Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour Review
“Welcome Bore” Written by: Ethan (@ChaoticAether)
Let’s not beat around the bush, as we all know why you are here. During the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal event back in April, Nintendo announced Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a tutorial game walking you through the system with a bunch of different minigames and quizzes showing the different features Switch 2 has to offer. I also know that we all thought one thing: that the game was likely going to be a pack-in game. After the wonderful success that was Astro’s Playroom for PS5, it only made sense for Nintendo to try and capitalise on its success with their own launch pack-in, right? Only thirty seconds later though Nintendo dropped that bombshell: that it actually isn’t free and it costs around $10.
The internet quickly broke into a frenzy. Some were holding pitchforks, some laughing hysterically, and some were willing to give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt. I was somewhere between all three of these positions, as although what I clearly saw looked like it should be free, I also couldn’t miss the opportunity to see what the game has in store and determine whether you should be paying $10 to experience it. I risked my $10 and the entirety of my first day with the system to get an answer and surprisingly: the answer is rather complicated.
Image Credit: Nintendo
Switch 2 Welcome Tour takes you on a tour of a massive Nintendo Switch 2, and has you picking a little guy from the queue and taking him on a walk around the console, while learning about all its new features along the way. The game is broken down into four gameplay types: collecting stamps, playing minigames, completing quizzes and taking part in showcases. Collect all of the stamps in one area to unlock the next, and keep unlocking new areas to find more minigames to play and more quizzes to answer, it really is that simple.
Starting with the stamps, these guys are often the landmarks of the area of the console you're in. Say you're on the joy-con 2 for example, you need to walk to every single button, stick and port and stamp them off to progress to the next area. It’s a fun and quirky way to get used to the console, but the concept quickly grew stale after doing it repeatedly section after section. It's the only requirement to unlock new areas, and there are A LOT of areas in Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. From inside the joycons, the screen to various accessories there is technically a lot to see in Welcome Tour. Whether that content is high quality though is highly dependent on what you're doing.
The highlight of the game is easily its various minigames. There are tons of them to play, and by playing minigames you unlock medals that let you unlock new games once you reach a certain threshold. Each of these games have you using a variety of the new systems features to complete certain tasks. The highlights for me were easily the mouse games, which feel really intuitive and responsive. From guiding a UFO around an area of spikes, to guiding a ball through a maze, to playing tabletop golf and aiming for the fastest time. They really show what the new mouse is capable of and have turned me into a believer.
The fun doesn’t stop with just mouse controls either, as there are honestly quite an array of fun games on offer. From guessing framerates, pressing 10 buttons simultaneously on the touchscreen to angling the kickstand at various angles; I liked most of the minigames I got to play. There are a few duds though, the HD Rumble 2 minigames are often lacking, and I’m honestly not impressed by the tech in general as I really cannot tell the difference between it and its predecessor.
I’m also not a huge fan of how the minigames are paced. Each minigame has various difficulty toggles, which require you to also unlock medals in order to play harder difficulties. Some of these you’ll unlock straight away, but most force you to go away and pick up more medals in other games to continue testing the feature. Just unlocking the minigame outright would save a ton of needless back tracking.
Image Credit: Nintendo
But who has to worry about backtracking when we have quizzes to do! In each area are various quiz stations that pop up some reading material for you to peruse. These stations teach you about the Switch 2’s various features, such as its magnets, touch screen and microphone. For a goblin like me these can be relatively interesting, but I won’t lie that for casual audiences most these sections would be tedious to say the least. The writing is bland, there are often a dozen pages of text for each kiosk, and the questions at the end are too simplistic to be of any value. I liked the novelty of Nintendo showing you the insides of what goes into making their consoles, but I fear for most people this will grow tiring rather quickly.
Finally we come to the demos, kiosks found throughout the game that are supposed to showcase certain features of the Switch 2 and its controllers. Honestly, I found them rather underwhelming for the most part. The HDR and rumble demonstrations are mediocre at best, and although some have fun novelty’s such as playing a pixel perfect version of Mario Bros. 1-1 in 4k resolution, none of them truly wowed me. Also a nitpick, but I really don’t like how often the game forces me in and out of docked play. Half of the minigames and showcases force you into one or the other or to change settings on your tv constantly like HDR or resolution for certain framerates. It’s more of an annoyance than a critique for the most part, and is a minor inconvenience in comparison to one of the game's most controversial decisions.
To 100% Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, you need to not just spend $10 on the game, but at least $80 on accessories too. The game has specific sections for both the camera and extra controller buttons found on the joy con 2 charging grip and pro controllers. Don’t want to spend $80-120 on extra kit? Well then no 100% for you buddy! I just think this is really scummy, especially when the only mention of it is the final small print line on the games store page. The worst part is these sections aren’t even worth it regardless.
Image Credit: Nintendo
That leads me on to the game's presentation, and it's honestly one of the strongest things about the game. The game goes for this museum-like aesthetic, having you walk around the console areas and interact with the various exhibits. The game looks sharp and clear in 4k, and each of the minigames is appealing to the eye, but I can’t help but feel like describing the visuals as the polished surface of a very basic game structure. Walking around the switch 2 is surprisingly fun, but these games could look like flash games for all I care as that's essentially what they are at the end of the day. Nothing flashy, but they get the job done.
As for the soundtrack again it fits that museum or waiting room aesthetic rather well. It's nothing to write home about, and you certainly won’t be adding any of the tracks into your playlist any time soon, but the music supplements the minigames and ties it all together into a comprehensive package. I just wish some of the minigame scores had a bit more punch to them, as overall they are pretty forgettable.
Image Credit: Nintendo
Summary
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a fine but padded tutorial to get yourself to grips with Nintendo Switch 2, which should have been free with the console. Its minigames range from fine to quirky, its writing is bland and entirely forgettable, and the fact that you need to spend at least $80 on accessories to 100% a game Nintendo are already charging you for is a bizarre decision that I frankly cannot excuse. Match that with its bloated pacing and glacial separation of content and it just leaves me with an overall feeling of indifference.
I’m hesitant to recommend the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. I would only recommend picking it up if you’re a bit of a console nerd like me and want to test every new feature of your expensive new toy. There genuinely are some fun moments to be had with it, and I’ll fully admit that Nintendo have put more effort into it than even I was expecting, but at the end of the day it's just a well polished $10 tech demo that most people will be too busy playing Mario Kart to miss. Just have a look at some of the minigames online and judge it for yourself. You really aren’t missing anything.