Nintendo has always enjoyed the respect of critics. The games, at their best, are just too good for things to be otherwise. It is total critical orthodoxy that Shigeru Miyamoto is one of the greatest and most influential game designers of all time, and that Mario and Zelda games are foundational texts of the video game medium that have successfully rewritten themselves and stayed relevant over time.
Yet there have been times throughout the company's history when Nintendo's image, and the audiences it has chosen to cultivate, have deflated this reputation. In the edgy late 1990s and early 2000s, when PlayStation ruled all, the family-friendliness and colorful styling of Nintendo games led to some people writing them off as kids' stuff. And when Nintendo sought out a new casual-gaming audience with the Wii and DS, some of its core fans felt betrayed, and couldn't find the depth or sophistication they wanted in the games.
I thought about this when reviewing the superb Nintendo Switch Sports Resort this week. It's an exemplary, welcoming casual game (and actually, has much more for the long-session solo gamer than previous successors to the mighty Wii Sports). It may not be perfect, but in big-picture terms, I found it very hard to fault. It's a source of constant delight and surprise for me and my family. Personally, I think it's Nintendo's best release of the year to date.
Yet reviewers don't seem able to take it seriously. Certainly not as seriously as a hardcore epic like Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, but also less seriously than similarly all-ages, casual leaning games like Pokémon Pokopia or Rhythm Heaven Groove. Even the lackluster Star Fox remake has a better rating on Metacritic. That can't be right!
It's notable that even the most glowing Switch Sports Resort reviews seem to be capped at around four stars or 8/10. In other words, there's a critical glass ceiling on casual games like this. Why? Because the sports don't have more depth? I'd argue they have just the right amount — enough to discover over time, but not so much that grandma can't pick up the basics on her first go.
But game critics aren't primed to understand the immense skill and judgment involved in simplification, in leaving things out. It isn't built into our value system. So, not for the first time in Nintendo's history, its work is being undervalued, just because it's for someone other than the people reviewing its games.
Switch Sports Resort's fantastic free-roam "leisure sports" (skateboarding, prop plane, and power cruising) might seem simple compared to a cutting-edge modern adventure or platform game. But consider that they might represent a first step into free-form open-world gaming for many of the game's players. Then think about how rewarding and artfully designed they are, without leaning on hand-holding or excessive scripting. This is game design from the top drawer. Critics will catch up with that one day. Kids and grandmas, however, will understand it the minute they pick up the controller.