To the surprise of many,Wii Sportsis back in the form ofNintendo Switch Sports, which blends games old and new to revive Nintendo’s classic line of sports games.Wii Sportsfans could hardly be blamed for not recognizingNintendo Switch Sportsat a glance, though, because Nintendo has opted for a very different look fromWii Sports.While players can still use Miis in the upcoming game,Nintendo Switch Sportsemphasizes a new type of customizable avatar called Sportsmates, who have more clearly defined features and details than Miis. These Sportsmates seem like they can be customized through both physical appearance and clothing, so they could be a decent step up from Miis.
For the moment, though, Nintendo has shed precious little light on how Sportsmate customization works. Fans who partook intheNintendo Switch Sportsnetwork playtestseemed pleased with the new avatars, but the character creation menu that fans saw there may not be the final version that’s available to players. Ideally,Nintendo Switch Sportswill let players wield extraordinary detail when designing their own Miis.Miitopiarecently showcased Nintendo’s ability to come up with creative character design menus, so hopefully theWii Sportssuccessor will pull fromMiitopia’s inventive design.
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Learning from Miitopia
The original version of Nintendo’s Mii-centric RPG found decent success on the 3DS, butthe Switch port ofMiitopiawent viral well before it released, thanks to the Mii editor showed off in its demo.Miitopiafor Switch has a far more detailed editor than its predecessor; it provides a variety of additional hairstyles for players, and it also comes equipped with a highly detailed and free-form makeup system that lets players add just about any additional detail they like to a Mii.Miitopiaplayers instantly pushed the Mii editor to its limit, creating shocking detailed recreations of every pop culture character imaginable.
The excitement and fun that stemmed fromMiitopia’s Mii editor makes a good argument for a similar system inNintendo Switch Sports.Since they’re more textured and detailed, the Sportsmates are certainlyless useful as blank slates than Miis, but their design also means they’re well-equipped to carry a lot of detail that Miis can’t. Ideally,Nintendo Switch Sportswill feature a makeup system that allows for elaborate customization likeMiitopia,as well as a variety of tools that let players manipulate their Sportsmate’s physical features in the spirit of an RPG character creator. The more options players have, the better.
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Making Nintendo Switch Sports Go Viral
Considering how theMiitopiaeditor was received, Nintendo would certainly be wise to try the same thing inNintendo Switch Sports.The excitement thatMiitopiageneratedthrough elaborate player-made Miis offered the game a ton of free publicity and likely contributed to the Switch version’s impressive sales. Featuring a similar character creator could giveNintendo Switch Sportsmuch more visibility as players whip up goofy, impressive, and extremely detailed Sportsmates to play as. A high level of malleability could help win over fans who remain skeptical about these Mii replacements too.
In general, one hopes thatMiitopiawill inspire future Nintendo character editors. It encouraged creativity in character design in a way that few other Nintendo games have, and it remains a highlight ofMiitopia.There’s admittedly a good chance thatMiitopia’s ideas won’t appear inNintendo Switch Sports,since the characters themselves aren’t meant to be as central inSwitch Sportsas they are in the Mii RPG, but until Nintendo reveals the character editor properly, hope springs eternal. Even if the starting editor is simple,Nintendo Switch Sports' post-launch updatescould very well include more character creation options alongside new sports. HopefullyNintendo Switch Sports' next appearance involves an in-depth look at Sportsmate design.
