Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is the follow-up to Nintendo Switch Sports, bringing the series to Switch 2 with a familiar approach. You swing, throw and move your Joy-Con to play through 12 different sports, most of which rely on motion controls. There’s a mix of returning favourites and new activities, with enough variety to make it a good choice for playing with friends or family.
The game takes place on Wuhu Island, which has been turned into a holiday resort with a central hub connecting everything. Tennis, Bowling, Volleyball and Golf return from the previous game, while Basketball, Archery, Table Tennis, Boxing and Thumb Wrestling expand the selection. Nintendo has also included Power Cruising, Prop Plane and Skateboarding, each making different use of the Joy-Con. Some activities are considerably better than others, though, and I found myself returning to certain sports while barely touching a few.
Local multiplayer remains the main attraction. Nintendo has a long history of making motion-controlled games that are more enjoyable with a group, and Sports Resort follows that tradition. You can also play online, while those who prefer playing alone have a ranking mode to work through. It’s a fairly standard selection of modes for this type of game, but it covers what you would expect.
Motion controls are inconsistent across the different sports. Boxing and Archery ended up being my favourites, largely because their controls were reliable enough to make both activities enjoyable. Archery uses two Joy-Con, with one held forward to represent the bow while you pull the other back to draw it. From there, you aim at the target and release. It’s straightforward and feels surprisingly natural, with little confusion about how the controls are supposed to work.
I also spent a fair amount of time with Boxing, although it has some peculiarities. Both players need a complete pair of Joy-Con, which are used for punching and blocking. You can dodge sideways and follow up with a counterattack, and getting the timing right feels satisfying without being particularly difficult. The problem is that one knockout-style punch can make fights much easier than intended. Some animations look a little awkward as well, and motion tracking occasionally struggles. Even with these issues, I enjoyed Boxing enough to keep coming back.
Tennis is enjoyable to an extent, although I thought it lacked depth. Table Tennis puts greater emphasis on ball control, which gives it a slightly different feel. Bowling remains particularly good with a group. There’s something about playing it with other people that makes it considerably more entertaining than going through it alone. Certain activities, including Bowling and Archery, also feature variations that help keep things interesting.
Thumb Wrestling is easily one of the more unusual additions, and I can understand why Nintendo has been giving it attention. I don’t recall seeing anything quite like it in the company’s previous sports games. It takes some time to understand the controls, but once you do, it becomes genuinely entertaining. I would consider it one of the highlights among the new sports. Younger players struggled with it, however. I noticed similar difficulties with Boxing, whereas the more straightforward activities were much easier for the kids to understand.
The leisure activities make some creative use of the Joy-Con. Power Cruising puts you on a jet ski, with the controllers held like handlebars. You twist one to accelerate and use the other to steer. Prop Plane has you holding a Joy-Con like a miniature aeroplane, moving it around to control your flight. Skateboarding is particularly unusual, requiring you to slide the controller across a flat surface to imitate pushing off on a skateboard. Lifting it allows you to perform additional moves. These activities offer a welcome break from the regular sports, although I enjoyed some more than others.
There isn’t a story to speak of, but Nintendo has made a decent effort to give Wuhu Island the feel of an actual holiday destination. I appreciated the smaller environmental details, which help make the resort feel like a place people would visit. You can explore sections of the island using a jet ski, plane or skateboard. There’s a sightseeing activity that tasks you with collecting photographs at different locations within five minutes. Free-roam removes the time limit, although I struggled to find much purpose in it. Apart from collecting those photographs, there’s little incentive to explore. It’s something you might spend a few minutes doing between sports, but I suspect younger players will appreciate it more.
For solo players, ranking mode provides a series of challenges covering nine of the twelve sports before ending with a match against the island champion. It gives you a reasonable objective to pursue without other players around, although there isn’t much additional single-player content. Character customisation is also included, allowing you to use an existing Mii or create a Sportsmate. Playing activities earns points that can be spent at the in-game shop on themed cosmetic sets and other items. Each sport also has its own achievements, which I appreciated given that Switch 2 still lacks a system-wide achievement system comparable to the one on PS5.
Sports Resort has plenty of replay value, provided you have other people interested in playing. That has always been the appeal of these games. Local multiplayer is particularly enjoyable, and online play makes it easier to keep returning even without anyone sitting beside you. Solo challenges and the different sport variations offer additional incentives, while unlockable items give you something else to work towards. I wouldn’t say any of these features are substantial enough to sustain the experience alone, however.
Visually, I came away quite pleased. Sports Resort isn’t particularly ambitious from a technical standpoint, but its art direction works well with the holiday setting. The island looks attractive, and the attention given to its smaller details makes the presentation more convincing. I had no complaints about performance either. Throughout my time with the game, I didn’t encounter any noticeable issues, and everything ran perfectly on Switch 2.
I had a good time with Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, particularly while playing multiplayer. Motion tracking could be more reliable, some sports feel rather basic, and the free-roam mode needed more worthwhile activities. Still, I enjoyed Boxing, Archery and Thumb Wrestling enough that I regularly wanted another round. There’s already a healthy selection of multiplayer games on Switch 2, especially with backward compatibility providing access to the original Switch library, but enjoyable sports collections remain relatively uncommon. For anyone looking for something to play with friends or family, either locally or online, Sports Resort is well worth considering.
Game Information
- Game Title: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
- Price: $49.99
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Developer: Nintendo
- Platform: Switch 2
- Review Code: Provided by the publisher
