At the Nintendo Switch launch, one of the games available was a party game called 1-2-Switch and it helped showcase the many features of the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers. Now, several years later, the sequel, Everybody 1-2-Switch! is here.
This quirky collection of mini-games includes a variety of different types of easy-to-start party games designed for playing with a group of friends. Some of which can accommodate up to 100 players in the same room when using the Smart Device mode. Let’s take a look at Nintendo Switch’s latest party game and see what it has to offer.
Everybody 1-2-Switch! Details
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Developer(s): NDcube, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Genre: Party, Action game
Mode(s): Multiplayer (2-8 players)
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Grab your friends and family and Everybody 1-2-Switch!
Being a party game, Everybody 1-2-Switch doesn’t waste any time—it quickly gets you into the action. When you start the game, you’ll be asked if you want to use Joy-Con Controllers or smartphones to play. If you choose Joy-Cons, up to 8 people can play together. That is, if you have 8 Joy Controllers—1 for each player.
If you go with smartphones, you can have as many as 100 players. However, fitting 100 people around your TV might be a challenge! There’s a wide variety of mini-games to try, and they are randomly chosen for you to play. Some games can be played using both Joy-Con and smartphones, but some are only available in one particular mode.
After you’ve decided how you want to play, you’ll get to pick a game mode. There are short, medium and long modes to choose from, which last 20, 40 or 60 minutes. If you’re using smartphones, you also have the choice of playing a quiz or bingo game. I’ve been known to spend a Saturday night or two each year playing bingo, so having this included was a nice surprise. They help compliment Everybody 1-2-Switch!’s assortment of quirky, yet delightful mini-games.
Teamwork is the key to success
Apart from quiz or bingo mode, where each player competes individually, all players are divided into two groups. Team scores are determined by how well you and your entire team play. For example, in a short game you need 3 points to win, and the points needed to win increases for medium and long games.
As I mentioned earlier, mini-games are randomly chosen—so you never know what you’re playing until the mini-game starts. If you play with Joy-Con controllers, you can expect to play more action-packed games. Although, even if you are playing with your smartphone, you’ll still need to move around a bit.
The range of games included with Everybody 1-2-Switch! are weird, wacky and pretty extensive. In all honesty, it’s the variety of games that are available to play that make this a fun party game. They range from inflating balloons to pretending to wield invisible samurai swords, just to name a few.
A wide variety of mini-games
For my review, I played with my family over the course of several nights and our least favourite game involved waving a Joy-Con, or mobile device up and down and left to right, trying to get the attention of an alien to direct him our way. On the other hand, in a more active mini-game, we found ourselves gripping a Joy-Con controller behind our backs while using our hips to bounce our opponent out of an unseen arena.
In a different round, we had to quickly write down ice cream orders on our mobile phones before being asked questions about those orders. Another game had us concealing a Joy-Con somewhere in the room and challenging the other team to locate it. It’s true, not every game is the same in terms of challenge, but picking any of them at random offers a chance for lighthearted and competitive enjoyment.
If you really like certain mini-games, you can select and play them individually, but you can only do this after you’ve already played them at least once. Therefore, until you “unlock” all the mini-games, you’ll need to play through random choices. This might take a few play sessions, but that’s not a big problem.
Everybody 1-2-Switch! is a fun party game filled with laughs and smiles
When it comes to party games, Everybody 1-2-Switch! is one of my favourite games on the Nintendo Switch. Whether you’re challenging a friend one-on-one or bringing your entire family together, the mini-games are sure to fill your time with laughter and amusement. The range of mini-games is pretty impressive, and even the less favoured ones are so delightfully absurd that they’ll leave everyone smiling and laughing.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF EVERYBODY 1-2-SWITCH!
Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 3.5/5
Sound: 4/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 4/5
Overall Rating 3.8/5 (75%)
Purchase Everybody 1-2-Switch! on Nintendo Switch
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