Shigeru Miyamoto’s famous quote “A delayed game is eventually good, but a bad game is forever bad” takes on new meaning when considering The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Originally planned for release in 2015 as a Wii U exclusive, the game was delayed and later released on the Nintendo Switch, where it became an instant hit.
The shift from Wii U to Switch allowed Nintendo to optimize the game’s performance, resulting in a more polished experience. However, playing the Wii U version of Breath of the Wild reveals its performance issues, including choppy frame rates and a lower resolution image compared to the Switch version.
Despite these limitations, the Wii U version still offers an enjoyable gaming experience, thanks to the game’s inherent quality and Nintendo’s efforts to remove any hardware-specific quirks. However, it’s hard not to feel that this version is a somewhat hobbled afterthought, living in the shadow of its superior Switch counterpart.
Playing the game on the Wii U Gamepad brings back memories of Nintendo’s early attempts at innovative gaming experiences, such as the dual-screen functionality that was later scrapped for the Switch. It also highlights how prophetic the design of the Wii U was, even if it didn’t quite come together at the time.
The nostalgia is palpable when playing Breath of the Wild on the Wii U, and it’s a reminder that Nintendo took risks to create something new and innovative. The game’s success on Switch is all the more remarkable considering the challenges it faced on its initial platform.
Source: https://www.polygon.com/zelda/547697/breath-of-the-wild-wii-u