1, 2 Switch is a collection of mini games that showcase the ability of the Joy-cons for the Nintendo Switch. The gameplay uses audio cues and video tutorials to show how each game is played.
General Gameplay
There are 28 mini-games you can play on 1, 2 Switch, from games like Milking the Cow, Fake Draw, Runway and Soda, to more traditional, motion-control games like Baseball and Table Tennis. The game has the players watch a video tutorial to see how to play each game, and then two players act out the actions of the game.
Audio
The in-game audio is very limited, but it’s enough to know what you need to do and when to do it. The videos are the segments with the most audio, and in the games themselves are mostly in-game cues of when to do the actions on the screen. There is not much in terms of a soundtrack or even in-game music, but there’s enough to let the users know when to perform an action. There are a lot of sound effects to mimic the actions for the mini games, but that is all there is to be heard. Because of the type of game that it is, there is no need to adjust the audio for anyone in your gaming family; however, during our playtest, some of our family gaming members found it hard to hear the audio from the Switch. When we used external desktop speakers that we hooked up to the Switch, it fixed the problem.
Visuals
The visuals of the game are very sharp from both the portable view and from the TV view as well. The games’ videos present well and are easy to be seen. The instructional videos are well done and easy to follow, and the notifications are done with ease to see on the TV screen; they’re a little smaller on the Switch but still should be fine if used in small crowds. From our playtest we did not run into anything offensive with the video nor any presentation from 1, 2 Switch.
Controls
When using motion-based controllers, gameplay will be based on many factors, from the sensor being able to read the controllers to “line of sight” of the controller and any obstructions that may be blocking the wireless interface. From what we gathered during our playtest, there were some inconsistencies in the controls. Sometimes it would register the motions of the player and what they were doing and other times it would not. There were even times it would not register at all, so we decided to reschedule the play test for 6 hours later to see if a fully-charged Joy-Con would work better; 6 hours later, we saw the same issues. We moved the Switch and still had problems. We are hoping that Nintendo will fix this issue with an upcoming patch. As far as needed any special controllers, there are none needed for this game other than the standard-issued controller that comes with the Switch.
“The 1, 2 Switch games are great party games, however they lack depth to keep the party going.”
Delivery
Is the 1, 2 Switch a fun party game? Well it depends on how you play the game, with whom you play and which of the mini games you play. There are some great party games in this 28-game bundle, but with so many games do come some that are just not fun at all, and we might even say that some of the gestures that are in the game may not be for all audiences (more in our Family Friendly section). To be honest, some games were fun, but there were some lag issues from the controller and some games just grew boring quickly. If you are looking to show off the abilities of the Nintendo Switch then 1, 2 Switch may be a good game bundle with which to do so, but there are other titles on their way that will most likely do a better job at it. We’d like to see 1, 2 Switch expand in the future and offer players longer-lasting action.
Family Friendly
With any of our playtesting, we involve the whole family – from our young gamers to older gamers and special needs gamers that make up our family, unless it is a Teen or Mature-rated game. While playtesting the games, we did notice that some of the actions that the player has to perform to get through some of the mini-games were questionable at best. I know that the game is supposed to meet the appeal of all gamers but there were some games and their motions that just seemed like they were aimed more towards adults than children. That said, with the 28 mini games, most of our older gaming family members did get bored after a couple of sessions with each game. Does that mean that the game bundle is bad? No, but it means that if you are looking for a solid party game, 1, 2 Switch may not be the title you’re looking for. One of the major things that we noticed during our playtest is that, for the special needs gamers in our family, some were not physically be able to make all of the motions for the game, and that may make some members of the family feel left out from enjoying the game. Also, the depth of each mini game feels shallow, as after you perform the actions and play the game, there is nothing else to do – no different game variations or even bonus levels; it was as though it was giving a demo of each game but left off as such. If anything, we felt that 1, 2 Switch should have been bundled as a game with the Switch rather than a standalone title. Again, we’d like to see 1, 2 Switch extend the gameplay of the mini-games in the future so as to remain engaging for longer periods of time.
Closing
Nintendo 1, 2 Switch is a party game that starts off great, but like the chips on the table, it gets real stale, real fast.
