When the Nintendo Switch Sports play test opened up to all players with a Nintendo Online membership this past Friday, the experience thus far has been met with generally positive reviews. On three separate days during various hours, from February 18 to February 20, fans got the opportunity to test out Nintendo Switch Sports' online capabilities.
While all the sports that the title will offer were not available in the trial period, Nintendo Switch Sports allowed players to try out three of the games it will offer: tennis, bowling, and chambara. All three sports were available to play against players worldwide. The game's announcement produced high expectations, and users on Reddit flocked together to share their experiences while testing the game out. Fortunately, the results thus far have been quick to praise the game's capabilities.
Reddit user TheIconSting posted a thread to the r/NintendoSwitch subreddit on Friday, highlighting his experience with the playtest and opening up the floor to over 100 other player responses. The initial reaction to bowling was that it felt as good as it did in the Wii Sports release, while tennis had an odd way of scoring points, as each tally counted as a point rather than the traditional method of scoring.
Chambara was embraced by the majority of those who played it as well, stating it was "a nice evolution of the Swordplay from Wii Sports Resort." One aspect of the games that was welcomed by the crowd was the ability to play each sport with one joy-con, allowing players and their friends or family to pick up the other joy-con of the set to join in on the fun. Within the same thread, user Verite_Rendition pointed out that the servers were sturdy, and they never lost connectivity despite the plethora of users packing in to try the game. This sentiment was shared by multiple users, giving credit to Nintendo for ensuring its servers were well-prepared for the massive lineup of fans wanting to get their hands on the title.
With statements such as "shockingly good" and "a system seller," some wondered about the possibility of future Nintendo Switch Sports DLC that could enhance the experience. With that said, the one big downfall is that fans will now need to wait until April to get back into the game when it launches. By then, the inclusion of sports like badminton, volleyball, and soccer will only serve to excite those who fell in love with the game during its three-day test play period.
Nintendo Switch Sports releases on April 29 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
