The release follows up on months of speculation regarding a Wii U port of Super Meat Boy and the cancellation of an in-progress version for Nintendo’s last-generation Wii console. Super Meat Boy will premiere digitally via the Wii U eShop on May 12th.
Released for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade in 2010, Super Meat Boy inspired a generation of indie-developed platformers that followed in the wake of its launch. Putting players in control of a sentient wad of meat, Super Meat Boy features a series of absurdly difficult platforming challenges filled with instant-kill traps. The resulting gameplay focuses on precision, memorization, and a willingness to learn through failure.
A PC version of Super Meat Boy arrived shortly after its Xbox Live Arcade debut, and ports for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita surfaced last year. Like the recently issued PlayStation Network versions of Super Meat Boy, the Wii U edition will feature a new soundtrack by music group Ridiculon, replacing tracks from previous composer Danny Baranowsky.
The upcoming Wii U release fulfills a 2010 promise from co-creator Edmund McMillen stating that Team Meat would eventually return to Nintendo consoles following the cancellation of a WiiWare version of Super Meat Boy. Though Super Meat Boy was originally envisioned as a downloadable Wii game, Team Meat later scrapped its plans to port the title to Nintendo’s console due to the WiiWare platform’s technical limitations.
Developer Edmund McMillen previously partnered with indie publisher Nicalis to produce Wii U and New Nintendo 3DS versions of his Super Meat Boy follow-up The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. McMillen recently stated that a Super Meat Boy sequel is “something that I wouldn’t be opposed to doing,” but did not confirm whether the rumored project has entered production.
