1-2-Switch worked well as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch, demonstrating a lot of the unique ways the console could be played as well as the unique tech in the joy cons (HD rumble and IR sensor). It has obviously sold well enough for Nintendo to experiment with a sequel but another tech demoy experience 7 years into the Switch lifespan just doesn't cut it.
They did a similar thing with Wii Play and Wii Play Motion on Wii but those had the benefit of coming bundled with a controller to sweeten the deal, Everybody 1-2-Switch on the other hand has been chucked out at half the price of a regular Switch game without really offering any incentive to pick it up.

This is another collection of shallow minigames for a multiplayer only experience. The twist here is that by using your phone as a controller you can have up to 100 people playing at a time, which is pretty cool but when the games on offer are as shallow as a dried up puddle, it doesn't really offer much of a reason to gather that many people.

You have stuff like a game where you call an alien by moving in a rhythm, or trying to count to a specific number before flipping a cooking ingredient and these are like, cool, neat, they're functional but calling them fun is a stretch.
The best game on offer here is one where you hide your joy con in a room and the other team can press buttons on their joy con to make the hidden joy con vibrate to help find it. It's ripped straight out of Wii Party sure, but it's a game that is really fun, especially when you have a ton of places to try and hide your joy con.

My biggest issue with the game is it's all wrapped up in that corny over the top patronising American style voice over. You know the one where they really want you to have a good time and you can just imagine them asking you over and over if you're having a good time while telling you the lamest of puns and everyone else is putting on that fake over the top laughter. It's the type of thing I feel like you can only really enjoy when you're in a specific mood with a specific group of people. Heck having a horse mascot called MC Horace perfectly sums up the vibe of the whole thing.

Everybody 1-2-Switch is a functional game that is probably best enjoyed in the right setting with the right group of people and possibly a generous amount of alcohol. Otherwise it's a pretty shallow offering of mostly mundane games that get old pretty fast

Reviewed on Jul 19, 2023


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