Nintendo Switch Sports Resort Review

Wii Sports was a cultural phenomenon and a big reason why the Wii became one of the best-selling consoles of all time. It makes sense that Nintendo would want to continue the franchise, and did so with the excellent Wii Sports Resort that came bundled with the MotionPlus accessory and a ton more content. The series evolved into Nintendo Switch Sports on the Switch, which had its moments but lacked content. But now Nintendo has released Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, and like Wii Sports Resort before it, it significantly builds on what its predecessor brought to the table. Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is miles ahead of the previous game and a must-have on Switch 2.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort features 12 sports for players to check out, and most of them are quite fun. Series staples like tennis, bowling, and golf are all accounted for, with table tennis, archery, boxing, and more available as well. Each sport uses motion controls for input, with tennis requiring players to simply swing their Joy-Con 2s and sports like basketball proving to be a bit more complicated, with players having to account for different moves depending on if they are playing offense or defense.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is Easy to Pick Up and Play

The motion controls in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort all work as described, with helpful, skippable tutorials for those that may not know exactly what to do intuitively. Most of the sports are easy to pick up and play, especially if you are already familiar with their variants in previous games, so players can immediately jump into whatever sport they feel like playing.

There is fun to be had in every sport, even bizarre offerings like Thumb Wrestling, where players try to pin their opponents using thumbs that grow to hilarious sizes. That being said, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort‘s take on basketball is the weakest by far because defense is significantly overpowered. It’s way too easy to swat away the opponent’s ball and block their shots, where it is comparatively much more challenging to sink any hoops on offense. The constant ball-stealing means the timer keeps getting paused and basketball drags on longer than it needs to most of the time.

The various sports feature local and online multiplayer, and Switch 1 Joy-Cons are supported in almost all of them, which should make it a lot easier for people to play with their friends and family. Nintendo Switch Sports Resort‘s online multiplayer is quick and reliable, so even when there’s no one around to play locally, it’s always possible to jump online and find an opponent.

Of course, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort also features matches against CPU-controlled opponents. There’s also the Island Crown challenge, which tasks players with defeating increasingly-difficult bots until they master the sport. Island Crown challenge gives Nintendo Switch Sports Resort a bit more meat on its bones when compared to its predecessor, and has some fun nods to previous games in the series.

The simple joy of the various sports on offer is the real driving force that will keep Switch 2 gamers coming back to Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, but features like the Island Crown challenge and achievements certainly help. Nintendo Switch Sports Resort features a wide variety of achievements for players to complete that reward them with cosmetics. Cosmetics are the big hook for Nintendo Switch Sports Resort‘s progression, with players earning currency that can then be spent on rotating gacha boards to unlock new outfits and accessories.

Sportsmates Are Back

Character customization is once again a big focus in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, with players able to choose between the snazzy-looking Sportmates or the classic Miis. Having the option to use Miis is definitely appreciated for nostalgic reasons if nothing else, but most will likely find the more-detailed Sportsmates more appealing.

Miis aren’t the only returning feature from classic Wii Sports titles. Wuhu Island is back in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, with players able to freely explore the open world island in a few sports. Players can traverse the waters around Wuhu Island on a jet ski, fly through its skies in a plane, and zip around its streets and hills on a skateboard.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort‘s skateboards utilize one of the more unique features of the Joy-Con 2 controllers: mouse functionality. I tested Nintendo Switch Sports Resort‘s mouse controls on a table and my own leg and found that they worked perfectly every time. Speeding around Wuhu Island and taking in the sights is fun by itself, but the game adds some collectibles and other challenges to help make things a little more interesting.

Even these free-roaming modes can be played in split-screen multiplayer, solidifying Nintendo Switch Sports Resort as one of the most entertaining party games on the Switch 2 to date. The only downside to these segments is that the graphics aren’t terribly impressive. Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is definitely the best-looking game in the series so far, but the Switch 2 is capable of more, and it would have been nice to see Wuhu Island reach its full potential.

The lack of certain sports from previous games, mainly baseball, is also disappointing. The fact that there was room for two versions of tennis but no baseball is especially a bummer, as is the absence of a few sports from the previous game. But there’s always the chance that some of the missing sports will be added to Nintendo Switch Sports Resort in future updates.

But even if Nintendo never releases an update for Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, it’s still an easy recommendation for Switch 2 gamers. The extensive local multiplayer options alone make it worth picking up, but add online to the mix and the game’s value increases exponentially. The included sports are all mostly fun and the motion controls work perfectly, plus Nintendo Switch Sports Resort gives players plenty of compelling reasons to pop in for at least a few matches every day.