There is no doubt that Wii Sports is one of the most accessible games of all time, it needed very little instruction and people could enjoy what it offered. The sequel may have upped the game count and complexity, but it still offered a lot of fun for players of all ages, now some 10+ years later, we have a spiritual successor and thanks to Nintendo, we got to play ball with all the new sports.

The game has six sports on offer, Bowling, Tennis and Chambara are returning from the Wii Sports entries, while Badminton, Soccer and Volleyball are all new for the game. The returning sports are mostly the same as before, so anyone who has played them previously will have a good foundation to enjoy them out the gate, and while there are some minor changes, the new sports are where the fun is at, so let’s start with them.

This is the one that players will have seen the most off, simply because it was included in the reveal presentation during the Nintendo Direct. The game plays just like you would expect, you serve the ball, then return, set and spike to keep the action going, where things need your attention is in the timing. When you serve, if your timing is off, you may not get height, which can leave your ball to clip the net, or worse, not clear it at all, but with proper timing you can get the game going. If you are on the receiving side of the serve, your actions are pretty simple, one player will hit the ball back towards the net, the other then sets it, before the first player spikes it back, hoping for it to hit the ground on the other side and thus scoring a point.

Where things get interesting is in the timing of everything, if you are in the set position and you are to early or late, the ball can get the wrong height, making a spike next to impossible. If you get the timing perfect though, then your teammates spike move will be powered up, if the return was timed perfectly as well, then the spike will be even more powerful. This can be seen happening in real-time as the ball starts to gain colour around it, the greener the colour, the more successful your timing has been and if its vibrant when the spike comes in, then the ball will power down to the opposing teams side and they will have very little time to get it back in the air. It was pointed out to me that you don’t need to jump around, like you would in the real game, mimicking the motions is enough, but I say where is the fun in that.

As someone who played Badminton when I was younger, I was very excited to see what Nintendo managed to do, in their digital recreation of the sport. Much like Tennis, your Sportsmate moves around the court on their own, except there are only two of them in it, yourself and your opponent. The court size is also much smaller than Tennis, so the speed of the matches is much faster, which is odd when you consider how little a shuttlecock weights. Like Volleyball, timing plays a critical role here, if you hit too soon, you may not clear the net and to late, you may end up lobbing the shot, giving your opponent an easy chance to smack it back at you.

You can elect to lob it on purpose though, which is great if your opponent was at the back of the court, but if they time their hit right, it can be returned to you, powered up, which can stagger you. There is a lot more to talk about, but I can honestly just remember how much fun I had with the game, there was even a time when myself and the Nintendo Australia rep were just returning to each other, the volley that we had felt like it was going on for ages. I broke it by trying to lob the shuttlecock over the net, which gave them a chance to smack it back at me, which I wasn’t able to hit in time, so my overconfidence there was my undoing.

The final new sport that is being added is Soccer and it was the one that I was the most unsure about going in, how could a game like Soccer work within the context of games that are meant to be initiative to play. Thankfully, the game is really straight forward and makes me wonder why no one else has made a Soccer game like this on the Switch. This is also the only game in the collect that requires two JoyCon, the left one is used for controlling your Sportsmate and the right does most everything else. By giving the right JoyCon a flick in any direction, you can kick the ball, flick up and you will kick it up, but flick it down and your kick will scoot across the ground. You can also jump into the air and kick as well, if you want to try for some bigger and splashier shots, with the A button letting you call out that you are free, to let someone kick to you.

Where the game surprised me, was in just how simple everything was, when you look at it, there is no denying that the game looks a little like Rocket League and to some degree, it even plays like it. The camera is always centred on the ball, but you can adjust it as needed and beyond that, the goals are massive, expanding if you get into a draw at the end of regular playing time. The most fun thing to do though, was to flick both JoyCon at the same time, which sends your Sportsmate into a flying header move, which was great to see when my character was nowhere near the ball, it was even funnier to see others doing it as well. I went into Soccer thinking it would likely be the worst of the new sports and turned out, I really enjoyed it, plus the kicking with the Leg Strap was fun as well.

Now let’s take a look at the returning sports, starting with

Bowling was perhaps the game that Wii Sports saw the most success with, it not only allowed players of all ages to enjoy the game of Ten Pin Bowling, without having to lift up insane weighed balls, but it also meant they could do so in their own shoes. For the most part the game here is the same, control wise there is one major difference, in Wii Sports you would let go of B, to release the ball, but now you hold the button down for the entire duration of your go. You can still put spin on the ball, change your approach angle and line as well, so those who naturally curve their shots, can compensate as before.

The second big change isn’t in the gameplay itself, but now the game lets you do simultaneous bowling, which allows for you to enjoy the game all at once, instead of rotating through like before. You can still opt for that, but the option to keep things moving is there, should you choose to make use of it. Couple that with the Survival Bowling that was in the Network Test and the skill games that were shown off during the overview trailer, there is a lot more going on here than we have had before.

Tennis is another returning sport and this time, there is one big change that really impacts the game, for good or bad is yet to be seen, but it is different. In the Wii Sports games, you could select a two-player game and each person be on either side of the court, enjoying the action on your own, in Switch Sports though, the game requires that you have a partner at all times. What this means is that even if you opt to play on your own, you will have to be aware of the player at the back of the court and at the net. This does allow for you to keep the game moving, but you have to be aware of where both versions of your Sportsmate are and where the ball is.

Beyond that, the mechanics are much the same as they were in the previous games, swing the JoyCon to swing the racket, swing to soon and you may only clip the ball, sending it back to a part of the court you were not aiming for. Additionally, you can put some spin on the ball, by twisting your JoyCon during the swing and if you hit the ball just right you can power it up.

This is the one sport that doesn’t interest me at all, not because its bad, but just because it is so basic and not fun, it is really the Boxing of Nintendo Switch Sports. The basic gist of the game is simple, you have to knock your opponent off a platform and into the water below, don’t worry if your Sportsmate can’t swim, there is a little boat off to the side to help you out, should you fall in. The controls are simple, you swing the JoyCon and your sword in game swings in the same way, very much like the Wii Sports Resort game, or more recently The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. You can pull the trigger down to enable a guard and you then rotate your sword to guard in whichever direction you choose and if you block successfully, you will stun your opponent, leaving them open to a counter attack, but beyond that, there really isn’t much else to worry about.

Where things can get a little challenging is in the combination of blocking and attacking, if you are blocking by holding your sword straight up, if the attack comes from the same direction, you will get hit, so you need to constantly adjust your block. The game though offers up some additional challenge in that there are three sword types, the first is your standard nerf looking sword, the second one allows you to charge up and give your opponent a zap attack, charging takes time though, so you need to be prepared. The third sword option are actually two thinner blades, which will allow you to defend and attack at once, but due to their reduced size, more hits are needed to push your opponent back.

My time with the game was limited, as these things always are, but I left the Nintendo offices thinking just how much fun it was, especially revisiting those classic sports like Bowling. The new sports were great additions and even my expectations on some where shattered, with more fun coming from them than expected. With additional game modes to try, Sportsmate gear to unlock and online rankings to earn, there will be no shortage of things to do, once the game is out.

If you want to get the game for yourself, be sure to check out our Bargain Guide, which is linked below, to score yourself the best deal.