Welcome Tour Review Switch 2

When you buy a new console, there's always a bit of excitement in discovering everything it can do. The Nintendo Switch 2 has plenty of new features and improvements over the original Switch, and you'd expect Nintendo to offer a way for players to explore those changes and understand what makes the new hardware special. That's exactly what Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour sets out to do, and in fairness, it does a pretty good job of it. The problem is that once you've seen what the experience offers, it's difficult to shake the feeling that this should have been included with the console rather than sold as a separate purchase.

Welcome Tour is essentially an interactive exhibition dedicated to the Switch 2 and its accessories. You explore oversized versions of the console, Joy-Con 2 controllers and other hardware, learning about their design, technology and features along the way. There are demonstrations, quizzes, little challenges and minigames scattered throughout the experience, giving you something to do beyond simply reading information panels. It's a clever idea, and I appreciate Nintendo making an effort to explain the technology behind its hardware in a way that's more engaging than reading an instruction manual.

However, there's a big difference between a game that introduces you to a console and one that gives you a compelling reason to spend your money on it. Welcome Tour manages the first part reasonably well, but struggles with the second.

A Clever Way to Explore the Switch 2

The best thing about Welcome Tour is the way it presents information about the console. Rather than simply throwing a collection of technical specifications at you, it turns the Switch 2 into an interactive museum where you can explore different components and discover what makes the hardware tick. The presentation is clean, approachable and suitably Nintendo, with a playful style that makes what could otherwise be a fairly dry educational experience more enjoyable.

There's something genuinely interesting about learning how the console and its accessories have been designed. You can discover details about the hardware, explore features that you might otherwise overlook and get a better understanding of the technology behind the Switch 2. For people who enjoy knowing how their gadgets work, there's some worthwhile information here.

I also appreciate that Nintendo has tried to make the experience accessible to people who aren't particularly technical. You don't need to be someone who follows hardware specifications or reads technology breakdowns for fun to understand what you're being shown. The demonstrations and quizzes help break up the information, making it easier to digest without feeling like you're sitting through a technical presentation.

For someone who has just bought a Switch 2, Welcome Tour can be a nice way to spend some time getting familiar with the system. It highlights features you might not have discovered on your own and gives you a better appreciation of the thought that has gone into the console's design. As an introduction to the hardware, it does what it sets out to do.

The Minigames Add Some Variety, But Don't Expect Much Depth

Of course, Nintendo couldn't release an interactive exhibition without adding a few minigames. These provide some welcome variety and give you opportunities to put certain hardware features to use rather than simply reading about them. Some activities are enjoyable enough in short bursts, and the combination of demonstrations, quizzes and challenges helps prevent the experience from becoming completely static.

The issue is that the minigames rarely feel substantial enough to stand on their own. They're more like demonstrations designed to show off particular features than fully developed games you'd want to keep coming back to. You might have some fun with them while exploring the exhibition, but I wouldn't expect them to hold your attention for particularly long once you've seen what they have to offer.

That's not necessarily a problem in itself. Welcome Tour isn't trying to be the next big Nintendo platformer or a full-priced adventure, and it would be unfair to judge it as though it were. The minigames serve a purpose within the broader experience, and they do help make the educational content more interactive.

But this is where the price becomes difficult to justify. If the minigames were part of a free introduction to the console, I'd happily accept them for what they are. As a separately purchased game, though, I expected a little more substance and replay value. There's a difference between something that's enjoyable to try once and something that feels worth paying extra for, and Welcome Tour doesn't quite bridge that gap.

It Does Its Job, But It Feels More Like a Tutorial Than a Game

The biggest issue with Welcome Tour is that much of the experience revolves around exploring, reading information, answering questions and completing small activities. There's nothing inherently wrong with that approach, but it means the experience feels closer to an interactive instruction manual than a traditional video game.

I can appreciate what Nintendo was going for. The Switch 2 has a range of features that are worth explaining, and presenting them through a playful virtual exhibition is a more interesting approach than expecting everyone to read through a manual. The problem is that once you've explored the main areas and learned about the hardware, there's not a great deal of incentive to keep playing.

For a game built around showing off the capabilities of a new console, I would have liked to see more activities that genuinely encouraged players to experiment with the hardware. The existing demonstrations and challenges provide a taste of what's possible, but they don't always leave you wanting more.

There's also an element of repetition as you move between exhibits and complete the various activities. While the information itself can be interesting, the process of working through everything doesn't always feel particularly exciting. You may find yourself enjoying a particular demonstration before returning to what is essentially another information panel or quiz.

Again, I don't think this makes Welcome Tour a bad concept. In fact, I think there's a good idea here that Nintendo has executed reasonably well. It simply feels as though the experience would work much better as a bonus that comes with the console than as a game you have to decide whether to purchase.

The Price Is the Biggest Problem

This is where my biggest criticism of Welcome Tour comes in. Nintendo has created a polished and informative introduction to the Switch 2, but I struggle to understand why it wasn't included with the console for free.

When you're already spending a significant amount of money on a new console, a little interactive experience that explains its features feels like something that should come as part of the package. It could have been a nice first stop for new owners, helping them discover what their new hardware can do before moving on to the bigger games in the library.

Instead, Nintendo has put a price tag on an experience that feels almost purpose-built to be a pack-in title. It reminds me of the sort of introductory software that manufacturers use to show off new hardware, except that here you're being asked to pay extra for the privilege.

The comparison with experiences such as Astro's Playroom on PlayStation 5 is difficult to avoid. That game also demonstrates hardware features, but wraps them in a much more substantial and entertaining platforming experience. Welcome Tour doesn't need to match Astro's Playroom in scope, but it does highlight how much more appealing a free introduction can be when it gives players a reason to keep playing.

At the end of the day, Welcome Tour isn't worthless. There's useful information here, the presentation is good, and some of the activities are enjoyable. But I think Nintendo has misjudged how much people would be willing to pay for this type of experience. It would have been far easier to recommend if it were included with every Switch 2, or at the very least offered as a free download for owners of the console.

Is It Worth Playing?

If you're interested in the technology behind the Nintendo Switch 2, Welcome Tour is worth a look. It provides an accessible introduction to the console, offers some interesting details about its design and gives you an opportunity to experiment with certain features in a low-pressure environment. If you're the sort of person who enjoys learning about how your hardware works, you'll probably find more to appreciate here than someone who simply wants to get straight into playing games.

For everyone else, the appeal is more limited. The minigames are fine, the educational content is useful, and the presentation is polished, but there's not enough depth to make it something I'd recommend buying ahead of the many other games available on the Switch 2. Once you've learned what you wanted to know, the experience loses much of its appeal.

I don't regret the idea behind Welcome Tour, and I don't think Nintendo should stop experimenting with ways to showcase its hardware. I just wish this particular experiment had been treated as a bonus for Switch 2 owners rather than another item on the shopping list.

Final Verdict

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour does a good job of introducing players to the Switch 2. It's well presented, informative and offers a handful of enjoyable minigames and demonstrations that help explain the console's features. There's genuine value in making this information interactive, and I can appreciate the work Nintendo has put into turning what could have been a boring technical guide into something more approachable.

Unfortunately, the experience doesn't offer enough depth or replayability to justify its price. The minigames are fairly limited, much of the experience revolves around reading and answering questions, and once you've explored the main content, there's little reason to return. It's a decent introduction to the hardware, but not a particularly compelling game in its own right.

For me, this is a classic case of a good idea let down by the decision to charge for it. Had Nintendo included Welcome Tour with every Switch 2, I'd have been much more positive about it. As a free bonus, it would have been a welcome addition that helped players get more out of their new console. As a paid product, it feels like something that should have been part of the purchase in the first place.

The Bottom Line: Welcome Tour is a useful and reasonably enjoyable way to learn about the Nintendo Switch 2, but it feels more like an interactive tutorial than a fully fledged game. It does its job, but the limited replayability and lack of substantial gameplay make it difficult to recommend at its asking price. This should have been included with the console for free.