1-2-Switch
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Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for 1-2-Switch
As one of the first-party launch games for the Nintendo Switch, 1-2-Switch has its high points but ultimately falls short of being anything but a mildly entertaining party game.
1-2-Switch is the Switch’s version of Wii Sports, in that it acts as an overall mission statement for the console itself. The quirky, bizarre nature of the unique mini-games make it a funny, memorable experience, but some games are hard to play at first due to unclear tutorials and dialogue cues. Despite its oddities and flaws, I have had so, so much fun playing and watching 1-2-Switch with a small group of friends that I can recommend it in that specific situation, but I don’t have much desire to go back.
A characteristically imaginative minigame suite that lays out the possibilities of Nintendo's new console, without feeling like a guidebook.
There are a lot of fun ideas, and the general concept of a portable party game works well, but there are just too few mini-games and too little reason to keep playing them.
1-2-Switch belongs in a mall kiosk with a 10-minute play limit – though most potential customers would probably walk away empty-handed long before then
1-2-Switch gets old very fast, but it's a great ride while the fun lasts.
I'd have had no hesitation in recommending 1-2-Switch if it were included with the Switch or maybe $20 max, but as it stands it is far too expensive for the dash of entertainment it provides. 1-2-Switch is a good distraction for parties with people who don't game much, or those looking for something a little different than Cards Against Humanity for the millionth time. Otherwise, wait for a deep price drop.
For all its good ideas, inventive uses of the Joy-Con and potential as a fantastic party game, 1-2-Switch has just as many fumbles that make it far from an essential Switch launch title. It can be a lot of fun, but it fails to keep you in the moment, takes too long to explain and set up each game, and no amount of immature giggling at euphemistic games can manage to rescue it from itself. It might be quick on the draw, but what follows is more of a confused fumble.
