The Wii has been around since 2006, so it’s no surprise that developers have taken advantage of the unique abilities offered by the controller and the motion-sensitive remote to create innovative games and control schemes.
Since its debut, the Nintendo Wii has been responsible for some of the most beloved video games. From the immersive world of Super Mario Galaxy to the fun with friends found in New Super Mario Bros, the Wii is home to some of the most memorable titles. In fact, some of the best platformers ever made were created for Nintendo’s consoles.
What are Platform Games?
Platform games are a sub-genre of action-adventure games that have the player navigating from one platform to another, usually as quickly as possible. The game design of these games often involves jumping between platforms, avoiding obstacles, climbing ladders and ropes, and occasionally using weapons.
These games typically also have sections that require quick time events, such as boss battles, where the player must defeat large enemies by dodging their attacks. Here are ten of the absolute best platformers you can find on the Wii.
#10: Lost in Shadow
- Adventure through a land that is in the shadow of the tower. A land that is both familiar and foreign at the same time.
- Manipulate light and shadows to traverse this alternate land where even gravity is influenced.
- Battle shadow creatures with traditional weapons
- You are not alone in your quest: Journey with a spangle that assists you in your travel.
- Meet other shadow beings along your journey.
Lost in Shadow is a beautiful platformer focusing on shadows, lights, and your imagination. You play as the Shadow of a young boy who has been separated from his body and must climb to the top of the tower to claim it back.
You manipulate shadows to solve puzzles, find hidden paths and reveal clues to get back home. The graphics are very detailed, and the sound effects are amazing too. You will hear everything from monsters jumping at you to water flowing through the pipes.
The gameplay involves fighting off enemies using your Shadow as a weapon and using several items, such as books and lanterns, to help you get past obstacles or solve puzzles. You can also collect coins along the way, allowing you to purchase upgrades for your characters, such as new weapons or power-ups.
Lost in Shadow is a platformer that will keep you on your toes. The controls are easy to grasp, but they’re not so simple that you’ll be able to breeze through the game.
You have to think about your moves and how they’ll impact the environment around you, which makes it an interesting challenge for some. It’s also got some cool mechanics like jumping and falling off platforms, which add even more depth to the game.
#9: Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
- Classic gameplay with a motion controlled twist makes for an adventure that anyone can enjoy
- Kirby's powerful 'copy' ability returns, allowing him to inhale, spit and transform as he encounters enemies
- Players can deploy classic and new abilities, including: Sword, Beam, Whip and Leaf
- New Super abilities, which are activated when Kirby inhales special enemy characters
- Co-op support for up to four players
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is one of the best platformers on the Wii. In this game, you play Kirby, who has to defeat a host of familiar foes and enemies from his past games. The controls are simple and easy to use, which makes it easy for anyone to jump into the game and play.
It’s a 2.5D game with traditional gameplay, but it also has an interesting gimmick: Kirby can turn into other objects by inhaling them. You’ll be able to inhale enemies and use their abilities to get around the levels quickly.
The game is very colorful and has a lot of fun little touches. Like when you swallow an enemy, their health will go down by one; if you swallow your health bar, you’ll turn into a giant ball that bounces around, grabbing anything in its path (and changing into different forms).
This game also features some of the most memorable music in video game history. The theme song for this game is as catchy as it is fun, which makes it perfect for any gaming session.
This game is perfect for beginners because it’s easy to get into and doesn’t require much skill or patience to complete levels successfully. However, experienced players will still find plenty of challenges within its confines.
#8: Nights: Journey of Dreams
- Use NiGHTs' aerial acrobatic skills and shape-shifting abilities to overcome obstacles and clear missions that will ultimately save Nightopia from the Nightmarens
- Use the Wii controller to physically maneuver NiGHTS' every movement as he glides, weaves, dives, spirals, loops, and blasts in the air
- Nightopia features seven amazing environments filled with mystical creatures and terrible nightmarish monsters
- Play as either Will or Helen and unlock a different experience as each character takes on a different journey
- Rich storyline that inspires with challenges of inner strength and courage
Nights: Journey of Dreams is one of the best Wii platformers. It’s a 3D action platformer game and the sequel to Nights Into Dreams, which was released for Sega Saturn in ’96. This game has everything you could ever want in a platformer: flying, jumping, collectibles, and lots of action.
One thing that makes it stand out from other games on the Wii is that it’s not just a collection of levels set in different environments — it’s an entire story with multiple characters. The story takes place in Nightopia, where Will and Helen meet Nights (the mysterious purple jester), who explains why they’re dreaming about themselves as children.
Nights has a lot of moves. You’ll use them to fly through the levels and collect all kinds of items, including keys to unlock new worlds. You can also earn stars by completing challenges on each level, like collecting all the keys or getting all the rings on one level.
Collect enough stars, and you’ll unlock even more levels. The graphics are beautiful; there are tons of different areas to explore throughout each level, and they’re all extremely detailed. The music is great too. It fits well with what’s going on in the game and adds to its atmosphere perfectly.
#7: Sonic Colors
- Non-stop High Speed Action: Accelerate to adrenaline-pumping super speed and blast through obstacles with a new Color Power abilities enabled by the Wisps. String action combos together for an even...
- New 'Color Power' Power-ups and Hidden Paths: Take Sonic through various locales as he collects and engages the new Color Power to access multiple hidden areas.
- Amusement Park Themed Setting: Prepare to explore and race through exotic stages, all centered around a new and mysterious astro-amusement park.
- Wi-Fi Rankings: Leader boards on Wii and Nintendo DS.
- Platform Exclusives: Charge through worlds like never before with unique power-ups!
Sonic Colors is a platforming game for the Nintendo Wii that was released in November 2010. The game is about Sonic the Hedgehog and his quest to save the world from an alien race called the Wisps. Along with Tails and Knuckles, they must stop Eggman from using them to take over the world.
In this game, you can collect rings while running through different levels, collecting them as fast as possible while avoiding obstacles. The game is set in a Dr. Eggman amusement park located in space, giving it a cool visual style that is unlike any other game in the series.
This game also has interesting characters and situations that make it stand out from others. You can collect rings while running through different levels as fast as possible while avoiding obstacles.
It shifts in 2D side-scrolling levels, but players get to experience a third-person perspective as they speed through each level. This dual-screen view provides an action-oriented gameplay experience that will keep you on your toes as you explore every park nook and cranny.
#6: Wario Land: Shake It
- Brand New in box. The product ships with all relevant accessories
Wario Land: Shake It is the best Wii platformer because it combines a great story, fun gameplay, and characters. This game is a classic side-scrolling platformer with a unique twist: you use your Wii Remote instead of buttons.
It’s super fun but also pretty challenging. You’ll have to shake your remote to perform special moves and activate certain mechanisms, which makes for some cool gameplay. The game is fast-paced, challenging, and downright fun.
You’ll explore five different continents, and each continent has 7 levels with a boss battle awaiting at the end. Playable character Wario has an array of moves, including a butt stomp, ground punch, and shaking items to make them spit out coins or give you an item such as a heart or key.
If that’s not enough, Wario can ride mine carts, pilot submarines, use stars to find hidden items and more. The game features excellent graphics, tight controls, and great replay value.
You’re tasked with freeing Merfles from cages at the end of each level, and if you don’t do this before the countdown runs out, you have to start over. The game gets harder as you progress through the levels, making it difficult to get back to where you left off if you miss something.
#5: A Boy and His Blob
- Work together to progress through four stunning worlds
- Blob can transform into 15 different items by feeding him jelly beans
- Features 40 additional challenge levels
- Narrative-driven story
- Hand-drawn animation exclusively for the Wii
A Boy and His Blob is a platformer that is easy to pick up but hard to put down. It’s not just the game’s fun, a cuddly art style that makes it so great — it’s also the fact that it offers a whole bunch of levels, each with a different gimmick, for you to explore.
The player controls the boy as he tries to guide the blob through different levels, where they must solve puzzles and defeat enemies. The blob has the ability to stretch out and squish himself against walls, while the boy can run up walls and climb over obstacles by grabbing onto them with his arms.
You’ll be able to switch between these two forms at any time, which means you’ll be able to use each one in different situations depending on what level you’re on and what kind of challenge you’re facing. This game has an 8-bit art style and a classic NES feel.
The controls are very simple, and the gameplay is enjoyable. You can control the boy with one thumbstick and move him around the level. There are only two buttons to press: one for jumping and one for throwing your blob friend to defeat enemies or solve puzzles.
#4: De Blob
- de Blob: Flip, bounce and smash your way past the all-powerful I.N.K.T. Corporation to launch a revolution and save Chroma City from a future without color
- Long Live Color! Join the Color Revolutionaries in the resistance against Comrade Black and his diabolical array of hot plates, electric shocks, and ink turrets
- Free The Citizens: Free your friends from a black and white world by painting the city back to life as you dodge ink cannons, flatten I.N.K.T. tanks and outsmart Inky soldiers
- Multiplayer: Compete to control Chroma City in 4-player split screen in eight different multiplayer modes
- Save your City: Paint Chroma City's towering skyscrapers, expansive bridges and massive landmarks in your own style using custom colors, patterns and soundtracks
De Blob is an amazing platformer that takes place in a world where everything has been taken over by the evil Comrade Black, who has painted every living thing and object with his colorless paint. The player takes on the role of De Blob, who must bring color back to the world by painting it with various paints found throughout the levels.
De Blob is not only an interesting game with an innovative premise but also features an attractive art style that makes exploring the levels visually pleasing. The controls are very simple, but they make up for it with a level system that rewards players for completing puzzles and challenges at each level.
There are also mini-games that are unlocked throughout the game and require players to use their skills to be successful at them. You can paint objects with different colors and gain more paint points by attacking enemies. The graphics are great for their time, but many new games have surpassed them since then; however, De Blob still remains one of the best Wii platformers ever made.
#3: Donkey Kong Country Returns
- Dual control schemes including the Wi Remote/Nunchuk, as well as a sideways oriented Wii Remote
- The game offers the traditional side-scrolling experience everyone loved, but also levels created in fully rendered 3D environments
- New silhouetted level s add additional challenges as players work to time movements and attacks
- For the first time ever, the franchise features the ability for two people to play together at the same time - one as Donkey Kong, one as Diddy Kong
- Hidden items, puzzle pieces and other surprises are found all through the jungle; spell out K-O-N-G by the end of each level to earn an extra bonus
Donkey Kong Country Returns is a platformer best known for its humor, with references to the Donkey Kong series and other games. It does everything a sequel should do: it improves on its predecessor in every way and maintains what makes the original work.
The graphics are astonishingly beautiful; the music is as catchy and evocative as ever. The level design manages to be insanely challenging and fair, and the game’s inventiveness never flags. In this game, you play as Donkey Kong and Diddy riding on his back.
Donkey Kong’s unique abilities —including his ability to jump on enemies’ heads and throw barrels at them — make him one of the most fun characters to play, as in any video game. The game is filled with challenging puzzles and tons of collectibles, making it perfect for adults and kids alike.
The levels are challenging but not unfair, and the bosses can be defeated with some skillful maneuvering. The game features various environments with unique challenges and obstacles, making it ideal for long-term play sessions with friends or family members. There is also a co-op mode that allows you to play with friends.
#2: Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins is a platform game for the Wii. It was made by Ubisoft Montpellier and later published by Ubisoft. The game follows Rayman and his friends, who must stop the Darktooth, which is trying to take over the world.
They have to save the Electoons by finding cages across levels. You can play several different characters throughout the game; each character has unique abilities. You can also play co-op mode with your friends or go online against other players, adding a whole new dimension to this amazing game.
The game features an updated version of the classic gameplay from previous Rayman titles but with new features that make it even more fun. There are many levels, each with unique challenges and obstacles for players to overcome.
There are also new powerups that players can collect throughout each level. These powerups can help them defeat enemies or solve puzzles to help them progress through each level more quickly than possible.
#1: Super Mario Galaxy 2
- Collect new Comet Metals which unlock harder levels with even more challenges
- Mario collects stars as he travels from galaxy to galaxy, sometimes upside-down, sometimes floating from place to place
- Mario can find an egg, smash it, and hop onto the back of Yoshi in some stages
- New power-ups include a drill that Mario uses to tunnel through the planet's surface all the way to the other side of a planet
- Every level is new, but the game retains the same charm, sense of wonder, and beauty you love
Released in 2010, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is one of the most popular platformers for the Nintendo Wii. It’s a 3D platformer that allows you to explore huge worlds, collect stars, and battle Bowser and his minions.
The game is still going strong even after more than a decade. The sequel improves on everything that made the first one so great. There’s more content, more variety in gameplay, better graphics, and even better sound effects.
In its sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Nintendo managed to create an even better version that is not only a stellar game on its own merits but also a fantastic follow-up to the original. It’s not just a better game than the first Galaxy; it’s arguably one of the best platformers ever made — a testament to the series’ ingenuity, style, and creativity.
This game is special because it has an enormous world where you can explore, collect stars, and beat enemies. You’ll have to use your wits and strategy to get through each level without getting hit by enemies or falling off edges into lava pits or abysses.
It’s also very easy to pick up and play, making it good for kids who want to learn video games and adults who want something different from what they normally play on their consoles or computers.
Final Thoughts
The Wii has had its fair share of platforming games, each unique in its own way. Some were great for party fun, some for their engaging gameplay, and some for their amazing storylines and characters.
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the platformer genre or a brand new player, we all know that the best part about platforms is that there are so many games available for your platforming pleasure.
Up Next
- The Absolute Best Wii Sports Games of All Time
- The 7 Absolute Best Wii First-Person Shooters of All Time
- The 7 Absolute Best Wii Real-Time Strategy Games of All Time
The image featured at the top of this post is ©klyaksun/Shutterstock.com.
