Nintendo’s Switch feels almost like a minimum viable product when it comes to software – the menu, when you boot the console initially, looks like a..
Nintendo’s Switch feels almost like a minimum viable product when it comes to software – the menu, when you boot the console initially, looks like a placeholder with big, empty square blocks suggesting some future software arrival. This is where games you download or insert via cartridge would show up, but it feels very work-in-progress. Jump to the store and the situation’s not much better: There are nine games available in total, and arguably only one or two that most console gamers would consider top-tier.
And yet, the Nintendo Switch is one of the best console experiences I think I’ve ever had out of the box, and one that suggests tremendous potential future success once its game catalog fleshes out a bit.
First, if the Switch had to have just launched with a single game, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would’ve been sufficient to make it a success. It’s hard to understate how terrific the game is, starting from the way it essentially plops you into a rich world with a minimum of direction and plenty of really natural ways to figure out how best to progress. Zelda also offers a wide range of ways to play – you can skulk and sneak around, build up your combat prowess, run past most difficult enemies or just spend hours wandering, picking fruit and catching critters, depending on your play style and preferences.
