Nintendo’s decision to not support flash in the Wii U browser means you can’t play any of the flash games you could play easily on the Wii, but the browser’s support for HTML5 means there are some free browser games you can play on the Wii U. The best place to find Wii U-compatible browser games is PlayBoxie. The site lists most of the HTML5 games playable on the Wii U, although their bar for playable is a bit low – some games run like mud on the Wii U. You can also find compatible games at Playscript. Before we list the most notable HTML5 games, there are a few things to note. First, the Wii U browser doesn’t currently support HTML5 sound, so all the games are silent. Also, you’ll often need to turn off the navbar to see the whole game area; toggle it on and off by clicking the left analog stick. Lastly, you can't save your game progress, which means any game that unlocks levels as you proceed, like Cut the Rope, will have all levels locked again when you go back to it.

01 of 09 Cut the Rope ZeptoLab What We Like Delightfully adorable characters, music and sound effects.

Option to quickly reset levels prevents you from getting stuck. What We Don't Like Touch controls can get tricky when there's a lot on the screen.

Individual levels within each world lack variety. This is a wonderful puzzle game in which you use the stylus to cut ropes and pop bubbles to guide a piece of candy through stars before being eaten by a cute frog. Perhaps the slickest HTML5 browser game playable on the Wii U. There are several free sequels as well including "Cut the Rope: Time Travel."

02 of 09 2048 Gabriele Cirulli What We Like Easy to learn but difficult to master.

Great for teaching kids strategic planning and basic math skills. What We Don't Like Lack of unlockables or achievements might disappoint some gamers.

Lacks the complexity of similar puzzle games like "Threes!" This game is utterly evil; it’s one of these games where you suddenly realize you’ve been playing for three hours, decide to play one more game, and find another three hours have gone by. Just use the d-pad to shift number tiles in a grid to make higher numbers until you create a 2048 tile. A friend tells us you have the option to keep going to 4096 if you’re a glutton for punishment.

03 of 09 MassiveGalaxy’s Wii U Reversi MassiveGalaxy What We Like Flawless touch controls. What We Don't Like Doesn't include any instructions. This is a two-person game specifically designed for the Wii U. The board perfectly fits the gamepad, with each player taking one side of the gamepad.

04 of 09 1899 Steam’n’Spirit What We Like Witty dialogue perfectly complements the speculative fiction plot.

Episodic structure makes it easy to play in short increments. What We Don't Like Waiting for your character to move where you direct him can get tiresome.

The primitive graphics are more distracting than charming. This retro point-and-click adventure game features Winston Churchill as a young English spy. The puzzles are pretty difficult, but if you want to play an old-school adventure game on the Wii U, this is it.

05 of 09 Zombie Grinder Chainsawrus Wreaks Games What We Like Nice looking UI and zombie sprites. What We Don't Like There's nothing original beyond the graphics. Don’t get too excited by the title; it’s just Tetris. The twist is that instead of falling blocks you have falling body parts. We expected to hear whirring blades and clanking iron, but it has no more sound than you'll get from the Wii U.

06 of 09 Entanglement Gopherwood Studios What We Like Gorgeous UI features hand drawn art work.

Soothing background music. What We Don't Like No option to adjust the volume.

Lacks an interactive tutorial. Try and form the longest possible continuous line; rotate tiles with the d-pad, tap to set one in place.

07 of 09 X-Type Phoboslab What We Like Simple yet beautiful art style.

Surprisingly easy to play with the Wii U gamepad. What We Don't Like Instructions for controls appear on the screen for just a second before disappearing.

UI doesn't show how many lives you have left. A well-done, graphically pleasing space shooter. Use the d-pad steer and tap to fire.

08 of 09 Flying Kick What We Like Clever puzzles and level designs.

Fun sound effects when you jump and kick. What We Don't Like Lacks in-game instructions.

Ugly graphics with a putrid color scheme. A smart puzzle game involving jumps and kicks performed with the d-pad, although you can hover indefinitely in the air before you kick. This is made with puzzlescript, a simple HTML5 scripting language whose games seem to all work well with the Wii U. Note that to reset or undo, you must use the little tab menu on the left, and after using that you need to tap the puzzle again until it starts responding.