Launching alongside the Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in March 2017, the original 1-2-Switch was not well received by critics and consumers. While intended to showcase the Joy-Con’s unique features, such as HD-Rumble and a motion-sensing IR camera, it lacked the polish and charm that Nintendo is usually known for. Despite feeling frankly bare-bones and stale, 1-2-Switch was a full-price release, not even a bundled console title like Wii Sports was. That said, it’s not too surprising that the reception was mostly confused when Nintendo announced that a sequel, Everybody 1-2-Switch, would be released. However, I personally wanted to give the game a fair shot and approached it with an open mind while playing with a group of friends, as there is a lot of potential for a Jackbox Games-style party game developed by Nintendo. Without all that, let’s find out if Everybody 1-2-Switch is truly for everyone or if it’s just another unfortunate case of “meh”.
Just like its predecessor, Everybody 1-2-Switch is a collection of multiplayer mini-games designed for social interaction, forcing you to get up and move instead of staring at a television screen. However, this time you can play with up to 100 players using your smartphone or tablet instead of the Joy-Con, hence the addition of “Everyone” to the title. There are five minigames that can only be played with the Joy-Con (these are only for up to eight players), four that require a smart device, and eight that can be played with either, for a total of seventeen minigames. Some minigames have alternate variations with minor differences to change the gameplay, change the rules, or simply add an extra layer of difficulty, but for obvious reasons, you can’t really count them in the grand scheme of things.
Considering that 1-2-Switch (2017) featured twenty-eight unique minigames, it’s a good thing that Everybody 1-2-Switch retails for just £24.99 EUR / $29.99 USD. The price of the original was frankly inexcusable, costing more than some other AAA titles like Metroid Prime Remastered. While Everybody 1-2-Switch feels like a more polished package overall, with the minigames it has and are more enjoyable, it’s a shame that it can’t at least match the amount of content as its predecessor, even if that meant just porting over the original minis games for some (much needed) added value.
In the main mode “Team Competition”, Everybody 1-2-Switch splits everyone into two teams. For unequal teams, there is an option early in the game for smaller teams to get extra points, but for most of the minigames you’ll play, more people doesn’t give much of an advantage. A point is earned by winning a mini-game, and the amount of points a team will need to win depends on whether you chose to play a 20-minute short party, a 40-minute medium party, or a 60-minute long party (3 points, 5 points, or 7 points respectively). The mini-games are chosen at random, but the losing team can vote between the four they would like to play next. Below you can find the full list of minigames, along with a brief description.
Balloons – Blow up the balloon until it pops.
Lump on the hip – Throw your opponent out of the ring with hip movements.
Joy-Con hider – Make the Joy-Con vibrate to find it.
Skipping rope – Watch the rope and jump.
Kitchen timer – Turn at the right time / Drain at the right time / Lift the lid at the right time.
Musical chairs
Ninjas – Use your sword to repel all throwing stars.
Quiz – Answer the true or false questions as quickly as possible.
Relay race – Run a relay race with the Joy-Con as a baton.
Samurai sword fight – Hit your opponent before he hits you.
Squat – Crouch when you hear squat.
statues – Walk in place, don’t move while he’s watching.
UFOs – Give the sign of greeting to the aliens.
Auction (smart device required) – Each item has a fixed point value. The value varies for each team. Each team shares its million. You won’t know the other team’s offers.
Bingo (smart device required) – Bingo.
Color recording (smart device required) – Remember and photograph the trending color.
Ice cream shop (smart device required) – Record the number of scoops ordered, answer as quickly as you can.
Most of the minigames are fun enough to play at least once or twice with the right group of people, but there are a few golden nuggets in the mix. The ones that require the use of a smart device have been some of my favorites, and Nintendo has made connecting to the game surprisingly easy. All you have to do is get everyone to scan the QR code and in just a few taps you’ll be able to choose a custom name and profile picture and jump right into the fun. In my experience, there was little noticeable lag or lag, so I have to give props to Nintendo for that, especially considering this is their first time doing something like this.
Quiz Show and Bingo are available to play as separate entertainment modes, and for good reason, as they are two of the best mini-games that Everybody 1-2-Switch has to offer. In Quiz Party, you have to answer multiple choice questions as quickly as possible, and there are even special ways you can write your questions to make things more personalized. Bingo, on the other hand, is an excellent version of bingo, a game that every retirement home knows and loves. It’s nothing too crazy, but it gets the job done if you want to kick back for a nice, casual game. What more to say?
Unfortunately, some of the games just feel inferior to the classic counterparts they’re based on. For example, Statues, which is identical in gameplay to the popular children’s game Red Light, Green Light (yes, just like the one from Squid Game), features alternating photos of a child that instructs you when you can move forward, forcing you to run with the steering wheel until you are told to freeze. Since most of the time you’ll be looking directly at your friends and family rather than at the screen, minigames like this don’t feel inspired. The same goes for the Musical Chairs, Jump Rope, and Hide and Seek minigames, with the “video game” version potentially interfering with the fun you could have just playing it in real life. There are only very specific scenarios, such as a group of 100 people trying to play musical chairs, where the Everybody 1-2-Switch would be better to play in terms of convenience and enjoyment.
All minigames can also be selected for individual play, but with one very important caveat; you must have already played it at least once in Team Competition mode. Everybody 1-2-Switch already has a harder “pro” mode that can be unlocked for Team Contest, so Nintendo can also lock all the minigames behind play the wall is a strange decision to say the least. I can’t think of a good reason why they shouldn’t all be available from the start. It’s just a fun family game after all.
Speaking of weird decisions, Everybody 1-2-Switch has plenty of them. The game’s host, MC Horase, is a man wearing a horse head mask that appears in the lower left corner of the screen. While it feels like dated internet humor from the early 2000s, it wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t over-explain things and repeat itself unnecessarily. Fortunately, the video walkthroughs for each minigame can be skipped after the first viewing, but even after that, there’s too much setup, explanation, and practice for games that should be self-explanatory. An option to turn those things off would be nice.
As an antisocial college student in my 20s, I admit I’m probably not the target audience for Everybody 1-2-Switch. With the right group of people, like a family reunion or an elementary school pizzeria, I can see that there’s bound to be a few hours of fun here. However, in a smaller group (who were enthusiastic about gaming at first) we quickly found that we would rather play something like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Nintendo Switch Sports, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or one of the many Jackbox Party Packs instead. If you happened to be a fan of the original 1-2-Switch, getting the sequel is probably a no-brainer, but otherwise, you’ll probably find it a mediocre package that’s as fun as it is bad.
5.5/10
A copy of Everybody 1-2-Switch was provided by Nintendo UK for review purposes.
