Wuhu Island
Wuhu Island is almost like a Nintendo character itself. It has a surprisingly deep and complicated history.[1]
You probably know Wuhu Island from its appearance in Wii Sports, but you might be surprised at how many times its appeared in different Nintendo games.
Activities
- Flying around in a plane
- Going on a morning jog around the island
- Racing around Wuhu Town in Mario Kart
Major landmarks
- Maka Wuhu - A giant volcano near the center of the island. Luckily for the residents of Wuhu Island, it hasn't erupted in over 200 years.
- Duckling Lake - A lake next to Maka Wuhu.
- Summerstone Castle & Falls - Located near Duckling Lake and Maka Wuhu.
- The Candle - A huge lighthouse located on the west side of the island. It was accidentally built twice as big as its originally planned size, resulting in its massive appearance.
- Wuhu Town - A small oceanside town located in the south of the island. There is a main plaza area with a broken clock tower, a big water fountain, and even a basking ball court.
- Starboard Harbor - Wuhu Town's resident harbor, hosting the Queen Peach, a huge cruise ship named after Princess Peach herself.
- Red Iron Bridge - A bridge to the east of Wuhu Town that leads to the Cocoba Hotel.
- Cocoba Hotel - A perfect five-star hotel with nine floors.
- Camel Rock - A large landmark in the middle of a beach on the southeast side of the island.
- Mountain Tunnel - A tunnel connecting Cocoba Hotel to the Mysterious Ruins located at the north point of the island.
- Mysterious Ruins - A place where some mysterious ancient ruins reside...
- Wedge Island - A small island to the west of Wuhu Island. On Wedge Island, you can find the Nineteenth Hole Hotel, Crab Rock, and a whole bunch of golf courses.
Appearances
Earliest appearance
The earliest known appearance of Wuhu Island was actually in the original Wii Sports. Now, you might be thinking, "Wuhu Island wasn't in that game...", and you're right.
While Wuhu Island does not appear in the released version of Wii Sports, an early beta build of the game featured an extra sport called Airplane.
The only footage of this beta sport was recorded off-screen at Nintendo's E3 in 2006. In this sport, you pilot a plane through rings above an island. This island strongly resembles Wuhu Island. There is a large mountain with a lake near the center, and a town at the south end with a bridge, and even the mountain tunnel. The basic size and shape of the island are also similar to Wuhu Island. According to some dataminers, this island was called Wii Island. No, not Wii island. Whee Island. Like what you say on a rollercoaster. Let's all be grateful that name was changed. What looks to be an early version of Wuhu Town was called 'Wake City'. Obviously, this is a very bare bones version of Wuhu Island, but its still really cool to see.
This beta plane sport was cut from the final version of Wii Sports, but it would eventually return in a different game. I didn't even know this existed before I started researching, but this is the earliest known version of what would eventually become Wuhu Island.
Wii Fit
The next time Wuhu Island appeared was in 2007, with the release of Wii Fit, although, it still wasn't called Wuhu Island... instead, it was called Wii Fit Island, and while it was a big upgrade from Whee Island, it was still missing a lot of the landmarks and details that Wuhu Island has today.
The best way to see all the changes is to look at the map found in the Wii Fit manual. As you can see, there are multiple major differences here. Maka Wuhu is called 'Rocky Peak', and it doesn't appear to be a volcano at all. Summerstone Castle is missing, and Duckling Lake is called 'Summit Lake'. Wuhu Town is called 'Wii Fit Town' and is also missing a lot of the buildings and locations of Wuhu Town, like basking ball courts and the clock tower. Starboard Harbor and the Queen Peach are also missing.
This is a big improvement from Whee Island, but it's not quite there yet. It seems Nintendo didn't want Whee Island to go to waste, so they converted it into a place for Wii Fit players to run. I don't think Nintendo had a long term plan when they created this island, but it would eventually evolve and become Wuhu Island, the main location for Wii Sports resort, but before we get there, let's talk a little bit about the the things you can do on Wii Fit island in Wii Fit.
Things you can do on Wii Fit island in Wii Fit
Sadly, there really isn't many things to do on Wii Fit island.
Pretty much the only thing you can do is jogging. Wii Fit has a mode where you can go for a short, long, or free run around the island. This is the best way to get a look at Wii Fit Island, and if you pass your guide and start following a dog instead, you can go on alternate routes that lead you to more interesting places around the island, like the beach.
It's so weird to be running on the Red Iron Bridge and see Rocky Peak where Maka Wuhu is supposed to be. It almost doesn't feel like the same island without the big volcano in the middle.
The island is much more detailed than Whee Island was, but I wish Wii Fit had more activities to do on the island, because jogging is really the only one.
But don't worry, because Wii Fit Island is about to transform into Wuhu Island, and become one of the best games Nintendo has ever made.
Wii Sports Resort
Yes, it's time to talk about the game you probably know Wuhu Island from -- Wii Sports Resort.
This game is seriously one of my favorite games of all time. Something about it just makes me so happy, but I can talk about how much I love Wii Sports Resort in another video.
Wii Sports Resort was announced at E3 2008, alongside the Wii MotionPlus and some super awkward E3 stage moments.
Go girl go!!!!!!!!
Yeah, it's easy to see why Nintendo changed to pre-recorded directs.
One kind of cool thing that they did leading up to the game's release was that they turned Times Square in New York City into Wuhu Island for a day. They moved in a bunch of sand and palm trees and everyone could try out the game themselves. If we ever get a new game featuring Wuhu Island, they better do this again, because I want to go.
Wii Sports Resort was released in the summer of 2009, and just like that, Wii Fit Island transformed into Wuhu Island. All of the previously mentioned changes were made, and now this island is more detailed and better than ever.
While you can only jog in Wii Fit, there's way more to do on the island this time around-- everything from golfing on Wedge Island, to beating the crap out of some Miis at Camel Rock, this is the most in depth experience on Wuhu Island we've ever had, and its glorious.
All the activities and sports are so diverse, and take place all over the island at different locations, but by far the best way to experience Wuhu Island is the island flyabout mode. This game mode lets you pilot a plane and fly completely freely all over the island.
Hey, wait a minute, doesn't this mode look familiar?
Yes, it seems like the forgotten plane sport from the original Wii Sports was eventually implemented into this game, although its much better this time.
Instead of flying through meaningless hoops for points, now you have I Points, which give you lots of fun facts and details about the location you just passed. This was always my favorite mode to play. It's just so relaxing and enjoyable to glide over all the scenic views. You can play this mode during the day, sunset, or at night. I've spent countless hours in this mode alone, and its a big reason why I love this island so much. I just wish there wasn't a time limit, because I could play this mode forever.
Some of my other favorite sports are Swordplay Showdown, basking ball pickup games, and archery. All of the sports and minigames are super fun, and the replay value is through the roof.
In the original Wii Sports, all the sports took place in different separated locations, but in Wii Sports Resort, every single sport happens somewhere on the island. I think this is why Wuhu Island sticks in our minds so many years later. We've played basking ball in Wuhu Town, table tennis at the Cocoba Hotel, canoed across Duckling Lake, and thrown frisbees on the beach. Even inside sports like bowling still have a location on the island.
One of my favorite things to do is fly over the island and try to find the location of all the different sports. When I think of the words 'Nintendo Magic', my mind often goes to Wuhu Island. Something about all these amazing sports taking place on one island turns Wuhu Island into something special, and I haven't even talked about the music yet.
I could talk about this game forever, but I'll start wrapping it up here. Wii Sports Resort is the game that cemented Wuhu Island as one of Nintendo's most famous locations, as well as added so much charm and detail to make Wuhu Island a place we all wish we could visit, and while this game was its largest appearance, Wuhu Island isn't done yet.
Wii Fit Plus
Wii Fit Plus is the next game to feature Wuhu Island, and this time around, its actually called Wuhu Island.
Wii Fit Plus was basically like an upgraded version of Wii Fit, with more options and workouts. If you compare the map that comes in the manual of both Wii Fit games, you can see that Wii Fit Plus now features the fully upgraded Wuhu Island, so say goodbye to Wii Fit Island. Everything matches the Wii Sport Resort version of Wuhu Island this time, which means that all the names, locations, and landmarks are correct.
Jogging is pretty much the same as it was in the original Wii Fit, but of course with the updated island. There are also some new additional workouts that take place on Wuhu Island. These include:
- Cycling around the island
- A rhythm march through Wuhu Town
- A strange minigame where you are a chicken flapping around
- A Segway race through various parts of the island
I particularly like the cycling and Segway games because this is about as close as we got to an open world version of Wuhu Island. I can't really dive deep into these minigames because I don't actually own Wii Fit Plus, so I can't play the games myself. But don't worry, cycling and Bird's Eye Bullseye come back later, so let's talk about the rhythm march and Segway minigames really quickly.
The rhythm marching game has you marching around the plaza in Wuhu Town, shaking your remote to the beat. It looks like kind of a dumb minigame, but its fun to see Wuhu Town decorated and partying, and the Segway circuit game is where you ride around the same map as the cycling game, but this time you're hitting beach balls that come up out of holes in the ground. This game takes place over various parts of the island, like the beach and Wuhu Town.
Okay, now that those are covered, we can move on. We'll talk about cycling and Bird's Eye Bullseye later in the video, so that's it for Wii Fit Plus.
Face Pilot
This next one is kind of strange.
Face Pilot: Fly With Your Nintendo DSi Camera released in the summer of 2010 for Nintendo DSi systems, and according to this website, it features Wuhu Island, so let's see what we got her--
Oh. I-is that supposed to be Wuhu Island? ...I mean, I can k-kinda see it, if I squint my eyes, but, uh... if this is really supposed to be Wuhu Island, then, I think this is the ugliest version yet. Even the beta version looks better than this. This is a very simple game, and there's really not much to talk about here, but, there you go. Apparently this is another appearance of Wuhu Island.
Let's just move onto the next game.
Pilotwings Resort
Pilotwings Resort was released in March of 2011 alongside the release of the 3DS in North America. There were very few launch titles for the 3DS, but Pilotwings was definitely the best one. I actually really like this game and I think its a bit underrated.
Pilotwings Resort is basically the flyover game from Wii Sports Resort, only expanded upon.
Now, Pilotwings was actually a series before Wuhu Island even existed, back on the SNES. There was also a Pilotwings 64 on the Nintendo 64, but nothing happened with the series until this 3DS game.
Not only do you have a plane, but also a jetpack, glider, and even a squirrel suit. There are multiple missions for you to complete that take place around Wuhu Island, and the free roam island flyover also returns. Sadly, it still has a time limit, but at least now you can play this mode with a jetpack and glider. Like I said previously, the flyover was one of my favorite parts of Wii Sports Resort, so naturally, I love this game. Plus, you get to control the plane without motion controls, which makes it a lot easier to control the plane, even if some of the fun is taken away in the process. I actually think its pretty impressive they managed to get the full free flight experience onto the 3DS, and it isn't significantly downgraded in any way. Once again, the best way to explore Wuhu Island is this mode. And, if you collect all 75 I Points in this game, you unlock your very own private castle on one of the islands surrounding Wuhu Island.
The missions are also really fun. They have you completing various objectives like following a car or trying to land in the center of a target with limited fuel in your jetpack.
Wuhu Island is pretty much unchanged in this game. There are no additions or things missing. It's the same as it was in Wii Sports Resort, but Pilotwings Resort is yet another great game that features this island.
Mario Kart 7
After showing up quickly as a puzzle in Mii Plaza, we're onto the next game-- Mario Kart 7.
Mario Kart 7 was released in December of 2011 and featured some new tracks based on Wuhu Island. Specifically, there are 3; Maka Wuhu and Wuhu Loop, which are racetracks, and Wuhu Town, which is a battle mode stage.
What makes the two racetracks even cooler is that they are not your typical three lap courses. Instead, it's just one long lap split into three sections.
Maka Wuhu Track
In the Maka Wuhu track, you start near Camel Rock, and make one big loop around the island, going through the cave behind the waterfall, passing through Summerstone Castle, and once you get up the mountain, you glide back down to the beaches, and there's even a small platform you can grab items on, and that's from Pilotwings resort. You end in a large stadium on the beach, but this stadium only appears in Mario Kart 7 and no other versions of Wuhu Island. I think its a little strange how you don't enter the volcano, seeing as the track is named after it, but I love that it takes place at sunset. Wuhu Island looks great with the sun setting over the ocean.
Wuhu Loop Track
The next track, Wuhu Loop, starts you out in Wuhu Town, and has you race around the island, passing landmarks like the Red Iron Bridge, the Ancient Ruins, the Windmills, and the Candle. This is another great track. It gives you a good tour of the island and there's a cool shortcut where you can go into the Ancient Ruins really quickly.
Wuhu Town Track
And the final Wuhu Island themed part of Mario Kart 7 is the Wuhu Town battle course. The course takes place at night and is obviously in Wuhu Town. There's the main plaza area with the fountain and everything. Wuhu Town is one of my favorite battle course stages, although I may be a little biased.
Between these three tracks, we get to see Wuhu Island during the day, sunset, and night.
While the Wuhu Town battle course will show up again, sadly these two other race tracks will not return, which is kind of a bummer because I really liked those tracks and they would have looked amazing in HD in Mario Kart 8, so I guess all we can do is hope Maka Wuhu and Wuhu Loop return in Mario Kart 9.
Wii Fit U
We didn't see Wuhu Island again for almost two years, until the launch of Wii Fit U in November of 2013.
Wii Fit U launched about one year after the Wii U came out and things weren't going so well for Nintendo. Very few people bought a Wii U and many people were confused on what the console even was. A lot of people thought that it was just an add-on accessory to the original Wii, and sadly, I think Wii Fit U contributed to that. Why would I buy Wii Fit U for the Wii U when I have Wii Fit for the Wii? Wii Fit U sold quite poorly, and a few months after its release, it had only sold under 20,000 copies, and was getting price cuts everywhere. Basically, not that many people have played this game, but it actually features a lot of appearances from our favorite destination, Wuhu Island.
Wuhu Island shows up a total of nine times in Wii Fit U, so let's go through them.
Jogging
Jogging is back once again, and its better than ever. The island has received a new crisp visual update, and there's also some more options this time. Like, in the first Wii Fit games, there are dogs you can follow that take you on alternate jogging routes. You have to pass your trainer when the dog runs by and then start following the dog, but in Wii Fit U, there are dogs AND cats, and there's way more of them. This means more alternate routes and places to see. One of my favorite ones is when you follow a cat up a ramp and start running on the rooftops of different buildings in Wuhu Town, and you eventually end up finishing on the Queen Peach.
There are so many different paths to take, so now you get to see more of Wuhu Island. And probably my favorite new addition to the running mode is that the time of day and season can change, so now you can jog at night, at sunset, or even when its snowing in winter. This marks the first and only time we have seen different seasons on Wuhu Island.
I love this jogging mode because it gives you a good sense of scale for the island. Maka Wuhu looks so massive towering over you while you run. The Red Iron Bridge is huge, and Wuhu Town actually feels like a town now that we can see it up close. All of this was in the previous games, but the jogging mode is best experienced in Wii Fit U with the new and improved visuals.
Orienteering
The next exercise to feature Wuhu Island is one called orienteering. In this game, you walk around Wuhu Town trying to find certain Miis. As you can see, this is pretty close to having an open world version of Wuhu Island, but sadly it falls short in a couple of ways. First off, there's a time limit, so you can't really explore at your own place. I guess that its supposed to be a minigame where you get a high score, but all I want to do is run around the island.
The second problem is that a lot of the island is restricted. You can explore a little bit past these signs, but not futher. The area you get to explore includes Wuhu Town, the open grass areas above Wuhu Town, the area around Summerstone Falls, and the Windmills and the Candle. Its a pretty good chunk of the island, but it just makes me wonder what the rest of the island would be like. I wonder if the entire island is modeled in this open world format, or if it's just this area.
And the third problem is the way you control your Mii. This is Wii Fit, which means you have to walk in place and turn the gamepad to move. This is a very awkward control layout and it doesn't work very well, but I guess it's meant to give you a workout. If you walk too fast, you fall over, and the gamepad constantly needs to be re-centered because it starts to drift all over the place. So yeah, its a decently fun minigame, and its almost like an open world Wuhu Island, but it falls short.
Cycling
Cycling is the next game that has Wuhu Island. Cycling was originally added in Wii Fit Plus, but, like I said earlier, I don't have that game, so we'll be looking at Wii Fit U. This one is very similar to orienteering, but now you're on a bike. You walk in place to pedal and use the Wii remote to steer. It still isn't perfect, but it's a lot easier to control than orienteering, and the best part about cycling is that there's no time limit. You are supposed to reach these flags in as little distance as possible, but we won't be doing that.
This is as close as we have ever gotten to an open world Wuhu Island. It really just makes me want the real thing-- a fully explorable Wuhu Island would be a dream come true.
Once again, a large part of the island is blocked off, so this is basically just orienteering on a bike with no time limit.
Bird's Eye Bullseye
Next up is Bird's Eye Bullseye. This is another one that was added in Wii Fit Plus, so I'll be talking about the Wii Fit U version.
On the beginner difficulty, you fly around the ocean on the outside of Wuhu Island, and eventually land on the Queen Peach. Not much to see there. But on the advanced difficulty, you get to fly around the main island. You start at the top of Summerstone Falls and work your way down the island. As you can probably imagine, controlling this chicken is pretty awkward and difficult, so that takes some of the fun away, and sadly, there is another time limit, and this one's extremely short. You're supposed to land on platforms to increase the time limit, so if you try to go off and explore, you can't make it very far before time runs out.
Other games
The next couple games really only use Wuhu Island as a background, so we won't go as in depth.
- Rowing Crew - You race in the waters outside of Wuhu Island.
- Trampoline Target - The trampoline you jump on is placed in the center of Wuhu Town, and as you go higher, you can see more of the island.
- Hosedown - Takes place in Wuhu Town.
- Scuba Search - You explore the depths of the waters outside Wuhu Island.
- Free Climbing - Takes place in front of the clock tower in Wuhu Town.
Alright, that was a lot to get through.
Aside from Wii Sports Resort and Pilotwings, this game definitely has the most appearances of Wuhu Island. We got pretty close to an open world; we got to see more of the island, like the scuba diving game, and we even got to see Wuhu Island in different seasons. Sadly, from this point on, Wuhu Island only appears in small cameos in different Nintendo games.
This is the last major appearance of Wuhu Island.
Super Smash Bros for Wii U
Super Smash Bros for Wii U was released in November of 2014 and included two stages that featured Wuhu Island. These stages are Wuhu Island and Pilotwings. Let's start by looking at Wuhu Island.
Wuhu Island
This stage flies all over the island, landing at different places along the way. You really get a good look at the island when it flies directly above it. This is one of my favorite versions of Wuhu Island. It got a visual upgrade for Smash Bros and it looks amazing. I'll quickly list off all the places you could land while playing on this stage.
- The top of Maka Wuhu
- The frisbee dog beach in front of Camel Rock
- The wooden bridge in front of Summerstone Falls
- A boat that cruises around the island
- A small group of rocks at sea
- The top of a power cruising gate
- The water fountain in Wuhu Town
- The center of the swordplay coliseum
- The top of Talon Rock overlooking Wuhu Town and the Red Iron Bridge
That's a lot of locations to fight at!
This stage really gives you a good tour of Wuhu Island, and I love seeing all these locations visually upgraded for Smash Bros.
Pilotwings
The next stage is Pilotwings, which takes place at both the old Pilotwings SNES map, as well as Wuhu Island. You don't land at Wuhu Island at all in this stage; instead, you just fly around it on the back of a plane, but this plane still takes you all over the island, flying in, out, and around all sorts of landmarks.
Both the Wuhu Island and Pilotwings stages deliver a great look at Wuhu Island and the visual upgrades give the island a fresh coat of paint.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released in April of 2017, just two months after the launch of the Nintendo Switch. While Wuhu Island showed up in Mario Kart 7, it was absent in Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, but with this new deluxe Switch version of Mario Kart 8, we received a new updated battle mode. Three new stages were made, and three older stages returned, and you guessed it-- one of the returning stages was Wuhu Town from the 3DS. Of course, it received a graphical overhaul, and it takes place during the day this time around. Wuhu Town looks completely different. All the buildings have much different colors and designs. That's not the only difference, though. Maka Wuhu looks different. It's wider and less smooth.
And I think this is supposed to be the Queen Peach. It's placed in exactly the same place the Queen Peach should be, although it looks nothing like it. I think I prefer the good ol' Queen Peach with the red color scheme, but, I guess that's just what I'm used to.
The Red Iron Bridge and basketball court are both pretty much the same, but my favorite new change is the new look for the Candle. They added a new base surrounding the Candle and I love it. The Candle always looked a little strange because there was nothing at the base, so it kind of looked like the model was just put directly onto the grass. While this new base makes the candle look a little bit shorter, its a good improvement and I hope it stays around for future versions of Wuhu Island.
It's pretty cool to see this new version of Wuhu Island, although I can't decide if I like all the changes. It was great to see Wuhu Town return to Mario Kart, but I wish the two other tracks also returned. Those tracks would have been amazing to see in HD with updated visuals.
Now we move on to Wuhu Island's last appearance.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Super Smash Bros Ultimate was released in December of 2018 and is the last time Wuhu Island has appeared in a Nintendo game.
Sadly, there isn't much to talk about here, because it's just the same two stages from Smash Bros for Wii U: Wuhu Island and Pilotwings. There are some minor visual upgrades when compared to the Wii U version, but everything else is the same. As you can see, Wuhu Island looks a bit cleaner and more crisp in Smash Ultimate, but I think I actually prefer the Wii U version. Maka Wuhu looks a lot more boring and less interesting in Ultimate, but I think most of the locations you land at look better. Smash Ultimate has better lighting overall than Smash Wii U, so areas like the beach and Swordplay coliseum look better. It's just kinda sad to see Wuhu Island's last appearance is a small and reused one.
Mod showcase
I'd like to take a second and acknowledge all the amazing mods and custom player-made versions of Wuhu Island. It's clear I'm not the only one who loves this island, because there are countless amounts of cool mods and creations based on Wuhu Island. Everything from tunning around the island as Mario in Super Mario 64, to playing Call of Duty: Zombies on a Wuhu Island themed map.
Some of my favorites include:
- Wuhu Island in Minecraft
- Mario Kart 7 Wuhu Island tracks in Mario Kart Wii
There's almost an endless amount of player-created Wuhu Island content, and it always brings a smile to my face.
Future of Wuhu Island
Well, I think that's everything. As far as I'm aware, that's the complete history of Wuhu Island.
But I'd like to talk about the future a little bit here.
How could we see Wuhu Island used in upcoming games? I think the best way to bring back this island would be Switch Sports Resort-- a remaster of all the Wii Sports content so far, as well as adding some new features. I would like to see all the sports from the first Wii Sports return, like baseball and boxing. I think they could easily create a new building in Wuhu Town for boxing and they could put a baseball stadium in the open fields above Wuhu Town. I also think all the Pilotwings resort content should be brought over into the air sports mode. Hopefully, the joycons would work for motion controls, but there should probably be some button control options too.
And the number one thing I want from a new Wii Sports game is a fully explorable, open world version of Wuhu Island, where you can walk around the island, select sports to play, and use all different types of vehicles to get around. Just imagine walking to Wuhu Town, jumping in a plane, flying high above the island, and then jumping out and skydiving back down below. It would be so much fun to explore Wuhu Island freely.
I also think it would be awesome if you got your own house somewhere on the island that you could go inside and customize.
I could talk about a potential Switch Sports Resort game all day, but maybe I'll save that for another video.
I really hope we'll see Wuhu Island again someday, and hopefully soon.
Video credits
Also see: Wuhu Island/Explain
Recent developments
Katamari Damacy collaboration
In April of 2023, Nintendo of America announced in a Twitter post that something big was "rolling up" in an ominous trailer that seemed to feature the Mii characters, and, of course, Wuhu Island.
Wuhu Island is shown very briefly in the commercial, where you can very clearly see the peak of Maka Wuhu, as well as an overhead shot of Wuhu Town, moments before a massive, round shape crumbles Maka Wuhu.
This was such a painful and heartbreaking shot to put in this trailer. I really felt like a part of me was also being crumbled while Maka Wuhu was run over. I have spent so much time exploring this island that it felt like a dagger in my chest to see what could happen to it in a moment of danger. I wonder if the Mii residents of Wuhu Island have access to an emergency medical center and protections against tropical storms. In Nintendo's next title in the Wii Sports series, I would really like to see a Wuhu Island Hospital or a Wuhu Island Resource Center built on the island, maybe in the empty fields above Wuhu Town.
As the shape tumbles forward, you can see that it has begun to rip parts of Wuhu Island out of the ground. The ball becomes covered in palm trees and sand and even eventually rolls up a dog that had been running alongside its owner. In a dramatic reveal from the perspective of a Mii piloting a plane above the island, it is shown that the ball is a Katamari. Text that says "Coming soon: 2023" appears on the screen before it turns to black.
I was very surprised by this trailer. While I am happy that Wuhu Island will be making another major appearance, it does make me sad to realize that we may only see it in a destroyed state, which especially is sad since it will be running in HD on a major console for the first time in history in this state.
What will become of the sports? Will the Wuhu Island residents be protected?
The game is releasing for the Dreaded GamePlu, which I do not own, so I'm not sure if I will review the game. I would love to make a video about my ideas for a search-and-rescue or emergency services themed game that takes place among the residents of Wuhu Island. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, let me know in the comments.
Sadly, with this event, many locations were not seen.
Japari Park × Wuhu Island
The next recent event to feature Wuhu Island was the release of the Japari Park and Wuhu Island collaboration, between Japari Park and Nintendo.
This event was hosted at Japari Park. Japari Park is a popular zoo that is home to Friends. Friends are a species of Animal girls that, while not having appeared in any Nintendo games, have made video game appearances in the past, which is why I think this collaboration happened.
From the footage available, any Wuhu Island fans might notice that this event is quite similar to the previously mentioned NYC Times Square Wuhu Island event, where sand and palm trees were flown in and placed on the street, but this time, it's better than ever. Instead of just sand, an entire Friend enclosure was converted into a life size beach, complete with some of the sports you can play on Wuhu Island.
This was a really glorious event to witness. I was able to fly out to Japari Park and even see it in person. It was really special to me, and I can't imagine a better way to have done this collaboration. Getting to play some of my favorite Wuhu Island sports in real life along with the Friends is a memory I will always treasure.
Sadly, there are some sports from the Wii Sports games that do not make an appearance at this event. Notably, the event only features beach volleyball, the plane flyover, and the swordplay arena. I really would have liked to see a version of this event with the bowling game, the basketball hoop from the NYC event, archery, or maybe even jogging. I can only hope that Nintendo might put these games in a future collaboration.