10/04/2022: The Nintendo Switch and the Spirit of Exploration

For today's blog, I present an abandoned "essay"-style ramble that was originally going to be a part of the Gaming section of this site. I was originally planning on creating an Essay section. However, I feel that this blogging section simply makes more sense for this style of content, especially as the Gaming section is meant to be more factual and informative. This blogging section is meant to be more casual and opinion-based. While there will be opinion-based content in the Gaming section, this feels like a better fit for this particular piece. I hope you enjoy it!

Context for the Switch's Release

The Nintendo Switch was a revolutionary idea when it was released. The idea of bringing home console-level games on the go itself was not new; the PSP and PS Vita were both meant to be solutions for console gaming on the go. However, the Switch brought an entirely new spin on the idea: Instead of porting over console games onto the limited hardware of a portable console or using remote play through a network connection, the Switch would have a Docked Mode and a Handheld Mode. In Docked mode, the Switch would be connected to a TV and a power source, allowing for more strain on the processor without draining the battery. In Handheld Mode, the processor would be underclocked in order to save battery life. While it would cause a slight hit on performance, the Switch was never meant to be a graphical fidelity titan like its competitors. Rather, the Switch was meant to bring a unique spin to the gaming scene, and it definitely delivered.

Nintendo has been known for its unconventional approach to gaming. Compared to Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo's hardware is typically underpowered. Instead, the main focus is about the end experience for the user. For example, the Nintendo DS was the first handheld console to have dual screens, a feature that remains unique to the DS family of console as of the time of writing. The Nintendo Wii is often pointed to as the pioneer of motion controls in the modern gaming industry, with its competitors of the Xbox Kinect and the Playstation Move often being derided for their similarity and lack of first-party software support.

First-Party Software

Of course, a gaming console is nothing without games. This is where I beleive the spirit of the Nintendo Switch and exploration collide. Many of the first-party games for the Switch have a common theme of making discoveries in unfamiliar territory. For example, Super Mario Odyssey takes Mario on a globe-trotting tour of the world with his new friend, Cappy, and together, they collect Power Moons and transform by capturing enemies in order to use their unique skills to traverse the land. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sees Link wake up after 100 years of slumber into an unfamiliar Hyrule after Ganon's destruction, and now he must use his skills to find and conquer Sheikah Shrines to gain power in order to restore peace. Kirby and the Forgotten Land has Kirby crash land in another dimension, where he must fend off old enemies and new ones in order to search and rescue all of his Waddle Dee friends.

Even Pokemon, a franchise with fans who often feel that the new games are derivative, has mechanics and themes in this vein. Pokemon Sword and Shield are widely considered to be very linear and by-the-books, but even it includes Wild Areas, fairly large "arenas" of traversable landscape where wild Pokemon roam and Pokemon Dens where players can gather together to battle against one common foe, an idea unique to this Pokemon game. Pokemon Legends Arceus introduced a completely new way to approach Pokemon: actually approaching them. Instead of battling being the only way to interact with wild Pokemon, they are instead treated as living creatures to be sought out and captured or to avoid when they are dangerous to the player. With a new mechanic of damage to the trainer instead of just to their Pokemon, there is an element of danger that has never been presented before in Pokemon games, and this changes the way that the player experiences their relationship to Pokemon.

Future Releases

Getting into the realm of speculation, it should be noted that at the time of writing, Sonic Frontiers and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have yet to be released. I will be including them in this discussion because I believe that they, too, embody the spirit of exploration. Sonic Frontiers will see Sonic the Hedgehog in the completely unfamiliar Starfall Islands, a large open-world with several "digital world" stages throughout the game, returning to a more classic format within the framing device of free roaming. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will famously break out of the linear-gameplay mould by allowing players to traverse the entire landscape right off the bat. While certain areas will have naturally higher-level Pokemon and Gym Leaders will have preset levels, this still gives the player more freedom to explore than any other previous title.

Conclusion

All of these games have a common through line: The well-loved protagonist is thrown into an unfamiliar environment with new mechanics, different challenges, and many, many rewards for walking off the beaten path, looking at things from fresh perspectives, and using curiosity as a motivator. This feels like a parallel to the console's hardware; the Switch is a console that leave the familiar territory of being either a handheld or a home console and instead opts for both, using a new docking mechanic that is at once both intuitive and innovative. Thanks to its adaptation to its situation, it is rewarded by the ability to follow players wherever their adventure takes them, whether that be at home on The Big Screen or on the road.