Ah yes, the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour; easily the most talked-about launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2. But not for the reasons you’d expect. Rather than being bundled with the console as an interactive manual, Nintendo has opted to sell it separately at a modest price. But is it worth the cost? Let’s find out.
It’s an interactive manual
Let’s address the elephant in the room: yes, it’s essentially an interactive manual. After spending some time with it, there’s really no other way to describe it. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a fully interactive piece of software designed to explain everything about Nintendo’s newest system. And when I say everything, I mean everything. From the basics of what a D-pad is, to the more advanced features like 4K resolution, 120fps, and HD Rumble, it’s all covered, complete with demonstrations of the console’s latest innovations.
You play as a fairly generic avatar, no Mii or iconic Nintendo character, unfortunately. As this avatar, you move from kiosk to kiosk, each one teaching you something new about your console. Some are purely informational, while others are more interactive, featuring short mini-games to keep things engaging. The goal? Collect medals to unlock different sections of the virtual Nintendo Switch 2 world, allowing you to continue exploring all the possibilities the system has to offer
The mini-games
During my hands-on session with the software, I tried out a handful of mini-games. One game had me shaking the Joy-Con 2 like maracas to demonstrate the improved rumble. I have to admit, I was impressed, but it also reminded me of how few Switch 1 games truly utilized HD Rumble to its full potential. Another mini-game put me in control of a tiny UFO, dodging spiked balls using the Joy-Con’s new Mouse Mode. It felt responsive and surprisingly precise. There were also mini-games that tested my ability to guess frame rates by analyzing images, and even a chance to play the original Super Mario Bros. stretched out in 4K, giving a real sense of how stunning that resolution can be. While these games were fun and I haven’t seen everything yet, I can’t shake the feeling that it could have been so much more than what it is.
The price
And that brings us to the most questionable aspect: the price. Sure, it’s only ten bucks, but in a world where Astro’s Playroom is bundled for free with the PlayStation 5 and Wii Sports came with the Wii, this feels… off. I get it, nothing is truly free, and a development team did work on this. But let’s be honest: this isn’t WarioWare or a 3D Mario spin-off cleverly designed to showcase the Switch 2’s capabilities.
It’s far less of a game than Astro’s Playroom, and everything about it feels generic and uninspired. If it were a free interactive manual, that would be fine; it would make perfect sense, even. But asking fans of a brand-new console to pay separately for what is essentially a glorified tutorial? That doesn’t sit right. If you want to learn everything about the Switch 2, this is definitely the most interactive way to do it. But the fact that it’s locked behind a price tag takes away a lot of the fun.
