SwitchPiste

SwitchPiste is an open-world skiing and snowboarding videogame for the Nintendo Switch. Though it has support for a conventional control scheme, the game is designed for motion controls. The skiing option is meant for control via detached Joy-Con, and the snowboarding option for gripped Joy-Con or Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.

Premise
The game stars the user account's Mii as a skier-snowboarder visiting a sprawling ski resort, in a fixed third-person view. The user interface is largely intradiegetic, with information such as simplified maps and slopes' names and difficulty ratings being shown on signs rather than in a heads-up display. By not defining goals as rigidly, the game encourages going off the beaten path and exploring.

Chairlifts and lodges can be found at the ends of most pistes. The base of a chairlift automatically takes the player character to the end further up the mountain when entered. The player typically gains experience points by successfully clearing a pistes and performing tricks, with higher slope difficulties awarding more experience; experience can be exchanged for various items sold at ski lodges.

If the player character completely depletes their stamina or would suffer major injury on a piste, they will spawn at the bottom without gaining experience. If this happens in the backcountry, they respawn at the base of the resort.

Controls
Using skiing motion controls, twisting the Joy-Con (L) tilts the left ski, and twisting the Joy-Con (R) tilts the right ski. Tilting both towards each other in an inverted-V shape is an easy way to slow to a stop. Tilting both Joy-Con forward makes the player character lean forward more. HD Rumble allows the player to feel whether each ski is grounded and when it has collided with something. The sticks control the corresponding ski poles; clicking embeds the pole in the snow. Clicking both sticks and tilting down emulates pushing back with the ski poles to build momentum. The skiing mode has a lower initial difficulty with a higher skill ceiling.

The snowboarding motion controls use both Joy-Con's motion sensors in tandem, or the Pro Controller's sensors alone, to define the angle of the board. Twisting the Joy-Con Grip or Pro Controller around the vertical axis is the main way to steer left and right, and turning perpendicular to the slope while tilting the controller backward allows the player character to come to a stop. The snowboarding mode is harder to learn, but easier to master, which contracts the experience gain curve around its median.

Features
Terrain parks are deliberately-designed areas with jumps, jibs, and pipes that award experience when tricked off of. These do not give experience simply for reaching the bottom, but are a good way to profit off of testing one's skills.

Backcountry skiing or snowboarding occurs when the player travels far enough away from the patrolled pistes, not including shortcuts. In these more natural areas, experience is gained merely from navigating around, but there are more dangers that can all result in a complete respawn. It's also easy to get lost far away from the resort.

Night skiing or snowboarding starts when the player goes long enough without entering a lodge, or when using a special item. Some chairlifts are closed at this time. Due to the treachery of limited vision, experience gain is multiplied until sunrise.

Items
Ski lodges sell various items that can each be exchanged for specific amounts of experience points. Many have a direct impact on gameplay.