Nintendo Switch Sports breaks from its Wii Sports ancestor in quite a few important ways. It allows players to customize their characters in a litany of unfamiliar ways, and it also features several sports that Wii Sports never incorporated before. However, Nintendo Switch Sports also includes one feature that looked like it would be dropped: Miis. The game prefers a new style of avatar called Sportsmates, but nevertheless, Nintendo Switch Sports appears to have full Mii support. Fans can even dress up their Miis in collectible clothes, just like they can do with their Sportsmates. It's great to see Nintendo continue to make use of its classic Wii-era avatars.
Miis may be simple as far as player-made avatars go, but their art style has a certain charm that few other console avatar systems can copy. Nintendo seems to have picked up on the love for Miis, because it has yet to abandon them, even though the Wii which they stem from has been succeeded by multiple other consoles. If Nintendo has decided to keep making use of Miis, thanks to their charisma and nostalgia, it ought to give old Mii game concepts another chance too. Nintendo Switch Sports may have opened the door to other Wii classics.
Mii Titles Worth Revisiting
Perhaps the strongest candidate for a Mii game revival is Wii Party, the Mario Party-esque Mii title released for the Wii in 2010. In its time, Wii Party received several positive reviews for its simplicity compared to Mario Party, as well as its strong roster of minigames. The original game was successful enough to earn a sequel on the Wii U, but it has yet to make the jump to Switch. Although the Switch already has a couple solid Mario Party titles of its own, a Switch version of Wii Party could be a hit if it releases in a couple years, giving Mario Party Superstars time to wind down. The flexibility of Wii Party opens up a lot of potential game board themes and unique minigames.
Wii Play also deserves another pass as a Mii-heavy Switch titles. The original Wii Play was a simple collection of minigames, including billiards, table tennis, and a miniature tank game, and while critics weren't impressed, Wii Play went on to become one of the Wii's best-selling games. Nintendo might have another bestseller on its hands if it updates and expands on the original Wii Play concept. It could take inspiration from the extremely popular Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics, borrowing many of its boardgames, mixing in a variety of new games themed after interacting with Miis, and offering strong multiplayer.
A New Age of Mii Games on Switch
Giving Miis a major presence on the Switch may sound strange with the Wii retired, but Nintendo already has done a lot to revive Miis on its current console. Not only does Nintendo Switch Sports feature Miis, but the Switch version of Miitopia was an even bigger sales success than the original 3DS game. Plenty of other games like Super Mario Maker 2 still make room for Miis too. Making spiritual successors to games like Wii Play and Wii Party would only broaden the Mii presence that Nintendo has established on the Switch already.
Nintendo says that it will keep working with the Switch for a couple of years, meaning there's time for Miis to get more of their own games in the future. Admittedly, it wouldn't be surprising if any theoretical Wii Party or Wii Play successor takes notes from Nintendo Switch Sports by coming up with its own avatar system, but even if it does, it ought to make Miis available like Nintendo Switch Sports has. Nostalgia for the golden era of the Wii is a powerful thing, and there are few current ways to tap into that nostalgia other than giving Miis the spotlight. Nintendo would be wise to reimagine its core Wii titles with the help of its avatars.
Nintendo Switch Sports releases April 29, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.