I've been playing Monopoly for years (and ruining relationships along the way). So with the latest release of it hitting the Nintendo Switch, we gave it a spin.
Bringing this to Switch was a move of genius on the part of Ubisoft/Hasbro, as the console itself seems to suit it perfectly. The ability to both play at home and then to take the console with you to play on trips and elsewhere gives a great flow to a game which can take some time to complete. Not only that, but the ability to use a single joycon to pass round each player stops all need of additional controllers, even with 6 players.
The gameplay itself is complemented by the graphics on the title, with bright colors and attention to detail being put in on the player tokens and boards. The way everything interacts is implemented in a fantastic manner, the dice bouncing off items, the board shaking. For such a simple game, the level of detail is off the charts.
However Monopoly for the Switch is not a simple game. Sure there is the standard game of Monopoly for the purists out there (you're not alone), but there is the addition of Goal and Action cards. Specificing an end goal (rather than being the last person standing) such as first to own a full set or to a certain amount of cash being mixed in with cards that allow you to move other players around the board or force them to pay the bank twist the standard concept of the game to a new level. Not only that but you can bring in house rules and the marmite-esc speed dice (I'm a fan personally).
There's also a great sense of progression for single player content. With multiple objectives across each living board and just throughout the game (such as leaping an entire board side in a turn), not only are these challenges to complete, they reward new tokens to play with.
There are some little announces throughout however. The ability to specify money in trades is annoying, with no ability to type in a number, and there is a patch due to fix the transitions between menus and end of games where it will routinely crash. The load times also seem to stretch on, but to be honest, these aren't horrendous issues.
However Monopoly for the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic addition to the Switch lineup. If you've played Monopoly before, you'll thoroughly enjoy it on the console and if you've never played Monopoly, this is a great way to begin your journey to the inevitable Christmas Day family fight. 8/10.