Nintendo Life reviewed the SWORL on Switch and Switch 2 in October 2025. The reviewer set out to see whether a leverless controller could work for more than fighting games, and found that it does, with one caveat.

“The SWORL is a remarkable little device.”

— Nintendo Life

What Nintendo Life liked

• The thumb domes. Hall effect, grippy and operated with the side of the thumb. The review admits that sounds odd on paper and says it works really well in practice.
• Comfort. With a layout dialed in, your hands rest in a neutral position with nothing to grip. This was the high point of the review.
• Fighting games. For Street Fighter 6 and other Switch fighters it felt on par with the competition right away.
• Plug-and-play games. Metroid Prime Remastered, Pokémon Scarlet and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar all worked well on the default layout.
• The extras. RGB lighting, an easy web configurator, a non-slip back and a quality carry case in the box.

The caveat: some games need a remap

Nintendo Life’s main gripe is that the default layout does not suit every game. Titles that lean on shoulder buttons, like Dark Souls, need a custom profile first. That is the reason we publish ready-made layouts:

• Dark Souls II on the SWORL
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the SWORL
• Super Mario Odyssey on the SWORL
• The Natural Profile

They also found the stock artwork plain. The top cover is magnetic, so swapping in your own art takes seconds.

Get the SWORL

SWORL Basic covers Switch, Switch 2 and PC. SWORL Multiconsole adds PS5 and Xbox.

Read the full review at Nintendo Life.