Without question, one of the most successful and beloved games of the 21st century thus far is Wii Sports. Its status as a pack-in title for the Wii, as well as its simple controls and concept, made the console a household name overnight. In addition, the sports it offered were fun whether you played with friends, family, or people who had never even touched a video game console before. It remains Nintendo’s highest-selling game to date, so it’s no surprise the company has frequently tried to recapture its success.
Some of these attempts, such as the game’s sequel Wii Sports Resort, have paid off by offering an experience that builds upon its predecessor. Others, like Wii Sports Club and Nintendo Switch Sports, have fallen short due to their attempts to remake the original instead of creating something that feels fresh. So, where does Nintendo Switch Sports Resort fit into this initiative? After all, it serves as both a sequel to Nintendo Switch Sports and a spiritual successor to Wii Sports Resort. Plus, it is releasing in the tail end of the Nintendo Switch 2’s second year, a console that still does not have very many party games on the level of the original Switch, let alone the Wii.
I was initially very skeptical about Switch Sports Resort, especially considering how disappointing the last few entries in this pseudo-franchise have been. However, after playing the full game for myself, I can confidently say that it is an incredibly fun time, regardless of whether I was playing with others or by myself.
Fun for the Whole Family
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is a game teeming with options that make it a blast with family and friends, whether you’re playing in person or online. To start with, there are many available sports. Much like the original Wii Sports Resort, Switch Sports Resort features twelve sports: Tennis, Bowling, Archery, Boxing, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Basketball, Golf, Thumb Wrestling, Prop Plane, Skateboarding, and Power Cruising. Each takes advantage of the Joy-Con 2s in unique ways and is incredibly fun regardless of your skill level.
Take Skateboarding, for instance. Instead of being powered by motion controls, like a lot of the other available sports, you maneuver your board with the Joy-Con 2’s mouse controls. You slide it back and forth to simulate acceleration, and tilt it to drift around corners. It feels almost like a fingerboard toy, and as a result, feels perfectly natural to control. The same can be said for a vast majority of the sports offered in Switch Sports Resort.
The controls are overall very easy to understand, even for those who have never touched a Nintendo Switch 2 before. It helps that each sport requires you to move the Joy-Con 2 in a way that emulates how you would play it in real life. Further, sports such as Bowling or Tennis, among others, control exactly as they do in prior entries, even if it’s with an entirely different controller. This made it perfect for when I attempted to play Switch Sports Resort with my mother, who had never played anything on the Nintendo Switch 2 before.
We played the aforementioned Bowling and Tennis, along with Golf and Thumb Wrestling, and had a great time from start to finish. Even though she had never used the Joy-Con 2 controllers before, she immediately understood the controls of each sport that we tried. The experience we shared struck the right balance between casual and competitive, mainly because of the vibe of the sports themselves. Sports like Bowling have a calmer atmosphere, while Thumb Wrestling is a little bit more frantic. It was easily one of the most fun experiences I have had with the Nintendo Switch 2 thus far.
Part of that charm came from the visuals of Switch Sports Resort. While it has a similar art style to Switch Sports, the power of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the island atmosphere made it pop in a way its predecessor never did. The visuals have a nice, cozy feeling to them thanks to the constant use of warm sunlight and great audio design. Plus, the Sportsmates of Switch Sports Resort have a lot more personality thanks to the improved lighting and visuals. This is in stark contrast to the game’s predecessor, which looked very fake and lifeless.
As such, while the option to use a previously created Mii was appreciated, I did not feel like my experience suffered when I chose to customize my very own Sportsmate. The customization options are fairly expansive and are made all the better by the gacha items you can purchase using Spocco Points. New items rotate every week and month, offering plenty of replayability. Plus, unlike the original Switch Sports, you can earn Spocco Points offline as well as online. All in all, despite my distaste for the Sportsmates in Switch Sports, here I was able to make a playable character that I was genuinely really happy with.
Still, there were a few moments where my enjoyment of Switch Sports Resort faltered slightly. To start with, Boxing is easily the worst sport of the bunch. The controls are frequently unresponsive, such as the inconsistency of both the uppercut and the counter abilities, made a lot of play sessions of boxing extremely frustrating. A lot of my instances playing the minigame felt luck-based rather than skill-based, which immediately put a damper on the occasions in which I played it.
Most of all, Switch Sports Resort is a bit disappointing in how it often feels derivative of prior entries in the franchise. Nine out of the twelve sports are pulled directly from Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, and Switch Sports. Sure, the sports may be fun, but it is hard to feel excited about playing them when they play identically to their past iterations. Plus, there are some odd exclusions: Baseball has not appeared in the franchise since Wii Sports Club, and neither Frisbee nor Air Sports returned from Wii Sports Resort. Needless to say, I am really hoping that Nintendo adds some new sports via a post-launch update.
Still, these frustrations were not enough to completely negate my enjoyment of Nintendo Switch Sports Resort. This is primarily because, while the game may feel like a rehash of prior entries in some areas, it meaningfully evolves the formula in others. This can mainly be found in the single-player content of Switch Sports Resort, which is far more elaborate compared to the game’s predecessors.
Going for the Crown
One of the many reasons I was skeptical about playing Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is due to my fears that it would be impossible to enjoy unless I was playing with family and friends. These sorts of party games usually have very few options for those who would rather play single-player games, or who are perhaps unable to arrange a get-together to play it. Furthermore, the single-player options in prior entries were fairly limited. However, one of the biggest surprises of Switch Sports Resort is just how elaborate its offerings are for those who would prefer to play solo.
To start with, there are the sports designed primarily for single-player. Power Cruising, Prop Plane, and Skateboarding are all described as “leisure sports,” and while you can play them with others, you can just as easily play them by yourself. These sports are great in how they offer a great way to wind down in between some of the more physically challenging mini-games. For example, Prop Plane has modes that allow you to freely fly around the island, which makes it feel even more alive and further adds to the game’s charm. Plus, the additional Jump-Rope minigame is exclusively available for solo players and provides a great way to warm up before a play session.
Speaking of modes, most of the sports offer different ones for those looking to spice up their experience. Bowling, for example, has a mode where you can bowl on a 100-pin lane. On the other hand, Volleyball has a rhythm-esque mode where you have to hit the ball in tune with the beat. These alternative options are great in how they offer alternative ways to play the same sports from prior entries, further nullifying my frustrations with their return. Easily, though, the best feature of Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is Island Crown.
These take the main nine competitive sports and format them into a mini-campaign where you must compete against CPU opponents as you climb the ranks. The champion at the top of the rankings will occasionally offer you advice leading up to your final competition against them, providing greater insight into some hidden tips tied to the sport. In addition, you can also unlock new cosmetics through the mode, based on the sport you are playing and the champion you eventually beat. There are even boss fights in the form of Legends, who can only be fought when you become the champion, and who serve as challenging tests of your skill. Plus, they are great homages to iconic Miis from the franchise’s history.
Despite my concerns that I would have little reason to play Switch Sports Resort unless I was playing it with others, the Island Crown mode and other options quickly assuaged my concerns. Plus, thanks to the abundance of customization options, I have plenty of reasons to keep coming back to the game and further enjoy everything it has to offer. My only frustration with these offerings is that, with all of the detail put into the island, I wish there were more ways to explore it. There are so many little details, such as an area of the map designed to welcome VIP guests, that it is kind of a bummer that the game does not do more with these landmarks.
That said, this is honestly a nitpick in the grand scheme of things. I was consistently delighted while playing Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, whether it was with my mother or completely by myself. Above all, this game is the first in a long time to remind me of the magic of playing Wii Sports for the first time.
A Nostalgic Experience
One of my first gaming experiences was playing Wii Sports just a few minutes after plugging in the Wii for the very first time. I would always find an excuse to play it with any visitors, whether it was my parents or close friends from school. Yet, in hindsight, its success feels like lightning in a bottle, and one that is extremely hard to recreate in the modern day. Despite its many attempts to remake Wii Sports in some form or another, Nintendo has not been able to capture what made it so special in the first place. To my immense surprise, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is the first game in a long time to remind me of how much fun I had with the 2006 classic.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort can only be described as a triumph. The included sports it offers are incredibly fun and intuitive, making for a great party experience that is accessible for those who have never used a Nintendo Switch 2 before. Plus, the sheer amount of single-player options means that it is still fun even if you decide to play it solo. While the use of sports that play identically to their prior iterations, some frustrating controls, and some missed potential with the island did sometimes put a damper on my enjoyment, these are small nitpicks when considering this otherwise great game.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort made me feel like a kid again. It even managed to put a smile on the face of my mother, someone who rarely enjoys playing video games at all. This is an absolute must-play for Nintendo Switch 2 owners, regardless of whether they have people to play with or not. As for me, I absolutely adored this game, and I cannot wait to see what additional content may be added via future updates. I am also deeply curious to see where this franchise may go next beyond Switch Sports Resort. For now, though, I am more than content to keep playing this game for the coming years.
Disclaimer: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort was reviewed on a Nintendo Switch 2.
