‘Rodea The Sky Soldier’ Finally Flies To The 3DS And Wii U Via Nintendo eShop

The Wii U and 3DS versions of Rodea the Sky Soldier have been receiving bad press, but apparently the reviewers have been playing the wrong versions of Yuji Naka's previously shelved action adventure game.

Rodea the Sky Soldier was finished in 2011, but it wasn't until now that the game from Naka, creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, has been released through the Nintentdo eShop. The game was originally intended for release on the Nintendo Wii and 3DS, but the former has since been unseated by the Wii U.

VentureBeat reviewer Heidi Kemps gave the Wii U version of Rodea the Sky Soldier a score of 67 out or 100, describing the game as both charming and hard to love.

"When Rodea works and all of its gears are cranking along smoothly, it's an exhilarating joy to play," Kemps writes. "But everything can come crashing down at any time: an enemy encounter reliant on overly finicky aiming or a misplaced attack that sends you careening into the abyss can sour the sense of wonder in a flash."

Destructoid's Chris Carter concluded that the 3DS version of the game is even worse. The problem with the handheld version of the game isn't its dated visuals — it's its performance, states Carter. The frame rate makes the game almost unplayable and that's accentuated by a low draw distance.

"As it stands, I would recommend staying far away from the 3DS edition," writes Carter. "Again, I unfortunately do not have access to the Wii version, which is said to be closer to the original vision."

Unfortunately for Carter, the best version of the game, according to its creator, lives on the Wii.

"Rodea the Sky Soldier will be released today in North America! Please play the Wii version," states Naka in a translated tweet.

A physical copy of the Wii version of Rodea the Sky Soldier is included as a bonus for the game's Wii U package. The Wii U version of the game will only include Wii discs for the first print run.