1–2–Switch is not really a game, but rather a collection of small casual games for Nintendo’s hybrid console Switch. The true novelty of the compilation is, that most of the time the players have to look at each other and not at the screen. In other words: 1–2–Switch pretty much redefines “video games” and that’s a rather daring move once again coming from Japan’s oldest gaming company.

For game afficionados 1–2–Switch is nothing much to write home about. There are no special skills required, you don’t need to invest hours and hours training specific killer moves. This is a very accessible collection of party games, that also show off the technical intricacies of the Switch controllers called Joy-Cons. I.e. holding one controller flat in your hand and trying to find out, how many balls are rolling around in the “box”, is a neat trick.

28 mini-games for every one

There in total 28 mini-games and the range of skills is wide as well. Their difficulty is rated like a menu in a Thai restaurant – one to five chillies. The just described option of finding out how many balls are rolling around the box is easy, challenging your opponent to a mirror dance, where all the moves have to be copied precisely has a very hot rating.

With 1–2–Switch Nintendo targets the market, which layed the ground for their Wii console. Getting the parents, grand parents and other non- or casual gamers on board, is a very sensible move, especially if you don’t forget to cater to the core audience like Nintendo did this time around.