It should be free, but Switch 2’s genius Welcome Tour is nevertheless going to be a must-have game

Over the last 48 hours, a hell of a lot has been made of the price of the Nintendo Switch 2. The system is pretty expensive, but in a way that I feel was largely expected. The games are more so, in a way that is getting a lot of people’s backs up. But for my money, the most eyebrow-raising price admission made by Nintendo during the Switch 2’s reveal was that the company plans to charge for the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a special game designed to introduce players to the system.

After playing the Welcome Tour, I can see why Nintendo felt like it could get away with charging a small amount for the game. It seems like an excellent experience, the sort of thing that demonstrates Nintendo at its most zany, experimental best.

The Switch 2 Welcome Tour casts you as a little tiny person who wanders around the landscape of the Nintendo Switch 2. That’s the whole machine – the Joy Cons, the Screens, even some of the accessories. Or maybe you’re a normal sized person exploring a city-sized Switch 2. I don’t know. Either way, exploring reveals NPCs to talk to, and it’s sort of like a theme park. Idle chatter with NPCs reveals factoids about the construction and functionality of the machine, while the ‘rides’ are these little booths, each of which is home to some sort of mini-game.

Each of these games serves to demonstrate some sort of functionality of the Switch 2, be that more ‘active’ new features like the mouse pointer, or passive stuff that an average member of the public might not fully appreciate, like the full capabilities of the console’s display, or the enhanced clarity and strength of HD rumble.

These games are lovely. They’re cheeky, and genius. I expect some eager tech experts to be exposed by the mini game that aims to showcase the importance of frame rate, which shows you an animation before asking you to identify what frame rate it’s running at from two options. As the mini game gets more difficult, the gap between the two options you’re given narrows.

Each time you answer, you see two identical animations split-screen, playing out at different frame speeds – showing the average joe exactly what the difference between 30fps and 60fps, for example, is. It’s a fantastic, very Nintendo solution to explaining to a clueless user why the machine being so expensive is necessary – that mini-game aims to scream, “120fps is worth it, you see!”.

A similar game exists for 4K displays. This takes Super Mario World 1-1, and displays it on-screen… without any scaling. That means it takes up a tiny fraction of the screen. But rather than scrolling, the stage expands across the screen, left-to-right, as you play. This is likewise one of the best demonstrations of what higher resolutions actually mean – all of 1-1 fits comfortably into 4K resolution. As well as just beating the stage, various small objectives are available. Completing those gives additional medals which I assume can be spent to unlock new games and areas.

HD Rumble is demoed with a cute ‘find the sweet spot’ mini-game; mouse control gets a showcase with some Mario Paint-esque experiences, and so on. Each demo is reached by exploring this lavish 3D model of the Switch 2, where you can walk up to key components and hit a button to learn more about it. Finally, there are quiz booths where you can answer questions, where demonstrating you’ve understood the demos garners rewards.

It’s all lovely. It’s all simple, obviously. These are single-player affairs, and you’re not going to pump tens of hours into this – but it’s a delightful distraction and does a fabulous job of introducing people to the machine. I played demos of top ports and hotly-anticipated new games at the Switch 2 reveal – but the Welcome Tour was my most pleasant surprise. Though I’m baffled that it costs money.

It is cheap, to be fair. With the Japanese store listing the Welcome Tour at just ¥990 yen, that means this digital-only title should be around a fiver in the UK (and probably not much more than five dollars in the US), depending on what the yo-yoing markets do. At the same time, though – crikey. Here is a Nintendo that has built a perfect, quirky, charming introduction to the features of its machine. Here is also a Nintendo that is charging more for that hardware than it has ever done before, broadly speaking. Like, surely forgo the fiver a head, and just give it to people for ‘free’ with their 400-quid console. Soften the blow. Do people a solid.

It’s hard to look at this game and not offer a sidelong glance to Astro’s Playroom, a very similar launch title that was wisely packed in with its accompanying hardware. Mario Kart being $80 bucks might have been the lightning rod that has made some think that we’re seeing a newly emboldened, cocky, greedy Nintendo – but honestly, I think full-on game price increases have been coming for a while, what with everything going on economically.

This, though? Charging for this feels a tad cynical – even if it’s brilliant. Even if it’s a must-have. Complain as I might… I know I’m probably going to buy this. D’oh. And you probably should too. That’s capitalism, baby!