I didn’t know exactly what to expect from Nintendo Switch Sports. Sitting on the subway, as I went to the preview of this title, I just thought about the fact that I had never played Wii Sports. The previous Nintendo console in fact entered my life very late, practically at the sunset of its existence, and I had never had the opportunity to recover this big lack. “Big” because Wii Sports is undoubtedly one of the leading titles of the older generation, one of those that left its mark and that has allowed even non-gamers to get closer to Nintendo Wii. However, I had never experienced the thrill of virtually bowling so I was not sure of the actual degree of involvement that this activity could guarantee.
But it took me 5 minutes of gameplay to decide that I want Nintendo Switch Sports at all costs.
The preview of Nintendo Switch Sports
Nintendo Switch Sports will officially arrive on the market on April 29, 2022 and will include 6 games: football, volleyball, bowling, tennis, badminton and chanbara. The vast majority of activities involve the use of one or two joy-con, without the need for external accessories, so if you have Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch OLED you will be ready to take the field already on Day 1.
Yes, but for what?
The first sport I approached was there volleyball. A single Joy-Con is all you need to play, securely fastened to your wrist. The tutorial shows you the basics – bagher, riser, dunk and wall – then you will be catapulted into a 2-on-2 match, with a virtual companion who will help you bring victory home. The opponent can be just as virtual or you can challenge a person in flesh and blood, even in that case assisted by a companion guided by artificial intelligence.
A few exchanges were enough to bring to mind my two glorious years of volleyball, but I only cared about the basic movements. There is no running, there are no dips, there are no pushups. You have to stay in place and try to do all with the right timing and the right angle.
And that’s how, at the end of a really hard match, I secured the victory.
The second sport was badminton. For the less accustomed among you, badminton looks a bit like tennis but instead of a ball you have the lightest shuttlecock. Here the tutorial is not necessary: use the Joy-Con like a racket, try to hit the shuttlecock and try to put the opponent in difficulty. Simple but extremely fun.
Experience is analogous to tennis where however things get done a little more technical. Placing a long line shot here becomes more complex, so be careful not to overdo it and try to surprise your opponent. On pain of defeat, as in my case. I also point out the possibility of opting for twice, with the second companion who will not move independently but will have to be guided by you.
Nintendo Switch Sports introduce poi football. Here the controls are a mix of movement and frets, with a huge ball that is shot in a random direction and the players who have to make an effort to direct it and then throw it towards the two goals, placed at the ends of the field. In some ways it reminded me of Rocket League, except that the clashes are here 1 vs 1 o 4 vs 4.
Inside the menu dedicated to football they also find a place the penalties. To play with it though you will also need the Ring Fit Adventures leg band. You tie it around your thigh, put the Joy-Con in it, and then you have to work on timing to hit the ball and score goals.
Make sure you have the right space to kick, otherwise, in the heat of the moment, you could knock down some object or hit a piece of furniture.
The experience a bowling it was perhaps the most relaxing. The movement required is simple and there is no direct and constant back-and-forth with the opponent; this however does not mean that it is simple, on the contrary, to do Strike you will have to train a little and find the right combination between the starting point of the launch and the twist of the wrist.
My experience ended with chanbara. In this case you can use a classic sword, a sword that charges to release an energy blow, or two energy swords. The aim is to hit the opponent up push it off the circular platform you are on. Know that it is not easy at all: you will have to hit your opponent at the right moment, taking into account the position of his guard. And maybe the most strategic and challenging of the games in Nintendo Switch Sports but it could really give you some satisfaction.
Of course it is too early to give up and reach the final verdict but the title seems destined to be a real must-have, one of those games that allow you to animate the atmosphere, have fun both alone and in company and even get a little closer to sport. And that’s not all: Nintendo seems willing to support the game in the long run. In autumn, for example, it will arrive he golfs and we may enjoy some other interesting additions in the future.
I can’t wait to play it again, what about you?