Wii Sports Resort has reportedly sold just over 33 million copies since its initial launch as what I would say was the most enjoyable multiplayer sports game on the Nintendo Wii. Every activity takes place on Wuhu Island, a fabulous sports retreat location that was a joy to explore between events. Now thanks to Wuhu Island Explorer, you can see it all up close and personal.
Wuhu Island Explorer is a free PC game on Itch.io developed by AtomicLugia. They analyzed every part of the island possible, as we all did back in the day while flying around “playing” the dogfighting game or “cycling” in a race we definitely didn’t care about winning, and recreated them in Unity. AtomicLugia is the first to admit that this isn’t a perfect 1:1 port, and that’s okay. What it does is allow us to finally fulfill that dream of walking away from the sports for once on Wuhu Island and go and see every part of it in what is now the closest we’ll ever get to setting foot on it in real life.
Wuhu!
In Wuhu Island Explorer, you have a choice of 8 Mii-like characters to choose from, including 2 inspired by the default Miis of Wii Sports Resort and 6 other Guest Miis that you’ll recognize if you played the game on the original hardware.
When it comes to locations, Wuhu Island Explorer has everything from the Wii Sports Resort map, complete with improvements made in Wii Fit Plus, such as the updated castle and light tower. It even has Wedge Island, which is mainly used for golf, and you can fast travel between major areas to make travel a little easier while you relive this nostalgia-inducing location.
Every fan playing the game is having a blast because they’re finally able to ditch the activities and explore one of the best locations I’ve ever seen in a sports game. User Eagletanker commented on the game’s page, “Nice! Thank you for making this and fulfilling my younger self’s curiosity! It’s very peaceful and nice to explore something like this.”
I’m with user AkaiScarlett. “The best day of my life.” It’s mad how many people, myself included, played tens to hundreds of hours of Wii Sports Resort and how we’re all secretly obsessed with exploring Wuhu Island and not replaying all the game’s sports. I used to annihilate every member of my extended family in archery every Christmas, yet I’ve never explored the beautiful beach caves where the toughest course is set.
Obviously, this isn’t an official Wii to PC port of the map and isn’t associated with Nintendo, so it’s completely free for you to download. However, its life on Itch.io might be limited, so it’s worth grabbing it while you can to avoid missing out on a much less active trip to Wuhu Island.
Published: Aug 8, 2024 03:30 pm