Nintendo has always marched to the beat of its own drum, which means consistently doing things differently than its primary rivals, Microsoft and Sony. Oftentimes, this works to the company's benefit: Its unique idea of the Nintendo Switch as a hybrid console has performed tremendously well, for example. But other times, it leads to Switch owners lacking some of the more basic features Xbox and PlayStation gamers have enjoyed for years. A classic example of this is Nintendo consoles' lack of an achievement system.
An achievement system (or trophy system, in the case of PlayStation) brings a lot of value to a console. It allows gamers to compare their single-player progress with friends, as well as an extra incentive to see everything a game has to offer. Nintendo has seemed to care little about this feature in the past, but as Microsoft and Sony continue to support their achievement systems with each passing console generation, is there any chance Nintendo eventually follows suit with the Switch?
Despite not having a universal system like its rivals, recent first-party Nintendo games seem to indicate the company isn't completely opposed to the idea of achievements. For example, Luigi's Mansion 3 has 53 achievements in-game. This number is very much in line with the amount of achievements or trophies available for a PlayStation or Xbox title, but the accolades are only trackable in the game itself, and there is no system-wide interface for viewing them. Nintendo's biggest hit of 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, has Nook Miles, which is basically another in-game achievement list. Luigi's Mansion and Animal Crossing are both long-standing Nintendo franchises, and neither has incorporated any sort of achievement list in previous entries. One might think this could be foreshadowing an upcoming, cross-game trophy system, but the way Nintendo has handled similar Switch features in the past indicates otherwise.
In-Game Achievements Are Likely All Nintendo Switch Will Get
The inclusion of in-game achievement lists is an example of something Nintendo has done quite a bit in the Switch's life: listen to something the fanbase wants, then take only a small half-step towards addressing it. For example, Nintendo fans have wanted a better online service for years, and it seemed Nintendo was finally taking this request to heart when it launched Nintendo Switch Online. Switch owners were hopeful this service would greatly expand the platform's online capabilities, especially considering the subscription fee. However, despite being an upgrade on previous offerings, Nintendo Switch Online has still been mostly a disappointment, with no party system, subpar servers, and limited communication options.
People were similarly excited when Nintendo announced the Switch would offer cloud storage, another request from fans. Once again, though, this service fell short when its limitations were revealed, including not supporting some of the Switch's biggest games, such as Pokémon Sword and Shield. And of course, the Switch's offering of digital classic Nintendo games is the prime example of only half-delivering, as it still only provides a limited selection of NES and SNES games to choose from.
This pattern of the Switch only half-delivering on its potential seems destined to continue with its take on achievements. While in-game achievement systems in games like Luigi's Mansion 3 are better than nothing, they're still a significant step down from a system-wide interface that lets players compare accolades with friends across titles. With the Nintendo Switch now more than four years old, it seems unlikely a fully-fledged achievement system will ever grace the console.