Review for 51 Worldwide Classics. Game for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 05/06/2020
The videogame world, in its intent of divertissement of the dawns changed over time into a real communication media, has not forgotten its origins. And between busy and divisive games, brutal action and sports overflowing with paid “boxes”, titles with a simple but damn apt playful skeleton pop up from time to time. It is the case of 51 Worldwide Games, developed and manufactured by Nintendo, of which we will obviously plumb the version here Nintendo Switch, an amazing collection of fifty-one classic board games, from checkers to chess through backgammon and even some very ancient oriental games. A real treasure, especially in Europe if we consider the difficulty that sometimes occurs in trying to obtain, for example, an analog counterpart of some games. And, on the side, a game consistent with the playful past of Nintendo, originally a manufacturer of card games.
A true historical encyclopedia of the evolution of the board game concept of the world, complete with short introductions that help understand the basics. In addition, for more complex games or perhaps linked to different cultures, 51 Worldwide Games will provide step-by-step tutorials complete with all the fundamental details. Basically, to be able to play 51 Worldwide Games you won't need to be a champion: even beginners can easily try their hand at the most difficult games, letting himself be carried by the hand by the tutorials available and, consequently, facing the different types of games also modifying the overall level of difficulty which, in general, will prove to be rather well balanced and dynamic.
Let's start by analyzing the selection of games available, naturally the beating heart of the videogame package: 51 Worldwide Games will offer an encyclopedic range of possibilities, from the more complicated opportunities, like chess, dominoes etc., to the classic Forza 4 to the unlicensed version of Uno (here called Ultima Carta) and even a… piano! There will also be room for hardcore lovers of casinos and the “dangerous” world of cards, with the possibility of playing Black Jack, Texas Hold 'em, Classic Poker, and so on.
But that's not all: not just checkers and chess, not just card games. Within the title there will be a whole series of activities outside the box such as bowling, table tennis and even a track with remote controlled cars and minigolf. Although the selection of playful possibilities is certainly very extensive, the absence of some of the most modern board games and, at the same time, the total absence of word games such as the very classic Scarabeo raises an eyebrow. And these are just two examples of the many analog pastimes that would have deserved space in the collection. Another key feature of the title, made possible thanks to Nintendo's hardware peculiarities, will be the possibility of setting up matches locally, both interspersing in the game, and using the Nintendo hybrid screen as if it were a table.
At the same time, if you have multiple Nintendo Switches, it will also be possible to take advantage of the wireless connection of the console locally and play each one on their own screen But the real beating heart of the game will be being able to use Nintendo Online to challenge people all over the world. An online multiplayer structure that, during the test, turned out to be solid and rather quick in finding a challenger, although as it is reasonable to expect the player base available will vary according to the type of game: for the more “sought after” and less known ones, it has proved to be a bit more difficult to find challengers.
On a more purely technical level, also given its overall simplicity, 51 Worldwide Games will be a respectable title and that it will never have computational "sobs". One aspect to underline certainly positive is the overall organization of the menus, clear and direct, and the user interface: much of our per-game action will be related to a huge globe where, naturally divided by actually existing states, we will have the possibility only, for example, to know the main games of Japan, China rather than European or North American nations, thanks to a series of "pawns" scattered around the planet that will even provide us with historical hints of the game taken into consideration that they will expand as we play. The globe will also act as a small leaderboard and global hub through which it will be possible to view who is currently in the game, the score charts etc.
Another important technical factor is the game-controls correlation: even in this juncture, 51 Worldwide Games turns out to be a well-packaged product. Some titles only work in touch mode, others exclusively using Joy-Con individually while others take advantage of the ability to create a huge board by placing several Switches next to each other. Although the controls proved to be largely well calibrated, others turned out to be less intuitive and more cumbersome: a recognizable problem, especially considering that it will not be possible to choose alternative control modes from the preset ones.
Needless to go around it: 51 Worldwide Games is a must-have and, probably, the product closest to the technological concept behind Nintendo Switch, that is, being the soul of the party. A collection of many games, organized with a dynamic and functional interface, and with many possibilities even outside the box. The only substantial drawback of an otherwise perfect production is the felt absence of some more recent board games and of entire playful categories, such as word games.
► 51 Worldwide Classics is an Arcade type game developed and published by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 05/06/2020
