Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour - Hands-On Preview
With a huge thanks to Nintendo Australia, Paul headed to Nintendo’s Australian office, and was given the opportunity to spend some decent time with Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. Join him as he shares some thoughts on the experience.
Many of us have taken the time to scoff at Nintendo’s plans to release Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour at a price, unlike what we’d seen from PlayStation with Astro’s Playroom. There are two very opposing schools of thought colliding with the launch of this title, and I’ve at least had the opportunity to go hands on with the title to ascertain whether there is a little more meat on the bone of Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour than initially meets the eye. After an hour with the title, exploring many aspects of the hotly anticipated console, which is now just a mere 24 hours away from launching, I’ve come away from my time, erring slightly more in Nintendo’s favour than I once was, but still unconvinced that the title should be a paid product.
In my demo experience, I was simply dropped onto the face of the Nintendo Switch 2, much like other previous demos and was given the time to explore what the game offers. This includes a range of mini-games that utilise the various capabilities of the Nintendo Switch 2 platform, from its capacity to reach 120FPS, to its gyro controls in the joycon and even the adjustable stand of the console itself. Nintendo have been extremely clever as they’ve designed a range of games that will hold some semblance of appeal for even the most hardcore of players, as well as for those who might genuinely be new to the console and are checking out what it can do for the first time.
Nintendo, as they’ve long been able to find a way to both extend the capabilities of the more proficient players in their audience as well as remain accessible for those who are newer. What I was stunned to learn through this extended gameplay opportunity was that beyond the standard one and two star earning opportunities. Yes, three star challenges are also hidden in the mix, and when I stumbled upon my first one I eyes were as wide as dinner plates thinking about all the prior challenges I could return to chasing the ultimate success.
As far as progression is concerned, completely enough of the mini-games, and collecting enough stars from them allows the player to unlock access to the next region of the Switch 2 console to immerse yourself in new console features. You’ll begin at the controller’s left Joycon, skate across the display, and shift to the right one, examining everything about the console along the way. Frustratingly though, as I wante to progress to Area D, the inside of the Joycon, I soon learned that I must interact with all 25ish invisble panels scattered around the Joycon that outline for you what those components serve for the console playing experience. Some of them are quite well hidden or placed in awkward spots that are somewhat misleading to the player. After consulting good friend Luke Mitchell from Checkpoint I found the one ridiculous inspection panel tucked away in a corner and I was able to push on. This simple design decision was nearly responsible for making me want to quit the game entirely, it was that tedious, and its hopefully a one-off decision that doesn’t rear its head again later.
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour isn’t bound to wow you in any overly impressive ways, but does introduce a slew of really cool mini-game ideas, some of which could serve as the backbone of a cool standalone product one day, if only Nintendo considers adding more to the foundations. Other titles are certainly going to be higher up the priorities list for you in the coming days, but if you are willing to carve out some time for it, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour will still be able to generate a classic Nintendo-inspired smile.
