Nintendo Switch Online review: Is it still worth it in 2021?

Until the release of the Nintendo Switch, all of Nintendo's online services were free of charge, compared to Microsoft and Sony, who charged a fee for the use of their online servers. For the first year of the Nintendo Switch's life, online services were still offered for free, although it was announced that paid online was eventually coming. While this was disappointing initially, the content being promised by Nintendo seemed intriguing, and people were hopeful.

So is the Nintendo Switch Online service still worth it in 2021? Short answer: yes. Longer answer: it's worth it for the cloud saves alone. If you really enjoy playing online with friends, it's also a given, even if the quality of the online multiplayer connections can be a bit shoddy from time to time. The other bonuses offered, like the ability to try specific games for free, the exclusive games like Tetris 99, and discounts through the coupons, add a nice flair to a service that's solid for its price point.

Nintendo Switch Online: Features

Nintendo Switch Online is a huge service with many facets, and because of this, reviewing the service as a whole would definitely be unfair. Therefore, we'll look at each of the features provided and the best and worst aspects of each.

Cloud Saves

On previous Nintendo systems, save data was often stored on the game cartridge, game disk, or memory card. Since Nintendo started offering digital games that can be downloaded, save data was stored on the internal memory or SD card. However, with the advent of the Nintendo Switch, save data is saved on the system's internal memory, regardless of whether you play with a game cartridge or a digital game. This means that the system's damage or loss would result in the complete loss of save data. For people with hundreds of hours in games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, being able to upload to and restore save data from the cloud was a reassuring feature.

However, the feature had its limits. Some of the most popular games on the Switch were exempt from cloud saves, such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pokémon Sword and Shield, and Splatoon 2. Nintendo's reason for these omissions was to prevent cheating, much to the disappointment of fans. But the cheating that system saves were meant to prevent ended up occurring anyway, mostly from players protesting the absence of game save security.

Although Animal Crossing: New Horizons was eventually given a solution to the issue with the Island Backup Tool, the others were not. Sword and Shield and Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee players could put their most valuable Pokémon in Pokémon HOME, but would still have to fear losing their entire playthrough and their current party members.

As someone who has had to acquire a new Switch without being able to access the old one, it was super disheartening to give up 200 hours of Splatoon and a hundred more in Sword and Shield. Thankfully, most of my Pokémon were in HOME, and I was able to contact Nintendo to restore my island, but I really think they should have allowed players to at least have the option to save their data on the cartridges.

Online Play

The Nintendo Switch is the first Nintendo console where online play is locked behind a paywall. Without a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online, players can still engage in local multiplayer with friends and family in the same room. Free-to-play games, such as Fortnite and Warframe, do not require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play.

While most games that feature online multiplayer often have a local multiplayer function that is just as good, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, games like Splatoon 2 heavily rely on online multiplayer for the full experience. Those who are looking to get a Nintendo Switch Online subscription exclusively for the online component should probably consider whether they will really be experiencing most of the multiplayer gameplay online.

For a system that heavily advertises online play to consumers, the lack of built-in voice chat is also disappointing. Voice chat has been a staple feature on other platforms ever since online play was in its infancy. That there is no comfortable way to use a headset to chat with friends while playing is quite frustrating.

Nintendo Switch Online Mobile App

One of Nintendo Switch Online's least beloved features is the requirement to use an external service for voice chat. While most people use Discord or other services, Nintendo Switch Online members can use the official Nintendo Switch Online app for voice chat. The app offers some exclusive services for certain games, like Splatoon 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. These applets allow users to shop for items, upload videos, and scan QR codes or message friends.

While this would have been nice to have in addition to native system-based voice chat, it's underwhelming on its own. Unfortunately, it's one of the most disappointing aspects of the online experience, and voice chat is not supported in all games that offer online multiplayer. I personally resort to other channels to contact my friends since you must set up an entirely new room to chat on the app if your connection drops — which isn't exactly an uncommon occurrence — or if you accidentally quit the game.

Exclusive Games

Subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online are granted exclusive access to exclusive NES and SNES titles. The Switch's answer to Virtual Console is a catalog of NES and SNES titles with online multiplayer, save states, and titles that may have only been exclusive to one region previously.

The idea is fine, but I would much rather see an expansion of the library, including Nintendo 64, GameBoy Advance, and Nintendo GameCube games, which have previously not been available outside of special situations. With NES and SNES games being widely available since the GameBoy Advance and Wii, and the NES and SNES Classic systems releasing not too long before the Nintendo Switch's release, I must say that I am experiencing a bit of 8-bit and 16-bit game fatigue.

Subscribers can also play games like Tetris 99 and Super Mario Bros. 35, where they can team up against several other players online with Battle Royale style of gameplay. Of course, Super Mario Bros. 35 will not be available after Mario's death on March 31, 2021, but Tetris 99 will still be available to all subscribers for the foreseeable future.

Bonus Items in Games

Nintendo Switch Online subscribers also get access to bonuses for select games. For Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players can access a special rug and a Nintendo Switch Lite mode. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players can redeem a Spirit Set with one randomly selected Legend- and Ace-class spirit. In Super Kirby Clash, subscribers can redeem 100 Gem Apples, the game's currency. These quirks are cool but definitely aren't the highlight of the service's features.

Game Trials

One of the best features, alongside the obvious online play and cloud saves, is the ability to try games for free. From time to time, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can download the full version of a specific game and play as much as they want for an entire week. Following the trial, that game is usually on sale in the eShop for persons who participated. Some featured games were Mario Tennis Aces and Pokkén Tournament DX. This feature is a great way for players to try out some of the system's most popular games if they're unsure about buying. I personally have had a great experience with the service and ended up buying Dead Cells at a great price because of it.

Nintendo Switch Online Coupons

If you have a European account, you can purchase a coupon for €99 or £84, which allows you to buy two eligible games at a discounted price. This means that you save around €20 or £16 if you buy two full-price first-party titles. The offer was previously available to subscribers in the United States and Canada but was discontinued. Given that first-party Nintendo titles seldom receive a substantial discount, it's a shame that this great deal isn't available to subscribers everywhere.

Special Offers

Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can get exclusive access to certain physical goods and priority access to items in the Nintendo Online Store. Special wireless NES and SNES controllers are available in Nintendo's online storefronts to any account that is also a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber. The NES controllers slide onto the system like Joy-Con, and both the NES and SNES controllers make playing retro games via the online service a treat.

Nintendo Switch Online: Should you buy it?

For its price, the service is definitely worth it. While not every game supports cloud saves, there are some solutions for games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the various Pokémon games. The cloud saves are, in my opinion, the main selling point of the service outside of the obvious online play feature. I haven't personally had too many negative experiences with Nintendo's online servers, but for games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, input lag is a critical issue.

The other features, like the special offers, bonus items, game trials, and coupons, are also neat and definitely add to the service. However, features like the cumbersome voice chat are so disappointing that I would recommend that persons use third-party applications like Discord or Skype instead.

With the family membership, it's even cheaper if players who know and trust each other get together to pay for the service. You pay up to 75% off of the 12-month individual plan if you pay for it as a group. If this service costed the same as those offered by other gaming companies, I'd be a bit hesitant. But for $5 to $20 a year? Sign me up!