Nintendo Change 2 Welcome Tour is an interactive introduction to Nintendo’s latest console. Consider it as a playable instruction booklet that delves into the inside working of the system in enjoyable and quirky methods. With quizzes, minigames, demos, and collectibles, there’s a lot to do, and guess what? It’s completely well worth the admission worth.
Earlier than we get to that delicate matter, although, let’s take a look at the sport itself. It’s evident nearly instantly there’s much more to Welcome Tour than meets the attention. You start on the entrance to what seems to be a novel kind of amusement park. Right here you may select from a seemingly infinite number of avatars to symbolize your self (this may be modified later) earlier than getting into the park and beginning your quest for data. Sure, data!
The thought behind this title is to be taught concerning the Change 2. What Welcome Tour does effectively is steadiness this scholastic method with a light-hearted, even cartoony vibe. The sport is split into twelve sections, every primarily based on a specific bodily side of the Change 2. Your journey begins in Space A with the left Pleasure-Con earlier than Space B opens as much as reveal the Change 2 console itself.
Your avatar can wander in every single place, together with the occasional stairway right into a hidden nook or cranny. You possibly can rotate your view with the R-stick whereas controlling your self with the L-stick, permitting you to get the most effective view for the world you’re in. Alongside the best way you may work together with every other characters visiting the park, conversing briefly with them about their environment.
Welcome Tour options 4 primary goals. Firstly, there are quizzes. These current you with a number of screens of knowledge to learn (it’s not arduous, I promise) earlier than it’s time to reply a couple of easy questions. These particulars are tremendous attention-grabbing, educating you info concerning the Change 2 you’ll by no means have even thought of earlier than. For instance, you know the way the Pleasure-Cons snap into place through magnetism? Nicely, do you know that the magnets are solely on the console aspect of issues, not the Pleasure-Cons themselves? Studying how the contact display works, the mouse controls, and extra goes to attraction to anybody who loves studying and studying.
The quizzes are intentionally straightforward, though I one way or the other tousled a few instances once I wasn’t paying consideration and took a guess. You’ll must reply each query accurately to earn your stamp, however the pleasant quizmaster is completely satisfied to allow you to attempt once more as many instances as you want. They even spotlight the knowledge you need to re-read earlier than answering. With a whopping 170 trivia inquiries to work via, there are many probabilities to check your data.
Subsequent up are minigrames. These are arguably an important side to most gamers as these are designed to maintain you coming again for extra. Every minigame is centered on a selected characteristic, akin to mouse controls or the touchscreen. Whether or not it’s dodging house rocks or attempting to the touch on-screen colours in a loopy model of Tornado, there are a number of medals to earn, excessive scores to beat, and additional ranges to unlock. There are 20 minigames to find, offering loads of selection.
There are additionally demos to attempt. These really feel extra like toned-down minigames that spotlight one other characteristic of the Change 2 in a non-competitive, interactive manner. For instance, the demo on HDR permits you to launch fireworks into the night time sky by urgent a button. It’s also possible to pause these fireworks, which demonstrates the display’s capabilities as you toggle between HDR and SDR. It’s easy, neat, intuitive, and attention-grabbing.
The ultimate side is collectible stamps. These are scattered in every single place within the type of invisible cubicles that seem once you transfer shut. There’s a ridiculously excessive variety of these to gather with 150 in complete. Though that is the best side, they are often difficult to search out. Additionally they function the means to unlock the subsequent space.
Graphically, Welcome Tour includes a intentionally easy aesthetic that’s harking back to the Wii U’s Mii Plaza. The colours border on pastel of their hues, however all the pieces is clear and crisp with loads of white house that doesn’t detract from the principle attraction of the Change 2 itself.
Alright, let’s discuss that controversial aspect of the value tag. The factor is, objectively talking, Nintendo Change 2 Welcome Tour presents great worth at solely $10. There’s a lot to do on this simplistic world, which can take many hours to finish. The setup is sort of a completionist’s dream, with checklists to finish as you go. Though the technical points received’t attraction to everybody, they’re offered in a manner that makes them enjoyable and interesting. Nothing is ever offered in a manner that’s too arduous to know, making it as accessible as doable.
However, there’s been a lot backlash from the group about whether or not or not this title ought to have been a pack-in that its popularity was tainted earlier than it was even launched. Not solely are most individuals not keen to pay for it, however the critiques are inclined to mirror the value alone and never the sport itself. Simply test the low consumer scores on Metacritic; there are many zeroes current, driving the rating down. And this sport is actually price greater than a zero.
On the finish of the day, Nintendo Change 2 Welcome Tour in all probability ought to have been a pack-in launch; not as a result of it’s not well worth the cash, however as a result of it’s changed into a PR nightmare. It additionally seems like the proper sport to incorporate with a brand new system. Having stated that, it’s not free and it most probably by no means might be. Nintendo does what Nintendo does. So, right here’s my remaining opinion on the matter: when you’ve got any curiosity in diving into the inside workings of your shiny new Change 2, please give Welcome Tour an opportunity. If it doesn’t curiosity you, depart it alone. Somebody at Nintendo labored arduous to place this collectively, and I, for one, am glad I used to be in a position to expertise it.
