It’s been two weeks since the Nintendo Switch launched and we’ve already seen some pretty great games release since then. There’s some debate on it in the community, as there normally is with console launches, but I think overall we can all agree it’s been pretty good. Yesterday we saw Tomorrow Corporation’s three great games launch on Nintendo Switch and they’re the superior versions in terms of both content and controls.
Little Inferno, World of Goo, and Human Resource Machine may have already been released on PC, mobile, and previous Nintendo platforms but the developer is touting the Switch release to be the best version. For starters, you get access to the incredible soundtracks. These can be played in both tablet mode or on the TV and I’m guilty of already blaring some some of the tracks from Little Inferno. Two of the three games will also feature a co-op mode so that you can enjoy them with a friend, spouse, or significant other. Both Little Inferno and World of Goo will be receiving an update in the very near future that will allow a second joy-con to jump in and help transport goo or burn stuff for more fun and mayhem. Perhaps one of the best things about the Nintendo Switch versions of these three games though are the interesting controls.
World of Goo was a title that required the motion controls of the Wii remote and Little Inferno either required Wii remote motion controls or the technology of the Wii U Game Pad. Human Resource Machine could only be controlled with the Game Pad. These games all played just fine but I personally think the Switch versions control better than their older versions. The joy-cons utilize sensors that help them determine positioning based on the movement and position of the controllers. When you first boot up these games, you need set the joy-con on a flat surface briefly and then you’re able to pick it up and play. It’s reminiscent of the Wii Motion Plus Remote technology but far and away improved. It feels like absolute magic within your fingers.
It controls like you’re holding a computer mouse in the air. You simply move the controller around and it knows where to place the on-screen cursor. It may sound simple but it looks so cool and it feels so natural. I wasn’t sure how it was going to control before it released. My Wife and I played a lot of Little Inferno and I just assumed we’d have to play in tablet mode. I was a bit bummed because I was hoping to enjoy these on the big screen but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Here’s Daan Koopman of Go Nintendo showing off what it looks like in action to control these games. I saw this footage a few hours before I started playing myself and it just made me that much more excited to play through these games. Nintendo’s always tried to do great innovations with hardware and I think this is a great example of what’s possible in both gameplay experiences and controls.
https://twitter.com/NintenDaan/status/842226564775481344
I spent a few hours working on my reviews for these three games and I couldn’t stop smiling. The joy-con makes the experience so much greater. At first, I thought I’d have to play with touch screen controls, which is all well and fine, but now I know that I’ll probably never play this any other way than with the magic of the joy-con. And that is one of the many things that makes Nintendo and their technology so special.