Credit: Nintendo
In one of the more interesting reviews I had to write for a while, the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour serves as an introductory guide to learning using your brand new console.
In certain respects, the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour does the job well. Through a series of mini-games and quizzes, you will learn not only what you can do with the console, but also how things work in the first place.
I don’t want to be petty now, but there are some unsurprising complaints. First of all, we live in a world where Wii Sports is included with the Nintendo Wii, and Astro’s Playroom is pre-installed on the PlayStation 5. These are two incredible experiences aimed at doing the same thing without an extra price tag. You will need to fork another $15 for this. This feels like a kick of guts on top of the new Nintendo console, which is more expensive than last time.
Discover
The Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is not wasting time going out. Choose from a line of minimalist human characters and run to the massive floating version of the Nintendo Switch 2. The console itself and all the accessories are also provided.
I usually talk about the visuals of the reviews separately, but the overall presentation is clearly great so I feel like I have to comment here. Everything is clean and detailed, with the console and each part of its accessories being painstakingly replicated to look like its actual counterpart.
Credit: Nintendo
There’s a considerable amount too. People can stand around the chat and stop and talk. Your tasks are neatly shoved into food stalls and kiosks you have to walk around. I love the way the console is set up like a store or a convention. This gives the game some playability.
However, from a gameplay perspective, there’s not much you can do here except for the button that holds the B button and chats and interacts with the Sprint. So they have been avoiding those menu waves in open areas to explore, but that’s as long as this goes.
play
Right now I’m not saying I have nothing to do. The mini-games for the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour may be hit and miss, but there are a few of them based on specific features and accessories. For example, you can use the Joy-Con Mouse feature to navigate small UFOs around pointy obstacle waves and detect the strength of the HD Rumble feature.
You will also have the opportunity to test the Switch 2 functionality on your TV by playing the first level of the original Super Mario Bros on a 1-1 pixel scale. We’ve all played this level before, and it was incredible to see how far Nintendo has come.
Credit: Nintendo
Almost every feature on the console comes with Mingame, which also includes accessories such as the Nintendo Switch 2 camera and Pro Controller 2. Given that the game offers specific medals based on how it completes these mini-games, those who want to complete 100% of their Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour will also need these useful ones.
I think these are made with the overall experience in mind, but given that most of these mini-games are unlocked, they only unlock if you win a certain amount of medals. Without a doubt, these accessories are fantastic. We’ll be touching on future reviews of the Nintendo Switch 2 Console Review.
learn
The mini-games can feel a bit of a hit and miss, but the quiz feels completely like a mistake. As you approach each of these kiosks, you will generally get the opportunity to read about the features and accessories in question by interacting with many panels that you can read based on quiz answers.
The quiz then offers a handful of questions. All of these need to be answered correctly to pass. If you’re wrong, you’ll need to try again. While certain features are interesting to read and understand, they really take the surprise and engagement from a wider range of experiences.
Certain aspects like the HD Rumble feature have their own mini-games, but you’ll need to go elsewhere and read multiple pages about the same thing.
Credit: Nintendo
The quiz itself may contribute to completing 100% of the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, but will not award medals to unlock other mini-games faster. So, if you don’t mind, you’ll find yourself skipping these completely after a few quizzes.
Final Thoughts
Without sounding too harsh, I hope that the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is free to download to the console or was pre-installed from the start.
It looks great, and certain mini-games are fun and insightful, but there’s not much to chew on here. The experience can take approximately 5-10 hours based on how thorough you are with your medals and quizzes.
But I have to say that again. I didn’t pay anything for the Wii Sports or the Astro playroom, but both are more fun and engaging. As a result, it doesn’t justify the A$15 the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is looking for.
Two and a half stars (out of five)
Highlights: Some mini-games are attractive. Clean and detailed presentation
Lowlight: Boring Quiz; Price Tag; Certain minigames require additional accessories not included in the core console package
Developer: Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development, Nintendo Cube
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
Available: Now
Reviews conducted on Nintendo Switch 2 using pre-release code provided by publishers.
