Nintendo Switch Sports Chambara guide: How to play, format, tips and tricks

Last Updated on: 13th May 2022, 01:03 am

If you’re unsure what Chambara is it’s understandable, as no sport is officially called that in real life. Instead, Chambara is a genre of Japanese sword fighting movies that star Samurai warriors, and this term has been used for the sword fighting mode in Nintendo Switch Sports.

Here is everything you need to know about Chambara in Nintendo Switch Sports including how to play the mode, its format, as well as tips and tricks.

How to play Nintendo Switch Sports Chambara

Chambara is a sword fighting mode that sees two players duke it out to try and knock their opponent off the platform into the pool below.

In order to knock your opponent into the pool, first, you need to select your weapon, there are three different swords to choose from, each with its pros and cons.

Sword

A simple, basic style. Has the most powerful strike of the three styles.

Charge Sword

Build up energy by guarding, then strike with strong Charge Strikes.

Twin Swords

Fight with two swords. Seize victory with a Spinning Strike!

How to fight in Nintendo Switch Sports Chambara

There are two main aspects of playing Chambara, attacking and blocking. You can move your sword around by moving your Joy-Con up, down, left, or right.

By swinging your Joy-Con quickly you will perform an attack, which if it connects will push your opponent closer to the edge of the platform.

Guarding is an incredibly important part of Chambara, as without it you leave yourself to taking hits from your opponent’s attacks which will send you closer to the edge of the platform. You can perform a guard by holding ZL.

Whether you successfully attack or block will all depend on your sword’s position compared to your opponents.

For example, if your opponent is holding their sword vertically and you attack horizontally, they will successfully block the attack if they are holding ZL. Where if they were holding their sword horizontally you would connect the attack regardless of whether they were blocking or not.

Learning your opponent’s positioning for both attacks and blocks is essential for being able to connect successful attacks and be able to prevent your opponent from attacking you.

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Nintendo Switch Sports Chambara format

Players will battle it out in a best of three format, with the first player to score two points winning the match. A point is scored by knocking your opponent off the platform into the pool below.

Nintendo Switch Sports Chambara tips and tricks

When it comes to tips and tricks to win in Chambara, the best advice we have is to practice. A lot of determining whether you will win comes down to muscle memory for which way to block depending on your opponent’s swing, and how to connect a hit based on how your opponent is blocking.

And then you also need to build up your reflexes to be able to instantly react to your opponent’s movement.

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While it is tempting to be incredibly aggressive and try and knock your opponent off the platform as quickly as possible, it is important to stay grounded and be coordinated in your plays. Unless you spot a pattern in their movements, plan your attacks and blocks and you will have a better chance at winning the game.