In one of the more interesting reviews I’ve had to write in a while, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour serves as an introductory guide to using and learning about your brand-new console.
In certain ways, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour does its job well. Through a series of mini-games and quizzes, you not only learn about what you can do with the console, but also how things work in the first place.
Now I don’t want to be petty, but there are a few gripes I just can’t get over. Firstly, we live in a world where Wii Sports came included with the Nintendo Wii, and Astro’s Playroom comes pre-installed on your PlayStation 5. Those are two incredible experiences that aim to do the same thing, without the extra price tag. Having to fork out another A$15 for this, on top of a new Nintendo Console that is now more expensive than the last, feels like a kick in the guts.
Discover
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour doesn’t waste any time in getting you out and about. You’ll choose from a line of minimalistic-looking human characters and run off onto a large, floating version of the Nintendo Switch 2. The Console itself and all accessories are on offer too, as you cross massive bridges to walk over to and learn about them.
While I would normally talk about the visuals in my reviews separately, I feel I have to comment on them here, as the overall presentation is admittedly fantastic. Everything is clean and detailed, and each part of the console and its accessories is painstakingly recreated to look like its real-life counterpart.
There’s also a fair amount going on. People are standing around chatting, who can also stop and talk to, and your tasks are neatly tucked into stalls and kiosks that you’ll have to walk around to. I love how the console is set up like a store or convention of sorts, which gives the game some sort of playability, as this could have easily been sorted into waves of menus.
From a gameplay perspective, though, there’s not really much you can do here aside from hold the B button to sprint and the A button to chat and interact. So while they’ve avoided those waves of menus with an open area to explore, that’s about as far as this goes.
Play
Now I’m not saying there’s nothing to do. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour’s minigames might be hit-and-miss, but there are a few of them, based on specific features and accessories. For example, you’ll get the chance to use the Joy-Con mouse feature to navigate a tiny UFO around waves of spiky obstacles, and even to detect how strong the HD Rumble feature is, by leaving your pointer on a certain part of the screen where it feels the most intense.
You’ll even get the chance to test out the capabilities of the Switch 2 on the TV by playing the first level of the original Super Mario Bros. on a one-to-one pixel scale, which can now be viewed in its entirety, across your 4K TV. While we’ve all played this level before, it was incredible to see just how far Nintendo has come.
There’s a mingame on just about every feature of the console, but this includes the accessories too, including the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera and Pro Controller 2. Given that the game gives you certain medals based on how you complete these mini-games, those who wish to complete 100% of the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour will have to have these handy as well.
I get that these are made with the overall experience in mind, but given most of these mini-games only unlock when you have acquired a certain amount of medals, you’ll find out pretty quickly just what is locked behind you going out and buying those accessories. Make no mistake, those accessories are fantastic, and we’ll touch on those in our upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console review.
Learn
While the mini-games can feel a little hit-and-miss, the quizzes feel like a miss entirely. As you approach each of these kiosks, you’ll get the chance to read about the feature or accessory in question by interacting with a bunch of panels that you can read through, generally based on the answers in the quiz.
Quizzes then offer a handful of questions, all of which need to be answered correctly in order to pass. One wrong, and you’ll need to start again. While certain features are interesting to read through and understand, they really take the sense of wonder and engagement out of the broader experience.
Certain aspects, like the HD Rumble feature, have their own mini-game, but you’ll then have to go elsewhere and read through multiple pages about the same thing, which is nowhere near as fun.
The quizzes themselves may contribute to completing 100% of the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, but they don’t award you any medals to help unlock other mini-games sooner. So if you don’t care, you’ll find yourself skipping these entirely after a few quizzes.
Final Thoughts
Without sounding too harsh, I simply wish that the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour was either free to download or pre-installed on the console to begin with.
While it looks great and certain mini-games are fun and insightful, there’s just not much to chew on here. The experience can be completed in around 5-10 hours, based on how thorough you are with medals and quizzes.
But I’ll have to say it again. We didn’t pay anything for Wii Sports or Astro’s Playroom, both of which are more fun and engaging, all while helping us learn about our new console. As a result, it doesn’t justify the A$15 that Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is asking for.
TWO AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Some mini-games are charming; Clean and detailed presentation
Lowlights: Boring quizzes; Price tag; Certain mini-games require additional accessories that don’t come included in the core console package
Developer: Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development, Nintendo Cube
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Available: Now
Review conducted on Nintendo Switch 2 with a pre-release code provided by the publisher.
