In 2022, Nintendo revived its beloved Wii Sports franchise for a new generation with the utterly delightful Nintendo Switch Sports. Later this month, fans are in for even more madcap motion gameplay with the arrival of Nintendo Switch Sports Resort on the Nintendo Switch 2, and I was lucky enough to get a hands-on preview last week.
Like Wii Sports Resort before it, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort improves on the original with new mini-games and even more refined controls. To tool around this new high-def Wuhu Island, for example, players can use Joy-Con 2 mouse mode. With a single Joy-Con 2 placed sensor-side down, it’s as simple as sliding the controller across a nearby flat surface (or, in my case, a denim-clad leg) to mimic the movement of pushing your onscreen skateboard forward. Tilting the Joy-Con 2 right or left makes for easy steering, and lifting the controller to perform jump tricks is perfectly intuitive.
I began my Resort preview experience—alongside my demo partner, Kevin—by skating around its various paved surfaces (as well as its grassy hills and sandy beaches) collecting camera icons at special photo areas. Along the way I also managed to hit some satisfying jumps, grind the odd rail, and otherwise gleam the proverbial cube.
It was a great way to get a feel for just how big the island play area is, not to mention how nicely responsive Joy-Con 2 controls are in this unique environment. With our skating excursion concluded, we made our way back to the selection menu to explore the more competitive side of Nintendo Switch Sports Resort and experience the thrills of Thumb Wrestling.
Again, using a single Joy-Con 2, this time gripped in the dominant hand and held vertically, players tilt left and right to fake out their opponent before using ZR to gain the pin. The pinned player must shake their Joy-Con—and I mean really shake it—to escape. Gameplay here was super fun, with the only drawback being the sight of your player character sporting one oversized hand with a massive, cartoonish thumb sort of toeing the line into body horror. (But it is October, so…)
I managed to clinch this best two out of three thumb war, but Kevin showed me up in Archery, a two Joy-Con affair using the “thumbs-up” grip we practiced in Thumb Wrestling to draw and release your bow. After a few practice shots, we were challenged by a target with colored quadrants. To score points, we had to hit our designated quadrant as close to the bullseye as possible. As we progressed, it even began rotating for an added challenge!
From there, we proceeded to the Prop Plane minigame. Like Skateboarding, it gave us another chance to explore the island—this time from above. A single Joy-Con 2 is held like a paper plane and twisted to steer, with the buttons used to shoot at colored balloons or launch fireworks to call a friend to your position. Kevin also realized that shaking the Joy-Con gave your plane a nice little speed boost. It was a breezy, effortless experience, and a nice way to unwind after two rounds of pitched competition.
Next came Boxing, where we each participated in a single-player experience known as the Island Crown. Using both Joy-Cons to punch, block, and dodge, it was the proper modern analogue to boxing on the Wii, and while we didn’t have time to work our way up to battling the resident Island Legend, Kev and I both ably bested our low-level opponent, Noah.
Probably the most fun part of my entire preview was Table Tennis, another single Joy-Con sport with controls so finely tuned to tilt and swing that even I felt like an accomplished player. Serves and volleys were wonderfully intuitive, and while not exactly the haymaker of the motion sports landscape, Table Tennis is my current pick for the must-play Nintendo Switch Sports Resort activity.
We wound down with one final leisure sport, Power Cruising. This aquatic sightseeing tour uses dual horizontal Joy-Cons like handlebars to control the vehicle’s throttle. Feeling completely different than the skating and flying exercises, it was no less satisfying, offering soaring Arthur Fonzarelli-esque ramp jumps and hidden grottos to explore.
The preview ended the only way it possibly could: Bowling. As any discriminating player can tell you, Nintendo already mastered motion bowling controls some two decades ago, so this one offered the ultimate nostalgia kick with a side of improved visuals and accuracy—oh, and this version supports four-player simultaneous gameplay! In short, it’s exactly what you need from a Switch 2 bowling minigame.
With scores of additional sports activities we didn’t even have time to touch, collectibles and unlockables aplenty, and an omniscient, vaguely GLaDOS-sounding narrator/announcer, Switch Sports Resort takes all you love about Nintendo’s long-running series and wraps it up in a big, beautiful bow.
I honestly could’ve played Nintendo Switch Sports Resort all day, but, alas, there were other titles to experience and tons of amazing merch to peruse for the upcoming holiday season. There were also canapés. And I do love me some canapés.
Arriving exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2 on October 22, I thankfully don’t have too much longer to wait before I can make my full and triumphant return to Wuhu Island. I certainly hope to see you there.
Access to this special preview event was provided by Nintendo of America. This post contains affiliate links. Big up to Kevin for being my player 2!
