1-2-Switch Hands-On Impressions

One of the games that got top billing during the big unveiling of Nintendo's new console was 1-2-Switch. It's a collection of mini-games designed with the sole purpose of showing off the various possibilities offered by the new Joy-Con controllers.

During the Switch hands-on event in London we were able to try some of the different experiences that form part of the whole. We asked a couple of Nintendo reps how many there are in total, only to be greeted by vague assurances that there'll be quite a few, so we still don't know exactly how many there are. Just from watching the trailer directly below you can see a shootout, spell casting, guitar playing, some clowning around, something that involves beach sports, maritime signal flags, dancing, yoga, cow milking, sword fighting, safe cracking, boxing, table tennis, and a few more that we couldn't make out.

Thus there should be quite a few on the disc when it launches alongside the console on March 3. Given how ideally suited these experiences are to showing off the new hardware, we're a little shocked that this isn't going to be packed in with the console. Nintendo usually drops a little something in the box to sweeten the deal on day one, and 1-2-Switch would've been the ideal candidate in our opinion.

While there's a potentially varied selection of activities on offer, we can only offer thoughts on the six we played in London. Firstly, a couple of times during our hands-on, different reps told us that (and we're paraphrasing here) "we're trying to get people away from the screen", and that seems to be a running theme. These are games designed for two players, often not involving the television directly, and they show off the impressive range of features supported by the two Joy-Cons that come with each Switch.

Before we tell you about the six we played, a word about the Joy-Cons. They can form a controller, sit either side of the screen for gaming on the go, or can be used as two mini controllers. When used individually, each one has its own analog stick, face buttons, another two down the side, a trigger on the back and another button on the corner, plus there's an infrared sensor built into one of them (although we didn't see that utilised here). The controllers are small, granted, but they're solidly built and don't feel too lightweight, and they both include motion controls, as well as what Nintendo is calling "HD Rumble".

1-2-Switch utilises all of these input options, and in a variety of ways. The first we played was a sword catching game. Both players press a button to indicate their readiness, then one is selected at random and goes first. They then hold the controller above their head as if it was a sword, while the other player holds their hands together, ready to catch the blade with a clap. Players need to face each other, not the screen, and there's the possibility for misdirection that will see all sorts of dirty tricks. A successful catch sees the players swap, and the game continues until someone lands a hit.

There were two games that did a great job of showing off the HD Rumble. One of them has two players competitively safe cracking, twisting the Joy-Cons around until finding the sweet spot. It's not dissimilar to the lock picking mechanic in Oblivion or Skyrim, only it's much more nuanced here thanks to the physicality offered by the hardware. Equally impressive, there's a game where you have to guess how many marbles are inside a wooden box. You can move the on-screen box by tilting the controller, and you can practically feel the balls moving around thanks to the incredible feedback from the Joy-Con, the winner being the one who's closest in guessing how many are in there.

There's another mini-game that had us dancing. One player strikes a pose, then the other has to copy them, and you get a rating at the end to say who's the better mover. The less we talk about our efforts the better, but for fans of Just Dance and the like, this will be a fun distraction. The next game is a strange one, as it has you competitively milking digital cows. The players sit opposite each other, and using the two buttons positioned on the inward facing side of the controller, they must press them in the right way while pulling the controller in downward motion, as if massaging a virtual udder. The player who does this most efficiently, filling the most cups with milk, wins.

The final game was the one shown off most prominently in the trailer. It has two players engaged in a digital shootout, staring each other down, waiting for the signal to fire. When it's time to draw, each player raises their respective Joy-Con and fires, the winner being the one with the fastest reactions (although you have to be careful not to fire too early, shooting into the ground at your feet). Each round was close, and it came down to just a few milliseconds every time. For big kids out there, we can see this one being an excellent drinking game (to be fair, it's not the only one).

If these six games are truly indicative of what we can expect from the complete collection, then there's plenty of innovation on show. At the same time, though, we can't imagine ourselves playing any of them for very long; there's just not enough substance to keep you engaged for more than a few minutes. With that in mind, the £40 price point feels like it might be steep, unless, that is, the shallowness of each respective mini-game can be offset by sheer numbers. We'll have to wait and see what the final offering looks like before casting judgement, but our initial impression is that this should have been bundled in with the console, and that 1-2-Switch may well struggle as a standalone product.