Winter Games 2023 from Wild River Games and Independent Arts is ready for you on Nintendo Switch. Learn more in our Winter Games 2023 review!
Winter Games 2023 from Wild River Games and Independent Arts is ready for you on Nintendo Switch. The game offers a single-player experience as well as local multiplayer for up to four gamers depending on the activity. You can take on each individual discipline one at a time. There’s also the option of jumping into cups that mix and match events. You can also create a customized competition so that you can tailor the experience to exactly what you need.
There are 10 different sports to take on during your time with Winter Games 2023:
* Biathlon
* Downhill
* Super-G
* Skeleton
* Short track
* 2-man bobsled
* Ski jumping
* Ski cross
* Snowboard cross
* Curling
But before you get into all that, you might want to check the training section first! Once there, you’ll be able to select one of the over 50 nations to choose from and represent during these winter games. After that, pick one of the ten aforementioned disciplines, and get to learn all of the basics! Take, for example, the biathlon. This is a discipline that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, with athletes required to complete two laps of the course and shoot twice, once while prone and once while standing.
For the biathlon, when skying, you’ll be able to able to increase your speed by repeatedly pressing the A button and can then maintain speed by pressing the A and B buttons in rhythm. You can turn left and right with the left analog stick. When going uphill, you’ll once again need to constantly press the A button to gain enough speed and momentum to climb. The good news is that when going downhill, you’ll be able to press and hold down the B button to boost your speed.
When taking on the two shooting segments, the left analog stick will be for aiming. You can hold down your breath and focus while aiming by pressing the ZL button. Once you’re ready to shoot, just press the ZR button, and press the A button to reload. Be careful during these segments because if you end up missing a shot, you’ll have to ski through a penalty loop to compensate for it!
As expected, a sport like curling controls completely different from what I’ve just mentioned. For curling, two teams of four athletes will take turns trying to get their stones as close as possible to the center of the house on the curling sheet. You start by directing the stone with the left analog stick, confirming your throw with the A button, and then setting the power for the throw by pressing the A button again. Once you’re in motion, you can use the left analog stick to establish the rotation. Two team members must then focus on sweeping the path the stone will take by repeatedly pressing the A button. For every stone that is closer to the center than your opponent’s, you’ll gain a point.
And then we have a completely different discipline with skeleton. For this one, you’ll have to press the A button as fast as possible to build up as much speed as you can before jumping on top of the sled. Once that’s been taken care of, you’ll have to turn with the left analog stick, as well as make hard turns with the ZL and ZR buttons to stay on the track in exchange for a loss of your current overall speed. This is very important because if you take a turn too fast, you’ll end up too high on the track and will crash.
Graphics-wise, some sports do look a bit better than others. Those that have an openness to them, such as the biathlon ski cross and ski jumping, suffer a bit in the graphics department with some pop-in and a lower resolution – especially when playing the game in Portable or Tabletop Mode or when playing on a Nintendo Switch Lite. There were some dips in the framerate here and there as well, but nothing that would make each discipline unplayable.
Winter Games 2023 offers 10 different winter sports that can be played individually as part of the included cups – with the Pro one having all 10 sports ready for you in a single go – or by giving you the option of creating a customized event with the sports you like. The game does suffer in the graphic department, with resolution and framerates taking a hit here and there, but it didn’t get in the way of my kids and me enjoying the game. Winter Games 2023 is out on Nintendo Switch with a $39.99 asking price.
Disclaimer
This Winter Games 2023 review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Wild River Games.
