My dive into this game came from successful advertising (good job Nintendo). I was sent an email from Nintendo with a few games highlighted, clubhouse games include. The reason it got my attention? Bowling.
As I looked into what games were contained into this little package I was highly interested in getting it for myself and my partner to have a wide selection of smaller games that we can play together. Something that I have to try but was the final thing that convinced me to but it is that you can play with other switches, even if they don’t own the game. That’s right, you can play with up to three other consoles in local range with only one person actually owning the game! The number of possibilities this opens up won me over.
The game itself starts with you designing your avatar to be represented on the globe. You then have to select on different avatars to unlock games and play games to unlock more avatars. It’s a bit repetitive in that sense but the games are generally very interesting. I even learned how to play backgammon!
Now we generally have a policy of completing a game before reviewing it (otherwise it gets categorized as a quick blip) but this game is unique. There isn’t a storyline that needs to be completed. No one to save or evil to stop. This game is literally about allowing the player access to a multitude of classic games. For that reason the review is worth putting out before every single game has been played. Furthermore the review is on the entire package itself and not individual games as that isn’t really fair to do.
Right from the beginning the game has been a lot of fun. There is no real storyline or to follow other than playing more to unlock more avatars which unlock more games. Depending on the game it can last a few minutes or much much longer. Chess for example has the ability to eat up hours against a good opponent.
I will be completely honest with you that I don’t know what the best way to score this game would be due to its unique construction. I personally enjoy having a surplus of smaller games that I’ve downloaded directly to the Nintendo switch so that I can easily pull them up whether I’m at home or sitting at the airport. So lets break down the pro’s and cons real fast instead.
Pro’s:
- Numerous games within the game.
- Understandable instructions for the games making it easy to learn.
- The ability to play couch co-op, online multiplayer or across multiple consoles*
*playing across multiple consoles only requires one person to own the game.
- Game starts up fast so you can get a quick game in and not wait 5 minutes for it to load.
- If you don’t complete a match the game will save it for later
Cons:
- Game is somewhat expensive for what it is.
- There may not be a game that you enjoy
- Is not something that draws you in with the urge to keep playing.
- Games like bowling and darts don’t seem to be as functional as they were on the Wii versions. (This was very sad for me)
Here is a list of what games it contains:
- Mancala
- Dots and Boxes
- Yacht Dice
- Four-in-a-Row
- Hit and Blow
- Nine Men’s Morris
- Hex
- Checkers
- Hare and Hounds
- Gomoku
- Dominoes
- Chinese Checkers
- Ludo
- Backgammon
- Renegade
- Chess
- Shogi
- Mini Shogi
- Hanafuda
- Riichi Mahjong
- Last Card
- Blackjack
- Texas Hold’em
- President
- Sevens
- Speed
- Matching
- War
- Takoyaki
- Pig’s Tail
- Golf
- Billiards
- Bowling
- Darts
- Carrom
- Toy Tennis
- Toy Soccer
- Toy Curling
- Toy Boxing
- Toy Baseball
- Air Hockey
- Slot Cars
- Fishing
- Battle Tanks
- Team Tanks
- Shooting Gallery
- 6-Ball Puzzle
- Sliding Puzzle
- Mahjong Solitaire
- Klondike Solitaire
- Spider Solitaire
- Piano
So after playing about 20 of the various games it contains, including new ones that I’ve always been interested to learn, I would say it’s worth it. Specifically if you’re like me and enjoy having these smaller games to pick up or to compete with friends while drinking. If that’s not your type of play style than definitely pass this one up. It is really going to be good for a selected few and not everyone will enjoy it. Just keep in mind that if you do buy it you can play with friends using multiple Nintendo Switches without them having to buy it as well.
Happy Gaming.
