'Zelda: Breath of the Wild' Wii U reviews indicate similar slowdown to Switch version

The Zelda: Breath of the Wild release date is right around the corner and the reviews are glowing. With an average of 98% on Metacritic with 56 reviews (at the time of writing), some publications have even thrown around the word "masterpiece" to describe Nintendo's latest Zelda adventure. 

Complaints are few and far between, but one common gripe is the game's frame rate. Zelda: Breath of the Wild experiences slowdown during certain moments of the game, but these reviews largely concern the Switch version of the game. What about the Wii U version?

Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wii U reviews: Same game, same slowdown and slightly lower resolution  

Nintendo's offering the same exact game to Wii U owners as they are to Switch early adopters, but instead of a Wii U disc, the game comes on a (tasty?) Switch cartridge. While the Switch is required to double as a handheld, the Wii U stays put as dedicated a home console. Yet that isn't enough to quell frame rate issues, apparently.

Game Revolution interviewed early owners of the new Zelda game regarding gameplay and performance. One person they interviewed, who goes simply by Jared, mentions that while it's one of the most beautiful Wii U games visually, it does at times experience slowdown. 

"It's 30 fps most of the time, though there are frame rate issues at times," Jared says. "Sometimes when you're switching weapons the frame rate chugs. There are just some unoptimized areas in the game where it slows down."

Many early Zelda players using the Switch complained about similar slowdown when playing the game, but less so when used in handheld mode.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wii U reviews: How do the graphics compare?

Those hoping to play the best possible version of Zelda: Breath of the Wild need be lucky enough to have put in a Nintendo Switch preorder and be ready to play in handheld mode. When playing in docked mode, however, the graphics between Switch and Wii U don't appear very different

Similar to past games which have experienced slowdown, like the lag in Pokémon Sun and Moon, Nintendo's hardware continues to take away from its games' overall experience. Here's hoping the company can issue a patch to to make both the Switch and Wii U versions run a little smoother smoother.

More Nintendo Switch coverage

Looking for more Nintendo Switch news? Check out our comparison photos sizing up the Switch to the Wii U GamePad (part one and part two) and the best way to get alerts when new stock arrives. Then take a look at a leaked video of the Nintendo Switch menu interface and dark mode features. 

If you're just getting caught up, here's everything you need to know about the console's price, release date, preorders, battery life and our hands-on review. And if you're interested in the Nintendo Switch's games, here's info on the new Super Mario Odyssey, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, 1-2-Switch and the goofy boxing game Arms.