Welcome to our review of Go Vacation, a game that first saw life on the Wii and is now being upgraded on Switch to a more complete package.
Welcome to Kawawii Island, a paradise resort where friends and family can enjoy 50+ co-op and competitive activities.
There are all sorts of exciting ways to explore the island, from horseback to buggies, snowmobiles to inline skates. And to add to the fun, up to 4 players* can enjoy visiting and discovering every corner of the island together!
If you’re playing multiplayer, each player can use just one Joy-Con™ controller. Experience hours of fun and something new every day. Customize your character, costumes, vehicles and even pets! Daily presents and challenges mean that you will want to keep coming back to the island of Kawawii to explore more terrain and play through activities all over again. Mii or in-game characters of friends and family may show up, and if they do, you can compete against them anytime. Or customize your very own villa by earning over 450 pieces of furniture.
Back in the days of the Wii, I hated all these Wii sports clones, most were just so bland or sloppy. I hated how the majority of them were just cash grabs and never really anything more than shovelware really. Go Vacation is the prime example however of how to do this right.
Go Vacation is just about the perfect approach to making a collection of fun sports games and bring them to a console. Whether you want to go riding horses, start skydiving, ride ATVs or any other thing, Go Vacation delivers on that premise, but also brings them as fun little mini-games. Sure you can keep playing and challenge your own record but it does not go deep into any specific game.
But that is so not a problem, you are hit in the face by tons of mini-games, all set on the resort island of Kawawii. A place with fifty plus activities, play on your own or in co-op. Spread over 4 resorts, Marine, City, Snow, and Mountain that you can explore on horseback, underwater, or a variety of other vehicles. Go Vacation will really set itself apart in variety.
You are also free to do whatever you like, follow the storyline or just randomly go play a game for fun, whether this is on your own or with your friends. At one point in my own gameplay, I strayed from the beaten path and ended up playing a game where I had to squirt water on opponents for points. The freedom in how to play may be one of the biggest advantages Go Vacation has to offer.
As I already said what is good about it, now time for the bad news.
Go Vacation is a collection of mini-games after all. Nothing too elaborate and everything you do, in the end, is just a 2-minute game. Great for parties but if you are looking for an in-depth experience, this game might not really be the right one for you.
Recently, I was talking to a friend about graphics in gaming and how a great game would not need great graphics to really succeed, I think I even used Go Vacation as an example that day. I stand by my point, Go Vacation uses Mii’s and they just fit this game more than anything. Simple yet elegant enough to get the point across and sure, some may say that Mii’s are a thing of the past with Nintendo recently axing the miiverse, I disagree. Mii’s are fun and mine has these ominous eyes that really mismatch with a game like Go Vacation, but I love it.
What actually is remarkable about Go Vacation, with the Switch now out for more than 500 days, there will not be any alternative to the sports game genre. Go Vacation will be the sole competitor out there and even without that notion, it is still a great pick up if you are on the market for a decent mini-game collection based on sports.
In conclusion, Go Vacation is a strong title to own in any collection and it might be the perfect companion for anyone looking to have a Wii sports clone at hand. With tons of options and gameplay, I can easily see someone sinking a hundred+ hours into this game. It will be great for casual play but expect no wonders as the main attraction is also its biggest limitation, they are mini-games after all.
All in all, I am rating it at 80%, I think the game brings added value to the Nintendo Switch and am glad to own it.
