Introduction: A Missed Opportunity
Starting the Nintendo Switch 2 generation with a review of the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is truly intriguing, perhaps even comical, as Nintendo’s decisions have defined it as a game when it should have become one of the most elegant and mandatory introductions to any console ever released.
Similar to Sony’s offering of Astro’s Playroom with every PS5 sold since its launch in November 2020, an excellent introduction to the console and its features to the point of turning what could have been a tech demo into a game, Nintendo had in its hands an intriguing, fun, and almost mandatory introduction to its console, but decided to sell it separately as a game.
Even with the reduced price, this robs the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour of the status of a mandatory starting point for the new generation, putting much greater pressure on the quality of its mini-games and demanding more from the proposal presented here.
Mini-games and Tech Demos
Imagined as an introduction to the Nintendo Switch 2, its features, components, and everything else, from the Joy-Con 2 and other accessories to the camera, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour shines with the elegance you expect from Nintendo, a Japanese company that adopts its more formal side to showcase the new technology and features it allows.
It’s impossible not to feel how elegant Welcome Tour is, filled with small details that captivate our attention. From the movements of the character you choose to the recreation of the various materials used in the manufacturing of the console, not to mention the detailed recreation of the interiors of each piece. However, it is the mini-games and tech demos that stand out the most.
Turning the Nintendo Switch 2 itself into a sort of interactive showcase is a very curious and interesting idea, but it’s the mini-games and tech demos that will stick in your memory. No matter how informed you are about the console and accessories, you will certainly learn something you didn’t know, which ends up surprising, but it’s also hard to escape the feeling that we are facing something relatively simple.
Conclusion
As a sort of tech demo present on all Nintendo Switch 2 consoles, Welcome Tour could approach what Sony did with Astro’s Playroom on the PS5, becoming the first mandatory stop for all players, who would be captivated by its charm, secrets, curiosities, and of course, the mini-games. As a title sold separately, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a fragile proposal that will hardly receive the love and praise it deserves.
About the Author
