Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour caught my eye when it was first revealed as a launch title. I mean, who wouldn’t be curious about a game that’s like a giant, interactive manual for the Switch 2? Weird, right? Only Nintendo could think of this stuff. But then, I found out it was gonna cost ten bucks—not free. My excitement took a nosedive. But hey, I figured I’d give it a whirl.
Walking around in the game is like being an ant on a mega-sized Switch 2. You’re hopping over Joy-Con 2 controllers, the screen, you name it—trying to learn how each thingamajig works. It reminded me of Astro’s Playroom on the PS5. Except Sony made theirs fun and free, and Nintendo decided to make theirs… dull. And charge for it. Go figure.
Most of the mini-games are over before you blink, shorter than those WarioWare microgames. Get a medal, unlock a harder mode. More spikes, collect stars, blah blah. Does it sound fun? Not really, no.
Ah, but there are some odd games. Like fiddling with the touchscreen or tilting the console—fun, right? And some need extra stuff you probably didn’t buy. I mean, you gotta snag an extra controller or even a camera to do everything? Seriously?
Speaking of, one dumb game refused to start until I fiddled with the camera for ages. Good thing a USB-C camera works too, but still—what a hassle.
Had some fun, though, in these tech-expert mini-games. Like, you turn Joy-Con 2 controllers upside down and pretend you’re riding a motorcycle. The HD Rumble 2 shakes like you’re revving a real bike engine. Kinda cool if they keep using that tech.
Quizzes, quizzes everywhere. Want to know about Switch 2 facts? They’ve got you covered. But I tuned out after a while, kinda like zoning out in class. The whole thing just turned into wandering around, collecting stamps from different areas.
Honestly? The whole experience felt like paying ten bucks for a glorified ad. Two games are blocked unless you buy extra stuff, and they even have NPCs hinting you should. Like, “I hope my kids want this so I can play!”—so shameless!
In the end, if it was free, maybe I’d grumble less. But asking for money for an ad-filled tutorial on a pricey console? Not cool, Nintendo. Had a bit of fun, but just waiting here, twiddling thumbs until a Switch 2 game worth my time shows up.
