Nintendo fans finally beat Switch game devs couldn’t after 7 years
▼ Summary
– 1-2 Switch is a quirky Nintendo party game with unconventional mini-games like milking cows and balancing plates, which sold millions but faded from public memory.
– A gamer named Elfilin used 1-2 Switch as an icebreaker in social settings, appreciating its accessibility for non-gamers.
– Elfilin and a friend attempted a rare feat: completing the Plate Spin mini-game, which has a 2-minute timer and was seemingly unbeaten before.
– After six hours of intense effort and strategy adjustments, they succeeded, discovering an unrevealed ending even Nintendo testers hadn’t seen.
– Elfilin humorously boasts about being the only known person to fully complete this first-party Nintendo game, despite its 4 million sales.
Nintendo fans have achieved what even the game’s developers couldn’t – completing a notoriously difficult mini-game in 1-2 Switch after seven years of attempts. While the party title never reached the popularity of Nintendo’s flagship franchises, its quirky challenges have now earned an unexpected place in gaming history thanks to two determined players.
The story begins with gamer Elfilin, who purchased 1-2 Switch back in high school. Unlike most players who moved on quickly, they kept returning to its offbeat mini-games, finding them perfect for breaking the ice with new friends. “It’s the kind of game where anyone can jump in and have fun, even if they’ve never held a controller before,” Elfilin explains. One particular challenge, Plate Spin, stood out as an endurance test disguised as a party game.
In Plate Spin, players balance virtual plates using Joy-Con controllers while the game gradually reduces their size. Most rounds end in seconds, but the timer runs for two full minutes, a duration that seemed impossible until Elfilin and a friend took it as a personal challenge. “We realized nobody online had ever claimed to finish it, not even the developers,” they recall. What followed was a grueling six-hour marathon of sore arms, strategic adjustments, and relentless focus.
Success required perfect coordination. Moving too slowly caused instability, while excessive speed threw the plates off-center. The duo discovered brief pauses could reset the wobble, but maintaining momentum became harder as the plates shrank every 30 seconds. Finally, after multiple sessions, they watched the timer hit zero, unlocking an ending even Nintendo’s testers hadn’t seen.
The payoff? A roaring crowd and a congratulatory message declaring a draw. While anticlimactic to some, the victory held deeper meaning. A former 1-2 Switch tester later confirmed on Reddit that no one on the development team had ever completed the mini-game during testing. “Honestly, I’m surprised we included it at all,” the tester admitted.
For Elfilin, the achievement represents more than bragging rights. “It’s proof that even overlooked games can hide incredible challenges,” they say. With 1-2 Switch selling over four million copies, their feat underscores how player dedication can uncover secrets missed by creators themselves. Whether Nintendo takes note remains to be seen, but for now, two friends hold a record that defied the odds—and the developers.
(Source: Polygon)
