For a great many, the Nintendo Wii helped change the game with its intuitive motion controls and a lineup of appealing games that drew an expanding audience of gamers and non-gamers. Players were giddy over the thought of seamlessly swinging the ergonomic Wiimote like a tennis racket or even a virtual lightsaber.
Not surprisingly, it was the console’s mass-market hits like Wii Sports, Wii Fit, and Mario Kart Wii which tend to hog the spotlight, as these were accessible titles that utilized the motion controls to their advantage. And of course, Nintendo’s usual heavy hitters like Super Smash Bros. Brawl and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess were a draw for their core audience.
But amidst these two major groups, there are several lesser-known and forgotten gems by first, second, and third parties alike. Given the Wii’s densely populated library of fun, often unique titles, there’s no shortage of them — but here are some of the best.
10 A Boy And His Blob
With its simple, cartoony visuals and puzzle-platforming gameplay, A Boy and His Blob feels akin to a modern indie game despite its ’09 release. Like its NES predecessor, this reimagined revamp fell under the radar amidst Wii’s heavy-hitting platformers.
As the title gives away, the game stars a young lad and a blob-like creature who must work together to traverse obstacles and solve puzzles. His blob companion consumes magic jelly beans, which cause it to transform into various objects used to progress in the game.
The delightful art style and clever game design make this an interesting alternative to Mario on Wii, despite being greatly overshadowed by the star plumber.
9 Zack & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros’ Treasure
The tough puzzle gameplay and third-party origins of this Capcom romp meant that its hype and appeal were somewhat limited on Wii. Still, those who did unearth this hidden gem were pleased to find some truly charming art design and some of the best usage of Wii’s motion control.
In one sense, Zack & Wiki can be described as a colorful, well-crafted point-and-click adventure. Yet the game adds spice with refined motion-based actions like tree-sawing, along with creative, dynamic scenes that resemble a virtual escape room.
8 Sonic Colors
It’s odd how little this game’s mentioned even among the Sonic fandom, given that it’s often viewed as one of the few great 3D games featuring the hedgehog. Though technically, Sonic Colors shifts between 2D and 3D perspectives and usually finds a nice balance between the two.
The game’s colorful, celestial theme resembles Super Mario Galaxy, though it still taps into that thrilling, fast-paced gameplay Sonic is known for. Though it’s not flawless, Colors remains one of the better post-90s Sonic romps among many fans.
7 WarioWare: Smooth Moves
When one thinks of the Wii, it’s usually those fun, colorful party and social games that come to mind. Think Wii Sports, Wii Play, Mario Party, and Mario Kart. Still, this quirky title tends to get unjustly lost in the shuffle.
It’s partly understandable, as WarioWare‘s weird themes and rapid-fire microgames aren’t for everyone. But those willing to embrace the absurdity of virtual nose-picking and fake barbell squats often found a laugh-out-loud great time in Smooth Moves. The amusing use of Wii’s motion controls serves to make the seemingly simple games pop.
While games whiz by in the blink of an eye, the fast-paced action and slew of competitive and co-op modes ensured hours of fun at parties.
6 Muramasa: The Demon Blade
In an era stressing 3D graphics, motion control, and gaming peripherals, Vanillaware decided to go back to basics with this stylistic action game for Wii. But don’t let the button mashing and flat aesthetic fool you. Muramasa proves deceptively fun and in-depth, as the few who managed to notice it ’09 discovered.
Its RPG elements, Japanese folklore, and charming storybook visuals set the stage for a rich, memorable experience in its 12-hour journey.
5 Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
Being overshadowed by the similar Bayonetta and coming from a Japan-only predecessor, this rail shooter never quite took off in the West.
Regardless, Star Successor offers some thrilling action that makes solid use of the Wiimote’s pointer controls. The fun, frantic arcade experience is really amped up when locking and loading with a friend and equipping a couple of Wii Zappers for good measure. It lives on now only as an obscure Wii relic and holdout on the abandoned Wii U Virtual Console.
4 Red Steel 2
Despite being viewed as inferior by most Wii gamers, the original Red Steel tends to overshadow this more distinct and interesting sequel. Rather than just hone the “rough-around-the-edges” RS formula, Ubisoft veers in a very different direction with this 2010 follow-up. The result is a thematic blend of East and West — and gameplay that shifts between refined FPS gameplay and nuanced swordplay.
Fans and critics alike have regarded Red Steel 2 for its great use of Motion Plus – and for its more timeless, comic-style visuals.
3 Little King’s Story
This charming console strategy romp has since found new life on Steam some years after its quiet debut. For some Wii gamers though, Little King’s Story remains one of the best third-party efforts for the console even in its original, non-HD form.
Little King’s Story offers a fantastical, in-depth alternative for Pikmin fans. Studio Cing and Town Factory task players with managing a kingdom and leading a band of fighters and citizens of different trades — like farming and hunting. The management-sim gameplay is complemented by exploration, rewarding progression, and fun combat.
This is also one of Wii’s more robust titles, taking close to 25 hours to finish the core campaign.
2 Rhythm Heaven Fever
Take the cartoony, bite-sized games of WarioWare and add a rhythmic element, then you might have Rhythm Heaven Fever. The game can be likened to a rhythmic playground with its slew of delightful, often weird beat-based romps. Nintendo tests your mettle and sense of rhythm with an unforgiving scoring system and unique minigames ranging from dance cues to sword hacking.
Released at a time when Wii was waning, RHF reminded players of the console’s knack for fun party games — particularly when playing with a friend.
1 Mario Strikers: Charged
It’s not too often that a game bearing the iconic “Mario” name is forgotten — though that largely seems to be the case with this soccer party game on Wii. Strikers Charged builds on the fun formula of Strikers on GameCube, with addictive soccer gameplay and added elements like the game-changing “Super Ability.”
MSC even takes advantage of the Wii’s internet function with a surprisingly solid ranked online mode.
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