Guess who’s back, back again? NL Mailbox’s back, tell a friend.

Yes, it’s once again time to recline in a comfy chair with your favourite beverage by your side, as we rifle through our monthly mailbag. Got something you want to get off your chest? We’re ready and waiting to read about your game-related ponderings.

Each month we’ll highlight a Star Letter, the writer of which will receive a month’s subscription to our ad-free Supporter scheme. Check out the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page.

It’s a fairly light month, but let’s not prevaricate about the bush, let’s dive right into things…

Nintendo Life Mailbox – April 2026

“it is fun to bounce off them” (***STAR LETTER***)

Hello,

I am wondering what your favourite Nintendo hippo is. The highest-profile ones currently are probably the Hoppos from Mario Wonder along with their appearance as one of the Wonder Effects in Mario Tennis Fever.

The Mario universe also has several others such as the tree-climbing Bopapodamuses from Donkey Kong Country Returns, High-Octane Hippo from WarioWare Move It, the big-eared Hippopo enemies from Super Mario RPG, Scoff from Donkey Kong 64 and the bubble-blowing Hippo from Super Mario Land 2, along with a level in that game with multiple names including the ‘Hippo Zone’.

Outside of the Mario universe, we have ten Animal Crossing villagers who are hippos (Bertha, Biff, Bitty, Bubbles, Clara, Harry, Hippeux, Lulu, Rocco and Rollo). Fun fact: hippo is the only land animal to have had a total of one villager in an Animal Crossing game, with only one hippo villager in Wild World.

There is also the Ground-type Pokemon Hippopotas and its evolution Hippowdon. Zelda: Link’s Awakening has a hippo model in the Animal Village posing for a painting. And while he is not actually a hippo, we can consider King Hippo from Punch-Out too. My favourite is probably Hoppos because it is fun to bounce off them. I would love a Hoppo amiibo!
eXtremeHippo

With all the stuff going on right now, I just enjoyed this one. Hippos. What’s not to like?

Oh, and favourite hippos? Easy. It’s the fruit-eating Kablasta hippos from Labo VR. – Ed.

“Skipping to the good bits”

Hey, guys! Avid reader here.
Skipping to the good bits, I was wondering how you feel about the Wii U’s legacy now that practically its entire library is on switch.
It came to my attention when I was gushing to my friend about the Wii U, and he retorted saying that it’s redundant given the present ports, and I’ll confess I have no rebuttal to that, haha.

I ultimately do appreciate the Wii U for what it left behind (though I kinda wish the Yakuza and Zelda remasters would get ported already). I still own a Wii U pro controller even if I haven’t found a way to connect it to my steam deck.

Cheers!
Yousef

The Wii U walked so the Switch run and jump and wahoo into the stratosphere. It’s still the best place to play Mario Maker, Nintendo Land was an underrated winner, and I still love being able to whack a golf ball from my GamePad into the telly. I liked the Wii U and it’s curvy discs then, and I like them now.

There are still a handful of exclusives, but Wii U will never be truly gone all the while it holds Affordable Space Adventures in its cold, dead hand. – Ed.