The Nintendo Wii has been out of the spotlight for years, with the company obviously more focused on the Nintendo Switch family of hybrid consoles, but the Wii is still getting a new game this month. While most Nintendo Wii owners have long since moved on to newer hardware, the system has developed a surprisingly active homebrew and retro-gaming scene that continues to keep it alive.
In an era where digital ownership is being challenged by companies, the Wii is an interesting console to be getting new physical releases. Nintendo’s system originally launched in 2006 and went on to become one of the best-selling consoles of its generation, but official software support for even the Nintendo Wii’s best games eventually ended years ago. Now, independent developers are filling that gap with games designed to run on the original hardware, including one new shoot-’em-up that is getting an official, working actual Wii disc.
Metal Canary is an arcade-style scrolling shooter game from Brazilian developer Nai Adventure, and it is coming to Wii as a physical release on September 12. The game was originally developed as a Dreamcast game before being ported to other platforms, which is to say a lot about the longevity of retro physical hardware, and the Wii version has long been playable from start to finish. The developer has said that the Wii port itself took only six hours, with most of its time thereafter spent on key tweaks, polishing for the new hardware, and preparing for its Retrocon 2026 launch.
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Metal Canary will be playable with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, themselves an odd relic of physical hardware years past, giving fans an opportunity to make the most of the hardware’s unique setup. For those unfamiliar, Metal Canary features pixel-art visuals and a classic shoot-’em-up structure, with players fighting through waves of enemies in a style that feels more at home in an arcade than on a modern console. The physical Wii version is being produced by Old Game for worldwide distribution.
Metal Canary has long been planned to formally debut at RetroCon 2026 in Oaks, Pennsylvania, and it is believed online orders will take place sometime thereafter (via Old Game). RetroCon itself is scheduled for September 12 and September 13, so anyone in the area should be sure to keep an eye out for Metal Canary, as well as any additional information about obtaining it that comes after launch.
That makes September 12 a date worth watching for Wii collectors. Metal Canary is not an official Nintendo release, but it is still a brand-new official physical game made for original Wii hardware nearly 20 years after the console launched. The indie scene is alive and well, even for the Nintendo Wii.
