As a freebie that came with the Wii, Wii Sports probably isn't the type of game that immediately jumps to mind as a Nintendo highlight, but thinking back it was immensely fun.
Oddly, the Switch is rather lacking in the Wii Sports-style department (Go Vacation is perhaps the closest thing we can think of), but Strike! Ten Pin Bowling looks like a cheerful way to scratch that itch. It only includes bowling - obviously - but the gameplay looks rather similar to that of Nintendo's multimillion-selling success.
Check out the trailer above; you'll see that players can swing their Joy-Con to bowl the ball or, in a nice touch, use the touchscreen to flick it in handheld mode, and there's even a mode with a ridiculous number of pins to knock down, just like one of the minigames in Wii Sports. Here's a feature list:
- Full Classic 10 Pin Bowling. 1-4 Players.
- Series Classic 10 Pin (3 games).
- 3 MiniGames available, each with 4 levels and 30 frames to challenge even the best bowlers.
- Candle Pin Bowling. 1-4 Players.
- Duck Pin and Rubber band Duck Pin Bowling. 1-4 Players.
- Mega Lane.
- Upgrade your ball with over 35 cool designs to choose from.
- Over 30 Achievements to win.
This one's actually available as we speak - you may well have noticed it pop up on the eShop just a few days ago if you browse the store regularly. It'll cost you $9.99 if you're interested in picking it up.
What do you think? Did you enjoy Wii Sports back in the day? Willing to throw down $10 to have a similar bowling experience on Switch? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 24
I downloaded the demo immediately when I saw it had motion control. Haven’t tried it yet but I’m excited to give it a go. Also if it doesn’t sell great you know it’ll go on sale in a month or two.
There wa a motion control bowling games released about six months ago.
Very curious to hear how the motion control works compared to Wii sports. If it’s good I may just get it.
Very interested in this.. If it's decent it means I could finally put my Wii U into well deserved retirement.
I've still kept it hooked up to the TV for the occasional family game of Wii Sports Bowling
Nintie needs to invest more into motion controlled games! The Wii got flack because of the struggle to maintain accurate movement but so far the joycons are great at detecting motion. Hopefully we see some first party efforts more akin to ARMS than Mario Odyssey.
I passed on Knock 'Em Down Bowling after hearing about how the motion controls lacked any real finesse. I hope there's a review of this one coming as I would love a good motion bowling game on my Switch.
No Miis = no me. I miss using my Mii. There’s like, some weird magic lost, by not seeing my Mii on screen.
I got really excited because I read "Ten Pin Bowling" as "Ten Pin Alley", and I thought that game was making a modern comeback. I loved it on the original PlayStation and Saturn.
Just what we needed...
@UmbrageHill
I can't seem to find a demo.
Did they remove it?
I have the game and the motion control is actually really good with a lot of finesse. Almost as good as Wii Sports! And the sound and graphics are sharp and look good. Very pure Bowling with some decent mini games.
So for me at least this is a good replacement for Wii Sports Bowling. And the touch controls in handheld are great and since it is using Tate-mode you get a nice and large view of the lane.
My favourite was probably tennis or golf, at the moment the only thing near the tennis is Mario aces and I’ve not got it due to the bad things I’ve heard
Switch Sports when? Basically free money for Nintendo if the motion controls are decent.
@Sveakungen thank you for the mini review lol now because of you ill be 10 bucks shorter lol cant wait till i get home to try this out
@mike_intv I’m not sure! I downloaded the demo the day the game released, they may have... I’ll definitely have to go give it a try now
@Metroidkiller64 Np! And there is a demo if you want to be sure you feel the same!
Just tried the demo. This game is FREAKING LEGIT. This is the Wii Sports bowling game we’ve been waiting for.
I passed on all the others because of the cheap looking graphics or Mii looking characters that seemed straight out of a mobile phone game... but this game actually presents it self with class. Minimalist, but clean, and a gorgeous look tbh.
The motion controls actually work really well, though it is a bit different than Wii sports. You hold a button to pick up the ball but instead of letting go to release, you press the shoulder trigger. Small difference but it works all the same. Personally I do think that letting go felt a little more natural in Wii Sports, but given just how close this game nails it that’s something I can easily overlook.
Instantly purchased after trying the demo. I don’t think we’re going to see much better than this aside from an official Switch Sports.
Just played it, it was alright. Not on the level of Wii Sports bowling despite coming out over a decade later.
@YANDMAN there was but it was just mehhh.
@WesEds nothing bad about mario tennis aces. I played the story mode all the way through and did the challenges and even some online. It's a fun game.
I really thought this was going to be great but we had three crashes, two where the ball started in the middle of the lane and the last crash I had to restart. It's a shame as it has great potential but the ball release is a real game killer. Pick the ball up with one button and release at the end of your swing. A real shame!
Try the demo first. I purchased the game and had three crashes one broke the game! The way you throw the ball is a game killer in my opinion. Pick the ball up with one button and release with another! Hopefully the Devs fix this
@SaW1s3 Were you playing exclusively in docked mode?
I played for 2 hours in handheld mode last night without any issues. Maybe it is worth redownloading and seeing if that helps.
As others have mentioned, the controls are a deal breaker. You push one button to pick up the ball and push an entirely different button to release. It took me a while to get the hang of it and still struggle from time to time; however, I got this game to play with my children (ages 4 and 6) and they struggle and get frustrated with the two button control scheme. I haven’t played it in some time. I wish they would fix with an update, but it seems unlikely at this point.
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