Ah, remember Wii Sports? The game that literally anyone could play… My video game newbie mum even bought a Wii of her own because she was obsessed. Then came the Wii Sports Resort, a beautiful new instalment in the series that transported us to Wuhu Island with a new range of sporting games that didn’t land quite as well as the initial title.
Over the years, it has become something of a cult classic, so much so that Nintendo have bought it back with a brand new update, complete with some shiny next-gen additions to take advantage of the Switch 2 Joy-Cons. Nintendo were kind enough to invite us to HQ in Australia for some hands-on time with this new title.
Sport For Choice
All of your favourite sports from the original game are here, along with some new ones that will be sure to get everyone talking. There’s archery, boxing, bowling, skateboarding, jet skiing, prop planing and thumb wrestling as part of this preview event. Now the game does use the motion control features of the Joy-Con 2 controllers, so it really is ideal for that party environment.
Archery was probably the most relaxing of the events, a slow and calculated body movement that showcased how precise these Joy-Con 2 controllers are. Table Tennis is well…table tennis; it’s a rapid and invigorating movement set that allows for things to get very competitive, very quickly.
Now thumb wrestling is probably what you are here to read about; yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds, and yes it is as fun, if not more than you think it’s going to be. It does have the obvious pin your thumb down on your opponent at the right time, but the devs have added in some extra mechanics if things get stagnant.
Your thumb can grow and get power-ups if you make certain moves, like holding it down while waiting for your opponent, and the trick of timing and responsiveness in the controls is key to winning. It’s the power of what Nintendo does best to keep an event like this feel Nintendo-esque, and it reminded me a lot of gameplay mechanics in Arms.
Bowling is bowling; it’s the same as it was in their previous games, and they haven’t reinvented the wheel here. They have just made it a lot prettier to look at, and the manoeuvring with the Joy-Cons does take a little bit to get used to so the challenge level here really resonated with me. I am looking forward to many more matches when the game releases.
Do It Your Way
There are some areas where you can free-roam and explore the island at your leisure. My favourite was the jet ski; the controls did take a bit of trying to get used to. You really need to engage your core and keep things tight, it does feel like a workout as you manouver the vehicle around. You can follow the circuit and collect items, but the appeal of being able to free-roam across the beautiful-looking water was too tempting.
If looking at the island from the air is more your thing, the Prop Plane was a great way to get a bird’s-eye view of the island. There is a time limit imposed on this mode, and you do need to take some photos of specific spots as you fly around. It provides a great chance to check out what the island looks like from above, and the beautiful scenery crafted by the devs is on full display in this mode.
Skateboarding is the other freeroam mode; you can jump on your board and turn the Joy-Cons into mouse mode as you push yourself along on the board. It’s great to see the mouse controls being the main control for the first time since Drag X Drive and while I only had a short amount of time in this mode, it was a lot of fun.
Boxing is the last activity to try out in my playthrough; you use the Joy-Con remotes and strap as your boxing gloves. You punch left and right and then use your arms to block incoming attacks. There is a stamina limit so you can’t just continuously jab and punch your way through it. The controls here are what let it down; I could aggressively punch and easily overwhelm my opponent (sorry to the Nintendo rep who was teamed up against me).
There were times when I tried making my punches weighted and heavier, but the controls didn’t seem to respond to that. It was still a lot of fun, and my watch did ask if I was doing a workout, so this could be a great mode to give you a workout while you are playing.
Thoughts So Far
From my time with Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, I must say, it was an absolute blast. The combination of free roaming and fixed activities is a great way to mix up gameplay while also allowing exploration of the beautifully designed island.
While the hardcore gamers will probably sit this one out, if the Mario Party series is your thing, you will feel at home here. It’s also a great entry point for casual gamers to get stuck into the Nintendo Switch 2 console.
The fun of Wahu Island awaits, and I, for one, cannot wait to explore more of everything on offer.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort releases on the Nintendo Switch 2 on the 22nd of October, 2026.
Featured header image provided by Nintendo.
