Watching a group of adults play Musical Chairs without the chairs has convinced me to bring Everybody 1-2-Switch to my next game night. After years of playing games like WarioWare: Smooth Moves and Wii Party, I didn't think the 1-2-Switch successor would have anything new to offer, but my mind quickly changed when I went hands-on with some of the game's expansive mini-game library.
Whenever it comes to playing party games with friends or family, my go-tos are always Mario Party Superstars, What the Dub, or the latest JackBox Party Pack. Now, after getting to grips with Everybody 1-2-Switch, I can confidently say it'll be a worthy addition to most game nights. Just like the games mentioned above, Everybody 1-2-Switch has an array of different multiplayer games to suit just about everyone's tastes.
During my hands-on session, I got to experience some of the more basic games Everybody 1-2-Switch has to offer, including one that sees players use a Joy-Con to pump a balloon big enough to beat the opposing team but not too big for it to pop, as well as a taste of the Team Contest games that support up to 100 players using nothing more than their smartphones.
A game changer
One of my favourite Team Contest games saw the group being split into two teams, with both teams being tasked with finding a specific colour in the room, and snapping a photo of it before a timer ran out. Using just our phones, players were scrambling around trying to find something that matched the colour on the screen - taking photos of everything from books, art hanging on the wall, clothing, and sticky notes among many other things. It was great fun, and I kept thinking how much more creative and chaotic (in a good way) this could get if it was played with my friends and family in our own homes.
Another round of the Team Contest mode I enjoyed saw everyone take part in a big ol' game of Musical Chairs. Similar to the real game, the aim is to walk around in a circle, and crouch down on the floor when the music stops; with the slower people leaving the game, and the faster ones remaining to battle it out. Watching a group of 20 or so adults all walk around in a circle anticipating when the music would stop and abruptly diving to the floor when it did (and hearing everyone groan as their joints clicked in the process) was genuinely one of the most memorable moments of the day.
I was also a big fan of the Quiz Party element of Everybody 1-2-Switch, particularly the part where players can create their own custom quizzes to test friends and family. For this game, we were once again split into teams and asked some simple true or false questions. Although this sounds basic, it got much more tense when we realised the speed at which we answered determined our place on the leaderboard, which led to some pretty competitive behaviour.
Party people
"If you're looking for something that'll break the ice and is simple enough for everyone to understand, Everybody 1-2-Switch is a great addition to your game night collection."
Finally, myself and my teammates had a lot of fun messing around with the user participation elements of Everybody 1-2-Switch. During the team games, users are encouraged to give themselves a name and take a selfie (which got very silly by the last few games) using their smartphones as well as send reactions onto the screen as the results are being shown. You can even send brief messages to the screen to encourage, or taunt, the other players in the game with you - which is hilarious with the right bunch of people.
Despite its name, Everybody 1-2-Switch isn't going to be for everyone. Unlike games like Jackbox Party Pack, the Nintendo title is much more family-friendly. But if you're looking for something that'll break the ice and is simple enough for everyone to understand, Everybody 1-2-Switch is a great addition to your game night collection.
I may have only got to experience a handful of the games on offer, but I can't wait to try out even more when Everybody 1-2-Switch releases on June 30, 2023.
Find out what other fun things are on the way with our upcoming Switch games list.
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