Nintendo Switch Sports Resort boss Lucía frustrates TechRadar writer

Island Crown and the Legend match

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort includes Island Crown, a mode that is mainly single-player, according to a 15 November 2026 TechRadar article. The report describes the game as a Nintendo Switch 2 title. In Island Crown, players work through a ranking table for each sport.

The main aim is to beat the Island Champion. Once a player reaches the top rank, the game opens a special match against a Legend. The article says these Legends are highly skilled Mii characters taken from Wii Sports Resort and related games.

The TechRadar piece focuses on one Legend in particular: Lucía, a table tennis opponent. It says her match was the hardest part of Island Crown for the writer. The article also notes that Legend matches can vary from fair challenges to very frustrating ones. The article says the match can be reached after the top rank is secured.

Why Lucía was so difficult

The writer describes Lucía as fast and accurate. The article says her movement speed made it hard to keep up with her. It also says her precision allowed her to place shots in awkward areas.

Lucía is also presented as mentally tough. The report says she stayed steady when facing powerful shots. That made it difficult for the writer to win points through force alone.

The article says Lucía's resolve was a major factor. Even when the writer produced strong shots, she kept her composure. That forced the player to keep rallies alive and look for openings.

The article compares the match with well-known difficult games. It names Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. It also mentions Hollow Knight: Silksong and Battletoads, and says the table tennis match felt harder than those titles.

Early losses and small improvements

The report says the first attempts were very one-sided. The writer lost several matches by a 6-0 score. Those defeats made the task feel especially harsh.

Over time, the writer began to win points. The article says long rallies helped, because Lucía would eventually make a small mistake. The writer also reached tied points during some matches.

The piece says slice shots helped the writer return to the middle of the table. This reduced the chance of being caught out of position. The writer also used these shots to stay in rallies until Lucía erred.

The final rally

The article describes a late-night playing session. It says the writer was still trying after midnight, with dozens of failed attempts behind them. The writer was holding Joy-Cons, and the match reached 4-4 before the final push.

The writer then won a long rally to make the score 5-4. The report says the rally included strong returns, accurate placement and last-second saves. It also says the writer spotted a gap on Lucía's left side and used it to score.

Lucía then scuffed a return, giving the writer a final chance. The writer hit a smash, and Lucía missed. The article says the win came after about 50 losses and earned a golden nameplate item.

A harder Gauntlet follows

According to TechRadar, beating Lucía unlocks a table tennis Gauntlet. The article says this mode contains an even harder Mii opponent. The writer decided not to try it straight away.

The report presents the Lucía match as a surprising difficulty spike. It shows that a sports game with a friendly appearance can still produce a very demanding single-player challenge. The mode's ranking climb is only the first step.

For players, the article highlights the value of patience and rally play. It also shows that the reward for beating Lucía is cosmetic, rather than a new gameplay ability. The piece ends by suggesting that the next opponent may be even more demanding.