Wingspan is one of the most bizarre concepts for a game that I've heard of in quite some time. It's a card game where the goal is to add birds to your bird sanctuary and score more points based on how much better your sanctuary is when compared to your opponents. So yes, it's a competitive card game about building a bird sanctuary. Can't say I've played something like that before.
It is based on a popular board game from 2019 that won several awards. Playing it definitely made me want to check out the board game version, as I can easily see how it would translate to a fun time among friends. This Switch port of the game is adequate, although it doesn't offer a whole lot outside of the core game and a whole lot of bird facts.
The gameplay revolves around drafting cards that have various birds on them - such as the Prothonotary Warbler or the Juniper Titmouse - each one having different abilities. These abilities are activated when certain actions are performed and give you bonuses, resources, or just extra points. In order to add a bird to your sanctuary, you need to have the right kind of food for the bird card you're trying to play. So, you need to collect the proper dice out of the birdfeeder that each have a type of food displayed on them. There are three types of terrain that certain birds need to be placed in and these areas also let you perform actions such as laying eggs or drawing new bird cards.
There are other ways to score points, such as by achieving end of round bonus objectives, fulfilling objectives on bonus cards, or la𝔍ying eggs which also allows you to perform additional actions. You do this for four rounds, and the player with the most points at the end is declared the winner and master of maintaining bird sanctuaries.
Anyone looking to play this game should definitely do the tutorial first. Trying to jump immediately into the game will leave you completely confused about how to even begin 📖to play, which makes sense as trying to play a complicated board game like this without reading the instructions beforehand would lead to similar confusion. I just wish the tutorial was a little less dry, as the friendly park ranger who teaches you how to play feels like that one board game-loving friend who painstakingly goes 🅷over every word in the rulebook for an hour (and I know that friend because that friend is usually me.)
I haven't played the physical board game, but it's gotten rave reviews online. Considering that we're still in the midst of a pandemic, this version of Wingspan could be the only way for many to play it as it offers both local and online multiplayer. Thankfully, this functions pretty well and the game itself seems solid. There's a good amount of strategy involved in placing your birds and scoring points.
But there isn't really much to do with this video game version of Wingspan besides play it against the computer or with friends. Of course, that's kind of an unfair criticism since there isn't much you could do with the board game version besides play it either. Yet, the overall package here feels very barebones. The only options on the main menu are to play the game with friends, online opponents, or A.I. players. Aside from that, you can look at all the birds you've found so far, view the results of past games, and see the credits. That's about it.
It doesn't really have much in the way of a single-player mode. The A.I. opponents provide a decent amount of challenge, so it is possible to enjoy Wingspan on your own. But this is definitely something that's better with other people. If you're unable to corral some buddies together or find an online game, then a lonely match against the computer is your only option.
The game can also be a bit awkward to play on the Switch. Switching between the different kinds of terrain, the food dice, bird cards, and other aspects wasn't as intuitive as it could have been, and I often found myself wondering if I was supposed to be using the triggers, face buttons, or control sticks to select something. You can use the touch screen to select cards - which is fine as long as you don't mind getting your grubby fingerprints all over your Switch - but that option isn't available if you're playing this in docked mode.
At least if you absolutely have to play this by yourself, it will make for a cozy, relaxing experience. The art style is all watercolored artwork of b♌irds and nature. Each time you play a card, a pleasant lady will tell you facts about the bird you just added to the board. The⛄ music is all acoustic guitar, violins, and bird chirps. I actually wrote most of this review with the game running in the background so I could hear the soundtrack. This seems to have been made to be played while sitting in front of a fire or on a deck overlooking a lake with a warm cup of tea in your hands.
I see the appeal in Wingspan as the game itself is a rock-solid card game. I came away from playing it with the intention to pick up a physical copy in the future or perhaps even try the PC version. On the Switch, however, it's just a little too cumbersome to control. Passing the Joy-Cons around feels like the least enjoyable way to experience this and not everyone is going to own a Switch and their own copy of this game to play online. There's also not much to do if you're playing this on your lonesome unless you enjoy beating or being beaten by artificial intelligence.
That said, if the Switch is the only choice you have, it's not the worst option. This is perfectly playable and works fine. But if you can somehow play this in person with your small group of socially distanced friends or on your PC while talking through Discord, then that would be the optimal way to experience this lovely little game.
A Ninte🌳ndo Switch copy of Wingspan was provided to TheGamer for this revi﷽ew. Wingspan is available on Nintendo Switch and PC.