Wii Party U
A 2013 Wii U party game with over 80 mini-games.
NDcube and Nintendo brought a new party game to the Wii U in 2013 called Wii Party U. It was first revealed during a January 2013 Nintendo Direct, with more details shown at E3 2013 and in the October 2013 Nintendo Direct. This title follows up on the 2010 Wii game, Wii Party.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- NDcube; Nintendo SPD Production Group No. 4
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Director
- Shuichiro Nishiya
- Producer
- Hiroshi Sato; Atsushi Ikeda
- Programmer
- Masayuki Shinohara
- Yuhei Tsukami
- Akira Matsumoto
- Kenji Oohira
- Haruhiko Tanuma
- Artist
- Norio Asakura
- Kunihiro Hasuoka
- Ryo Koizumi
- Composer
- Ichiro Shimakura
- Toshiki Aida
- Ryosuke Asami
- Series
- Wii
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Wii Party U is a multiplayer game that combines a traditional board game with a variety of mini-games, much like the Mario Party series. It features more than 80 new mini-games, and multiple players can take part using the Wii U GamePad. A new accessory, a stand for the GamePad, is included to make tabletop games easier. The House Party modes from the original Wii Party also return, and they make use of both the GamePad and Wii Remotes in different ways with groups of people. The game offers four main types of party modes. TV Party supports up to four players who use Wii Remotes and the GamePad while playing on a television. This mode is a board game where each space affects the players in some way. A character named Party Phil acts as the host, controlling and announcing the action. TV Party can be played with one to four players across several sub-modes. In Highway Rollers, players take turns moving along a highway. A mini-game at the start of each turn decides the order, and an obstacle appears at the end of each segment that must be overcome. GamePad Island is a board game set on an island where players use the GamePad to play a microgame that determines how many spaces they move. Challenges appear at the end of most paths, and players can hit Minigame Balloons to move up to five spaces, depending on their placement. Mii Fashion Plaza has players racing around a plaza to collect clothing for a costume, starting with one piece from a roulette. The Balldozer uses a mini-game to set the turn order, then players drop up to four balls into a machine. Colored balls earn one point, gold balls earn ten, but purple skull balls cost five points. Starting in round three, a bonus ring appears; if a ball falls through it, more balls are added. Team Building, called Teammate Madness in Europe, works like poker, where players match Miis with different jersey colors and numbers to score points. House Party mode requires both the Wii U GamePad and Wii Remotes to play.
Reception
Wii Party U landed to a lukewarm critical response, earning a 65 out of 100 on Metacritic. Edge magazine felt the game lacked a crucial sense of rhythm for a party title, pointing to its many minigames and the fact that it spends as much time teaching players how to play as it does letting them actually play. On the other hand, Nintendo World Report saw it as a solid crowd-pleaser, noting it offered more content than the 2010 Wii original. In Japan, the game was a hit. It sold roughly 70,000 physical copies in its first week, helping to push 38,000 Wii U systems out the door. Sales climbed even higher during the holiday season, often topping Japanese charts. By the end of 2013, over 518,000 copies had been sold in Japan alone, landing it at number 10 on the year-end sales list. Worldwide, the game had moved 1.58 million units by September 30, 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed Wii Party U?
Wii Party U was developed by NDcube and Nintendo SPD Production Group No. 4.
Who directed Wii Party U?
Wii Party U was directed by Shuichiro Nishiya.
Who composed the music for Wii Party U?
The music for Wii Party U was composed by Ichiro Shimakura, Toshiki Aida and Ryosuke Asami.
More in Party Games of the 2010s
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