With the release of Nintendo Switch Sports this week, many (Nintendo included) will be hoping that it can carry the spirit of Wii Sports upon its back. For those people, I’m afraid to say that it’s not quite there, despite having a fair bit of potential and being a generally fun waggle-filled time.
Note: Now that we’ve had time to go hands on with the multiplayer, we’ve finalised and scored our review.
Nintendo Switch Sports is a collection of (currently) six different games for you to play using the motion controls of the humble Joy-Con. We’ve got Tennis, Bowling, Chambara, Volleyball, Badmington, and Football, each of which has either its own mechanics entirely or, in the case of Badmington and Tennis, a slightly different feel.
These games are not made equal, though. Badminton is probably the least exciting of the bunch, as it’s far too easy to just swing the controller around. There’s some skill and potential for tactical play there with underhand and overhead swing, but it doesn’t capture the attention in the same way the other sports do.
One of the returning Wii Sports classics, Tennis has up to four players battling it by messing around with the angle of your swing to allow for different kinds of shots, and feels like Badminton if Badminton was good. Sorry to Badminton fans, but I just don’t get it, and digitally, Tennis is just far more exciting. You can also play this one with a copy of yourself as your teammate, which requires some real Nintendo DS thinking to manage.
Bowling is exactly what you’d expect, but it’s also the most party-friendly of the six games. I found it a lot easier than I remember Wii Sports being, but it feels as though that’s intended. You can add extra challenges to this by throwing in obstacles and other annoyances to overcome and spin the ball around, and heading online this also has the most unique format with 16 players joining a lobby and bowling together, and the lowest scoring players being knocked out every few frames.
Chambara is my favourite of the lot and it’s not even close. It has you and another player facing off on a platform elevated over some water, Total Wipeout style. Your aim is to swing your sword around and knock your opponent back until one of you is in the drink. The real trick is mastering how to block and counter attacking when they’re stunned. There are three different sword types to use, each with its own strengths, and it’s an absolute blast to play. My three-year-old also thoroughly enjoyed this sport, though mostly when she was winning.
Volleyball might be the most involved of the bunch. It feels as though the timing of the different volleyball moves are far more fine-tuned, as you dig, set, spike and block your way through each rally. If I was going to try and go pro at one of them, it’d be with a friend in this one. Everything feels good to do, and you almost feel like you’re actually playing the sport, which is nice, because (despite what anime would tell you) I’m 100% too short to play the actual game.
Finally, we’ve got Football, which might have the most potential. Up to eight players can run around a field using the joystick, and then swing their arms around to kick and dive headfirst at the ball. It’s very satisfying to play, and feels incredibly silly due to the sheer size of the ball and the anime way you kick it. It’s like someone at Nintendo thought “What if we made Rocket League, but with people running around instead of cars?”
That’s all of the sports, and as you can see, I’m pretty positive about them in general, but that’s also all there is in the game. There’s no story mode or campaign to mess around with, so there’s no greater purpose beyond multiplayer really. That’s not to say that multiplayer games need more than that to thrive, that’s obviously not true, but Nintendo Switch Sports just feels a little lacking at the moment.
It could be that this is improved as updates come out post-launch. Football has a Shootout mode where you strap a Joy-Con to your leg and kick balls being crossed into the box, and an update will let you kick during regular Football matches. We’re also meant to be getting a Golf mode this autumn, but as it stands, unless you’re a die-hard sports fan, it’s hard to recommend this game, despite it being a fun time.
Having spent some time with the online side of the game, it’s definitely more entertaining than playing against the CPU, but it doesn’t really alter the core experience. Nintendo Switch Sports is fun, for sure, but the inability to queue with friends is baffling, and really highlights how much work Nintendo needs to do on mastering the online elements of games, especially ahead of the likes of Splatoon 3.
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Sounds like bowling element is broadly as good as wii sports. Sold. Really don’t care about anything else and I’ll happily pay full price if this was offline local and Switch Bowling.