During our first date, after dinner, my girlfriend was adamant that she wanted to play the Nintendo Switch. My approach to dating is that even as a video game journalist, I do not want to date a hardcore gamer. Just my preference. I just don’t. I’d love to play casually though. So when my girlfriend told me that she wanted to play Zelda, of all things, I was like “WOW! Holy s**t!” Kind of cool, right? On the flip side though, I was like “are you crazy!?”, given BoTW’s difficulty. There is some context behind this though. I have a Legend of Zelda tattoo on the nape of my neck in the form of the Hylian Crest and have a passion for the series. So she knew about my obsession already. But still, very cool.
Playing Nintendo Switch with my girlfriend was ohhh so much fun. I didn’t give her any push to play it; it was her choice. In the back of my mind, I was like “holy crap I hope she doesn’t get destroyed in ZeldaI!”, but she actually did very well. We also played Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is a fantastic party game to play with friends and is much more casual. There’s a great mix of great casual and hardcore games on the Nintendo Switch, just like the Wii before it. There’s even more to come with upcoming releases and the holidays quickly approaching. Even non-gamers are open to playing the Switch, like the Nintendo Wii before it, because it appeals to everyone.
One thing to note though: we did play with the Joy-Cons and the grip in order to play Zelda. One thing my girlfriend noted immediately was how light the controller felt. It was tiny in her hands (mine as well, but I’ve gotten used to it.) It had her excited because she felt like she couldn’t be too aggressive and being so lightweight, it felt like a toy.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
So my girlfriend started out with the hardest game to hit a Nintendo platform in years, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I had her start on my save file because I have ridiculously awesome gear, although yes I only have an 18.1% completion rate. It was interesting because the controls were difficult for me too when I first played it at E3 2016; it was a huge adjustment from past Zelda games, and for someone brand new to the series, it took an adjustment as well. The funniest part was when she ran into like five Guardians (no joke!) and I tried to help out, but they utterly destroyed her (as they would do anyone; this isn’t indicative of her mad skills.)
She got the hang of the combat and actually didn’t die all that often (less so than I’ve seen from many of my friends who play the game obsessively.) The changing of the weather stood out to her. She loved that. We didn’t experience a thunderstorm yet, but she’s excited to get to take that in! Hyrule felt like a actual living, breathing world. She also adored changing her wardrobe, especially Link’s desert garb (cross dressing Link FTW!), and it just gave the game a certain amount of levity that so many other games lack.
My girlfriend is also an animation major, so she found the world and the landscape to be absolutely stunning. Her perspective on the game, being a non-gamer and an artist, was so unique and I think her openness to play the game was not only indicative of how awesome Zelda is (yes it is freaking amazing) but moreso on how the Nintendo Switch appeals to gamers and non-gamers alike. Plus, she’s pretty awesome herself! This is why it will be the most successful gaming console in recent memory and will bring Nintendo back to the forefront.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
The next game my girlfriend and I tried out was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I don’t have a Pro Controller (sadly), so we were using the Joy-Cons to play multiplayer. With the craziness that was multiplayer, it was a ton of fun. The only complaint I have personally is that while playing with the Joy-Cons with large hands (and we both had this problem), it can be hard not to accidentally press the wrong button. But. We did one complete of the cups and had a blast.
She hadn’t played Mario Kart since the SNES days I think, so it does take just a little while to get used to the newer games, especially with the Joy-Cons. When I get the Pro Controller very soon, she has first dibs (I know, aren’t I so sweet?) We can both be fiercely competitive so Mario Kart is the perfect game for us.
Since Mario Kart is still a newer game I own, I need to unlock more of the karts and motorcycles and such, but, that’s on me. There’s so much to unlock in the game and that adds to its replay value. The game is much more fun when you’re playing with someone you have so much fun with to begin with; the Nintendo Switch just exacerbate our enjoyment of each other’s company.
The Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, Splatoon 2 (which unfortunately does not have split screen; I think she would have loved it), Sonic Mania, Pokken Tournament DX, Super Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade Chronicles 2; there is so much for Nintendo Switch owners to look forward to in 2017. Not only that, there are so many games that are both hardcore and casual. Pokken Tournament DX can even be played as either hardcore or casual. And this is just this year. This is similar to what the Nintendo Wii did, but the level of quality right now from Nintendo is leaps and bounds above anything Nintendo ever did with the Wii (third-parties included.)
My girlfriend had so much fun playing the Nintendo Switch. She even enjoyed Zelda! I guess maybe I’m just incredibly lucky to have someone willing to give it a try and who was both enthusiastic and adamant about playing it. Once I get the Pro Controller we’ll play some more Mario, but she kicked ass with Zelda (aside with the Guardians, but let’s face it: the guardians destroy everyone when they first come across them.)
“The Nintendo Switch is the perfect console for couples.”
Next time we’re going to start a brand new save file just for her, and I think we’re both excited for that because she’ll get more accustomed to the game. I still fully expect her to kick ass as she did before though. Going out on dates and doing all of that is a ton of fun and I love it, but sometimes just chillin with a pizza and playing some Nintendo Switch with your girlfriend is one of the best times you can have together!