- 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 18/Jun 04:12

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour – Review

Ask a random Switch 2 owner what their opinion is about Nintendo’s Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, and you’ll more than likely get the response that the game should’ve been a free pack-in rather than a separate purchase. After all, it’s just a piece of software meant to promote the Switch 2 rather than a full-fledged game, right? We admit that we were sceptical and cynical about Welcome Tour, so when our review copy arrived, our expectations weren’t exactly the highest. Was Welcome Tour able to convince us of its merit, or is this an exhibit that you should just skip? Story The idea behind Welcome Tour is that you are attending a futuristic exhibit that takes place across and inside an enormous Switch 2. As you visit the different exhibit areas, you’ll learn everything there is to know about the console and even get to try out some of its more obtuse features first-hand. From a narrative perspective, there isn’t anything here beyond that initial premise. Graphics Boasting a very clean, simplistic art style, it’s somewhat ironic that Welcome Tour’s overall visuals don’t really show off the Switch 2’s graphical prowess. Granted, specific demonstrations show off the console’s improved 120Hz frame rate, HDR, and 4K output. As a whole, though, the visuals aren’t necessarily going to impress anyone, but given the nature of the game, that’s not something that was a necessity either. The game pushes the Switch 2 to its graphical limit when it needs to, after all. Sound When it comes to audio, it’s perhaps not surprising that Welcome Tour approaches things in the same way as with visuals. As a whole, the soundtrack fits with the atmosphere of this being an exhibit, with soothing elevator-style music playing in the background. However, when necessary, the game easily demonstrates just what the console’s speakers and microphone are capable of. Gameplay At first glance, Welcome Tour seems like nothing more than ‘just’ a tech demo for your shiny new console. As you tour the oversized hardware, you’ll encounter various booths where short, PowerPoint-style presentations highlight specific technical details in a light-hearted manner. Rather than spewing out pure technical specifications, the differences between the previous Switch and the new one are explained in an accessible way. While a good chunk of these factoids made us go “Huh, that’s neat.”, our next thought was then “Okay, but how is this going to make a difference in future games?”. After reading all of the slides about a given feature of the console, you can then take a short quiz about said topic. Completing a quiz successfully nets you medals, which are used to unlock specific tech demos and minigames. There are also stamps hidden throughout the area that you’re exploring, and you’ll need to collect every single one to be able to progress to the next area. Some of the tech demos are nothing short of impressive. Take the maraca demo, for example, where the new and improved HD rumble alternates between mimicking beads or a rubber ball shaking around in the Joy-Cons. Likewise, hearing the Joy-Cons mimicking the Coin and 1UP sounds of the Super Mario series through HD rumble vibration instead of via speaker needs to be heard to be believed. The minigames further build on this idea, highlighting the different features of the Switch 2 in fun ways. The touch-screen’s multi-touch capability is demonstrated by letting you play a version of Twister with your fingers, for example, and there’s a minigame that demonstrates different frame rates so that you can finally prove that you can see the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz with your naked eyes. It’s not all just fancy bells and whistles either. By the time you’re playing Welcome Tour, you’ve already purchased your Switch 2, so there is no need to convince you anymore. Instead of preaching to the choir about the improvements compared to the first Switch, Welcome Tour also goes into surprising depth about the shortcomings and limitations of the platform, such as the limited battery life. The reasoning behind specific decisions is explained in ways that even your grandma should be able to understand. The question remains who Welcome Tour’s target audience is. Diehard Nintendo fans will already know the majority of the information, and casual fans won’t want to pony up the price of entry. That’s without even getting into the fact that some of the demos are locked behind peripherals like the Switch 2 camera, pro controller, or even a 4K TV. It’s a shame, because the software itself exceeded our expectations, but we can easily see most people skip this one. Not because of the price tag, but because of the principle. Still, we’d say bite the bullet. You’ll grow to appreciate your shiny new console even more, and you get to show off just how cool it is to your friends. Conclusion If it wasn’t for the purposes of this review, we wouldn’t have picked up Welcome Tour, but now that we’ve gone through the motions, we’re actually convinced that it’s worth the €9.99 price tag. It’s an excellent little demonstration tool that is well worth checking out if you own a Switch 2. If you’re still on the fence, we wouldn’t blame you, but if you happen to know someone who has purchased Welcome Tour, we urge you to go and check out their copy, or even borrow it as a virtual game card. This is one of those rare titles that needs to be experienced for yourself.