative, but there is no harm in keeping our hopes up.
And that’s the list, friends. Are there any Wii U games you enjoy on the Switch? Any you would like to see? Feel free to sound off down in the comments and let us know what you’re thinking! It’s always interesting to hear the opinions of others on this kind of thing. As always, thanks for reading!