Review: Go Vacation (Switch)

I’m relatively new to the Switch, and this is my first Nintendo console (though I do own a Gameboy and several Game & Watch systems). During the NES and SNES era, I opted for an Atari 1040STe. While I enjoyed my Atari, Nintendo consistently offered a broader and often superior selection of games. Consequently, my focus on home computing meant I missed much of the video game revolution during my youth – something I’m now actively catching up on. Nintendo has historically cultivated a more approachable, family-friendly image compared to its competitors, and Go Vacation clearly reinforces this appeal to children and families.  

Four distinct resort areas are available for exploration.

Welcome to Kawawii Island, offering the quintessential vacation experience. This island is divided into four distinct resort areas: Marine Resort, City Resort, Snow Resort, and Mountain Resort. Each area provides access to approximately 20 different activities, ranging from classic skiing and waterskiing to kayaking, jet skiing, car racing, and horse racing. Furthermore, the game features an open-world environment traversable by various means: walking, rollerblading, skateboarding, riding, and swimming, among others.

A sampling of locations and transportation methods within the game.

The game incorporates collectible elements and allows players to photograph animals and other characters, or simply enjoy the scenery from a ski lift. The breadth of creativity and choice is significant. This is a substantial game, with each area being expansive, well-developed, and populated with numerous other vacationers. However, the game does present a notable issue.  

Tennis offers some fun, but the controls are simplistic and the difficulty is low.

The challenge is minimal… 

The game’s difficulty is remarkably low. I could not locate any options to adjust the difficulty, nor did the challenge appear to increase with repeated play. Out of over 30 activities tested before this review, I only experienced defeat twice. On all other occasions, I secured first place in competitions, won all ball games, and even achieved high scores in skydiving.  

My experience has been solely in single-player mode, and the game is undoubtedly designed to accommodate multiple players, up to four, which would naturally increase the enjoyment and difficulty. Nevertheless, it’s regrettable that the single-player experience seemingly wasn’t given more consideration. As previously mentioned, the sheer variety of content prevents boredom.  

However, the ease of the single-player mode does lead to a degree of tedium stemming from the lack of challenge.

The graphics are pleasing, with well-rendered environments and smooth animations. The game performs equally well in handheld mode and when played on a TV. The audio is satisfactory, and the controls provide noticeable force feedback when traversing uneven terrain. However, the absence of voice acting is notable, replaced by a somewhat irritating beeping sound during character dialogue, which can become tiresome.  

Frequent loading screens are present, though they are reasonably short.

LOADING – A common occurrence throughout the game.

In conclusion, this is not a poorly executed game; it’s well-crafted and enjoyable. However, for experienced gamers, the low difficulty presents a significant drawback. I anticipate that it would be a genuinely enjoyable experience when played with friends or family. It’s undoubtedly a game for the whole family, and despite it not being ideally suited to my preferences, I believe that many will appreciate Go Vacation, and I can therefore still recommend it.