While Nintendo Switch Sports looks like it had plenty of potential to deliver on the old fun of Wii Sports, one also wonders just how much Nintendo plans to innovate in this game. Fans already know that Nintendo Switch Sports has quite a few games that Wii Sports lacked, including volleyball and badminton, but one also wonders if the game will differ from Wii Sports in ways outside the core sports content. One playtester’s comments on Reddit may have shed light on how Nintendo Switch Sports’ central athletic town, called Spocco Square, might introduce new mechanics that ultimately make Nintendo Switch Sports a significantly deeper game than its predecessors.
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Spocco Square’s Potential Features
According to the Nintendo Switch Sports playtester, Spocco Square apparently features quite a few features that players wouldn’t find in Wii Sports games. For one thing, it has shops that players might be able to visit. That wouldn’t be surprising; Nintendo Switch Sports’ player avatars can apparently be customized in great detail, so players might shop in Spocco Square for new cosmetics. What’s more, there are apparently restaurants in Spocco Square, as well as work opportunities. It doesn’t sound like the Switch Sports playtesters got to try these features, but the playtest may have given players a glimpse of what’s to come.
Spocco Square’s rumored features are important because they could make Nintendo Switch Sports a more entertaining long-term experience than ever. The original Wii Sports games, especially Wii Sports Resort, had a bit of progression in that players had to play certain games in order to unlock new sports or variations on unlocked sports, but that system would dry up pretty quickly. Work, shops, and restaurants could offer a ton of side content that gives Nintendo Switch Sports more long-term value, encouraging players to unlock new sources of cosmetics, interact with NPCs, and more.
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Nintendo Switch Sport’s Potential to Grow
The more Spocco Square offers players, the better. Shops ought to have deep closets that allow players to deck out their Nintendo Switch Sports characters in whatever look they choose. While players will hopefully earn money to buy clothes simply by playing sports, working a job in Spocco Square could still be compelling if Nintendo comes up with minigames that teach players motion control skills relevant to the actual sports. Restaurants could even give Switch Sports players temporary benefits to speed or strength for certain sports, letting players lean towards more diverse playstyles.
Perhaps most importantly, if Spocco Square really does have so many additional activities, then it’s fertile soil for Nintendo to expand Nintendo Switch Sports in the future. Adding new sports to the game in later updates would be great, but long-term support for Switch Sports will be even more exciting if updates change the game in lots of ways. Nintendo could add waves of new cosmetics, additional restaurant benefits, and so on. If Nintendo Switch Sports gets new features of all kinds throughout its life, then it’s bound to remain relevant on the Switch for a long time. Hopefully Spocco Square really does play as big a role in the game as playtesters have implied.
Nintendo Switch Sports releases April 29, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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