
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour review - the dullest Nintendo game ever made
Only two Nintendo-made titles were released for the Switch 2 launch and the one that's not Mario Kart World is one of their strangest games ever.
Considering they've had more than eight years to prepare, the Nintendo Switch 2 software line-up feels surprisingly undercooked. Mario Kart World is great, albeit with some caveats, but Donkey Kong Bananza is the only other big name first party title to be announced so far and it's not one of the two Nintendo published launch titles. Instead, that honour goes to Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour.
Nintendo describe Welcome Tour as an 'interactive exhibit' and that's pretty accurate. You could also compare it to a coffee table book but in video game form; except they usually feature vivid imagery and interesting page design, whereas Welcome Tour is presented in the most boring and clinical way possible.
Welcome Tour has already been compared to Astro's Playroom on the PlayStation 5, since both are short form releases available at launch, that are meant to introduce you to the new hardware features of their respective consoles. Except Astro's Playroom is a vibrant, imaginative, and fun-filled diversion, whereas Welcome Tour tries to make the launch of a new console seem as exciting as doing your homework.
The obvious difference here is that Astro's Playroom is a 3D platformer, whereas Welcome Tour isn't really a game at all. We've seen some describe it as a minigame collection but it's not really that either, as there's not many games and they're all designed primarily to illustrate a different element of the Switch 2's design, rather than being created simply to be fun.
Welcome Tour isn't interested in fun – the concept of fun never even seems to cross its mind – as you slowly plod from one exhibit to the next, wondering why you're not playing Mario Kart World instead.
The conceit behind Welcome Tour is that you're visiting an exhibition composed of giant-sized recreations of the Switch 2 and its various peripherals, big enough for you to walk on and in. Much of your time is taken up with reading 'insights', which are text descriptions of how the Switch 2 works, often going into a surprising amount of technical detail about everything from what VRR is to the type of metal alloy the Switch 2 stand is made of.
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It is interesting, on some level, but the text is mostly very dry and your reward for reading a whole section is a multiple choice quiz, which you have to repeat if you get even one question wrong. There're no voiceovers but the text is in British English and occasionally there is a hint of humour, such as when one assistant describes the insight they're in charge of and says, 'doesn't that just sound FASCINATING?' in block capitals. Whether that's meant earnestly or sarcastically is impossible to tell, but we took it as the latter.
You don't technically have to complete any of the quizzes to progress, as instead access to each of the 12 different areas is dependent on you finding all the stamps from the previous area. These stamps relate to different components of a device, like buttons on a controller or the ports on the console, but are hidden until you get very close to them. Often, it's not at all clear where one will be and you have to slowly creep around every inch of the screen until one pops up, because the game refuses to give you any clue as to where they are.
Beyond that excitement, the other two categories of attraction are minigames and tech demos. These can be quite similar sometimes, but the latter generally require no skill and are simply illustrations of a particular feature, like 3D sound, HDR, or super resolution. They're often quite impressive, even if the presentation remains as minimalist and low-tech as the rest of the game. Strangely none of the tech demos are concerned with the overall graphical power of the console, which Welcome Tour only vaguely hints at.
The majority of tech demos and minigames are focused on just two subjects: mouse controls and HD rumble 2. The immediate problem with this is that we can't help thinking that HD rumble 2 is exactly the sort of thing that companies show off at the launch of their new console and then are barely ever heard of again. After all, how many Switch 1 titles can you name with unexpected or inventive use of HD rumble, after launch game 1-2-Switch?
There're generally only one or two tech demos per area, but usually at least double that for minigames. Although calling them minigames doesn't seem quite accurate, as they're essentially just longer and more interactive tech demos, and still usually focused on demonstrating a particular function.
Some are overly technical, like the one where you have to guess the frame rate or spot dead pixels on the screen. Others are more gamified, like a mini-golf game that uses mouse controls and a first person shooter, where you earn up to three medals for how quickly you complete them. However, the time limits for these are peculiarly harsh and even we had trouble getting some of them.
Many of the medals are essentially impossible for a casual gamer and yet collecting medals is the only way to unlock more games or new variants of existing ones, which seems needlessly restrictive. This is especially true as a few, such as what is essentially Twister but with your fingers, can only really be completed with another person in co-op.
The only minigame that even seems remotely suitable for turning into a full title involves filling in shapes with a marker pen, which is a neat demonstration of how the Joy-Con mouse works in conjunction with motion controls, as you twist the angle of your virtual pen.
Oh, and the camera one, where you have to pull the same face as the cartoon person on screen, is very impressive. Ignoring the fact that you need a camera for it to work, it manages to detect subtle facial movements incredibly well, even though we have ours set up in a very sub-optimal space, under the TV and quite a distance from the couch. More Trending
There are some positive things to say about Welcome Tour. We also like the occasional deep cut references to old Nintendo hardware in some of the insights, to the point where we would've been much more interested if this had been some sort of interactive encyclopaedia of Nintendo.
We don't want to give them ideas for a sequel though, as this has been the most bafflingly unentertaining game we've ever played from Nintendo. A great deal of fuss has been made at the fact that Welcome Tour costs money, and isn't free, but that's not really the issue. It last six hours or more and from a certain point of view you do get your money's worth.
The real problem is that even if it was free we still wouldn't advise anyone play it. Not unless you like the idea of Nintendo deflating the excitement of your new console in the most antiseptic and characterless way possible. How on earth this became one of only two first party launch games for the Switch 2 we'll never know, but now we've wasted our time with this review we're going back to Mario Kart.
In Short: A bizarre attempt to celebrate the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 in the most boringest way possible, with a limp collection of unentertaining minigames made even duller by suffocatingly clinical presentation.
Pros: The insight information and tech demos are genuinely interesting at times and some of the revelations about how the console is made are a real testament to Nintendo's ingenuity.
Cons: None of the minigames are fun and the insights are presented in the most undynamic way possible. Minimalist presentation is very unappealing, and the gating of areas and attractions can be very frustrating.
Score: 3/10
Formats: Nintendo Switch 2Price: £7.99Publisher: NintendoDeveloper: Nintendo EPDRelease Date: 5th June 2026
Age Rating: 3
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MORE: Silksong release date teased for Christmas by Xbox but it could be sooner
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Mario Kart World's open-world doesn't work as well as intended, but the new battle royale style Knockout Tour delivers a great new way to play. While the interconnected nature of circuits can lead to frustrating Grand Prix and open-world design, Mario Kart World's new driving mechanics and bold new mode makes it a fun time on Nintendo Switch 2. Improving on perfection is no easy feat. But it's a magic trick Nintendo has repeatedly pulled off. Just look at the jump from Zelda: Breath of the Wild to Tears of the Kingdom! And yet, if the Nintendo Switch 2 's premiere launch exclusive proves anything, it's that the Mario Kart series is a different beast. Mario Kart World isn't a bad game per se. In fact, several aspects of the formula have been creatively tweaked to the point of exhaustion, with new ways to race sprinkled in both on and off track. Yet that's also strangely part of the problem. With the exception of Knockout Tour mode, almost everything else Mario Kart World does best isn't necessarily new and ends up being a distraction. The result is a colourful kart racer that's still awesome to play in the moment. But one that undeniably pales in comparison to its immediate predecessor. Honestly, Mario Kart World's biggest problem is its need to try and usurp Mario Kart 8: Deluxe. Although originally a Wii U game eventually ported to the Nintendo Switch, the latter quickly grew to become one of the best value propositions in games ever, thanks to its (admittedly sporadic) post-launch support that saw new cups, tracks, and racers gradually arrive. Knowing this makes it totally understandable why the original Nintendo Switch never received its own Mario Kart entry. There was really no need! The Nintendo Switch 2 obviously doesn't have this same luxury, and so the race has clearly been on for Nintendo to try and push the envelope yet again. Its primary method of doing so is right there in the subtitle, yet it's hardly the saving grace of the package. That honour instead most definitely goes to Knockout Tour mode. Very much Mario Kart's answer to the ongoing battle royale trend, I was instantly taken aback at just how much racing, to, well, stay in the race, works to ramp up my competitiveness and makes taking every corner a moment of high tension and risk. Seeing the racer count whittle down from 24, to 20, to 16, and so on while trying to reach that next gate threshold brings a new degree of challenge not seen in the series before, and it's brilliant! True, the mode often feels punishing and a tad unbalanced, much like returning Mario Kart modes, but it's a thrill that really gives World a distinct new flavour. Players who have spent $80 to play at launch will no doubt be looking for it. World of difference This standout new mode is further complemented by inarguably the tightest, most complete feeling racing mechanics ever. Because, as if knowing how to effectively drift, boost jump, and deploy items didn't bring enough strategy to the act of racing, making almost every rail, wall, and train track grindable does well to make you approach tracks in a fresh, vertical sense. Mario Kart is no longer just about drifting and using shortcuts to gain the lead over your in-kart rivals, but also places a lot of emphasis on having you make the most of your surroundings. The primary way you go about doing this, of course, is by mastering what's called the Charge Jump. Although it takes a little getting used to, holding down the drift button without any directional input to charge up a jump eventually becomes second nature; the bigger challenge comes from actually using this build-up to know when to release and hit a rail or wall perfectly. Doing so incorrectly can be extremely costly, with crashes or missed surfaces often costing you a lot of momentum that you could have otherwise spent increasing your lead in the race or trying to catch whoever has managed to outpace you so far. The Charge Jump comes in particularly useful during interstitial moments during track transitions, which tend to be straight and don't offer chances to increase speed otherwise. Mario Kart World is no slouch in the strategic department, then, with plenty of planning and thought still required to maintain a lead over your other 23 on-track rivals. Does this increased racer count make racing through tracks more chaotic than before? To an extent, since tracks both old and new have been adjusted slightly to accommodate all those extra wheels with a wider breadth and fresh grindable elements. It's when Mario Kart's usual rigmarole of unpredictable item drops gets thrown into the mix that the chaos truly ensues, as Blue Shells, Lightning strikes, and Super Horns are deployed in quick succession to make you crash out and then attempt to crawl back. It would have been nice if new items like the Feather and Kamek spells had more of an effect, but it's probably wise not to upset the balance too much. Where things in Mario Kart World begin to go awry is in its attempt to make every track feel like it's part of an interconnected map. Taking the core Mario Kart experience and transplanting it onto an open-world structure isn't a bad idea in theory. The problem is, rather than learn from the racing greats who have made a similar jump (such as Burnout Paradise or Forza Horizon), Nintendo has stringently stuck to its guns to come up with its own interpretation of the concept. Turns out that it's one that's oddly stale and kind of boring, as all there is to do when driving in Mario Kart World's new Free Roam mode is to seek out arbitrary collectibles – seen here in the form of Peach Coins and Question Mark pads – that do very little else other than unlock cosmetic stickers. Far more interesting, if only slightly, are the P-Switch missions. There are well over 100 of them in total, which, when accessed, present you with mini challenges that force you to test out your driving skills in unique ways. At least, in theory. From collecting coins within a certain timeframe to performing some incredibly precise wall-riding tricks, in my 20+ hours of playtime, I found very few to be all that interesting outside of the sheer visual delight the interconnected map naturally provides. King of the road Unlike other open-world driving games that are absolutely packed with personality and things to do, finding the fun in Mario Kart World's version can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. The actual 'world' is by far the most inconsistent part of the package, which is a shame given its potential. Equally disappointing is how Nintendo's insistence on making most tracks drivable from one to the other seamlessly disrupts the standard Grand Prix game mode. Because while I have no problem with being able to choose whether I drive between, say, Sky-High Sundae to Dandelion Depths in VS mode, making this the standard in Grand Prix mode feels like a huge unforced error. It leads to huge stretches of the tournament feeling like an aimless sprint to the next true track, with only one full lap on a track making up a race – the other laps serve as these weird interstitial transition courses. Making traditional Grand Prix cups act as this way is a choice, but not the right one since it makes learning new all-timer courses like DK Spaceport and Boo Cinema much harder. It takes longer for their brilliance to settle in. Mario Kart World makes some genuinely bold attempts at reinventing its colourful karting formula. The problem is that most tend to be lacklustre and very few land with the intended effect. It's not a complete blowout, by any means, as racing against a full online group with up to 23 others is a blast and trying to three-star all eight new cups (either on the highest CC or in Mirror mode) is still a true challenge. However, it's the game's interconnectedness that detracts from the magically produced secret sauce the series does so well, with changes to Grand Prix's structure and Free Roam's inconsistent activities holding Mario Kart World's true greatness back. Knockout Tour is where the beauty of this Nintendo Switch 2 launch title truly lies, serving as the foundation for an otherwise fun but familiar kart racer. Having said that, it's packed full of potential that I'm eager to see built upon and expanded in future.