Wii Fit U

Wii Fit U is a fitness title from Nintendo that, on Wii U, continued the popular Wii Fit series and expanded it with use of the gamepad and a new peripheral device, the Fit Meter, meant to track the player's movement even outside the game itself — that is, during an ordinary day away from the living room. The game combines exercise routines, yoga, strength training, and minigames built around the balance board from previous entries in the series, while the gamepad serves as a supplementary screen with instructions, statistics, and the ability to follow exercises even without the television turned on in another room.

Gameplay is built on regularly repeating exercises and tracking progress over time, which makes Wii Fit U more of a long-term tool to support physical activity than a classic game with a clear ending or final goal. The balance board from previous entries remains fully compatible, which was appreciated by players who already owned one from the Wii era and didn't need to buy new hardware. The gamepad also lets players follow instructional animations directly in hand while the body performs the given exercise in front of the television, making it easier to orient in more complex yoga poses.

Contemporary critics saw the game as a pleasant, if not particularly groundbreaking, expansion of the established concept, with praised use of the gamepad but without significantly new ideas compared to the older Wii Fit Plus. Today, Wii Fit U is an interesting demonstration of how Nintendo adapted the fitness concept to a new generation of hardware, and for owners of the balance board it remains an undemanding motivation for regular exercise at home even years after release. The Fit Meter device also became an early example of connecting a game console with a player's everyday life outside the living room, a concept the games industry returned to in later years in different forms. Wii Fit U thus remains mainly a memory of a time when motion controls and home fitness enjoyed mass popularity far beyond the core gaming community.

Why play it: For undemanding motivation toward regular exercise at home, and for the GamePad and Fit Meter as an early link between a console and everyday life, it remains a pleasant memory, even without significantly new ideas compared to Wii Fit Plus.