51 Worldwide Games Review- A Fantastic, Stylish Package

Nintendo has never been one to shy away from compilation games. From the challenges found in the Brain Training series to hits like Wii Play and Wii Sports, game compilations have always been at home on Nintendo consoles. The DS and 3DS were the consoles that had the most of these- even to the point of oversaturation. It got to the point where every other release on the shop was a strung-together package of royalty-free games that were poorly implemented. Unfortunately, this trend has continued with Nintendo's hybrid console: the Nintendo Switch. However. with 51 Worldwide games, a stylish UI, and dozens of little features make it a fantastic step forward in what a board game compilation package can be.

Gameplay

Unsurprisingly, 51 Worldwide Games contains 51 games from... around the world. Although seemingly basic, the range of games on offer here is impressive. From the Western classics like Chess and Checkers to more ancient, complex Eastern games like Mancala and Shogi, each game is gorgeously crafted in a digital space to make learning the games both easy and fun. With a short tutorial intro upon loading up each game and more in-depth tips offered, 51 Worldwide Games makes each of these classics more accessible than ever. With a range of AI difficulties and four-player support with joy-cons and touchscreen controls, this package is great when playing alone and with friends.

While you may expect card games like Blackjack or board games like four in a row, the real surprise is the 10 or so games that you wouldn't normally expect in a board game package. With football, baseball, air hockey and even curling, you're getting far more than just the classics here. These all play fantastically too- even with just one joycon. With the controls feeling responsive and fluid, a lot of the frustration that could be common is removed entirely (barring the occasional unfair goal in table football that's 100% not my fault). While the more traditional options make up the bulk of what's on offer, the ability to play more unconventional table-based games is greatly appreciated.

Presentation

One of the more surprising and impressive aspects of this package is its presentation. Developers NDcube could have easily just dumped each of these games onto the Switch in a selectable list with no flair or personality. Thankfully, instead, each game gets its own charming icon that is paired with some flavor text giving you a little insight into what they are about. Some of the best include the card game Pig's Tail' which is represented by a cartoon pig and the sports games have easily recognizable logos. This all melds together to make this package the most accessible way to play a lot of the classic and more complex games contained within.

While the choice to have miniature figures be the tutorial givers is a little strange, it works with the simple yet stylish interface to not overcomplicate what each game is about. One of the more impressive aspects of 51 Worldwide Games is the customizability that it offers. With the ability to unlock a Mario-based deck of cards to the harder, more complex Mahjong Solitaire puzzles offered, this package does a greater deal more to keep you playing than you may first expect. By balancing both charm and accessibility, 51 Worldwide Games is one of the more fun package games since the DS era

Conclusion

Overall, 51 Worldwide Games does everything that it sets out to do. By combining a great variety of card games, board games, and even sports tables, this package always gives you something else to learn even after you've got a grasp of each game's basic rules. With games relying on skill, luck, and a combination of both being abundant in this package, this is fun when playing both single-player and especially with friends in local and online play. For such a simple concept, 51 Worldwide Games goes above and beyond in being a compelling compilation title- and its one that future package games will hopefully learn from.