Nintendo Switch Sports Resort packs a lot of depth into its Archery mode, and one of the best examples is the 12 Secret Targets hidden across its four stages. These aren't just fun easter eggs, they're tied directly to one of the game's five Archery achievements, which asks you to hit 6 out of the 12. You only need half of them for the achievement, but finding all 12 is a satisfying challenge in its own right, and a solid way to one-up friends in local play. The game builds on the legacy of Wii Sports Resort with more stages, more secrets, and noticeably trickier wind mechanics as you progress.
Why the secret targets are harder than they look
The key here is understanding that Archery in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort isn't a pure precision sport. Wind direction and strength shift between shots, your pull strength introduces tiny variations, and the targets themselves are often placed at distances where all three variables compound. The Plaza stage has no wind, which makes it the most forgiving place to start. From Beach onwards, wind becomes a factor in every single round, and by the time you reach the Mountains stage, it's actively blowing upward, which changes how you calculate your arc entirely.
What most players miss is that your first shot at any Secret Target doesn't need to hit it. Fire once to see where your arrow lands relative to the target, then adjust. The game gives you three shots per round, so treat the first as a range-finder.
Stage-by-stage breakdown of all 12 targets
Plaza (3 targets, no wind)
The Plaza's three Secret Targets are an apple hidden behind a bridge in the distance, a pinata standing on rocks in the water to the left, and a hamburger sitting on the roof of the large building in the background. With no wind to deal with, these are the most repeatable shots in the game. The apple is the trickiest of the three purely because of distance, but the pinata and hamburger are visible once you know where to look.
Beach (3 targets, mild wind)
Beach introduces wind and immediately raises the difficulty. A custard pudding (specifically a Japanese purin, similar to flan) sits on a distant rock to the right. An apple perches on rocks just right of the main target, and it's arguably the hardest of all 12 shots in the game because of a blocking rock on the right side that comes into play depending on wind direction. A melon sits on a ledge in the large rock to the upper left and looks straightforward but regularly punishes overconfidence.
Plains (3 targets, moderate wind)
The Plains stage spreads its targets across a wide open area. A hamburger sits outside the large building to the left, another melon is tucked at the base of the cliffs to the upper right, and a third hamburger hides behind a tree on the hill below you. The distance in this stage means wind corrections are more dramatic than they appear, so small adjustments go a long way.
Mountains (3 targets, strong upward wind)
The Mountains stage is the most demanding in the game for regular archery, and the Secret Targets here are exceptionally well hidden. A custard pudding sits at the edge of a cliff to the right. A pinata is on the floor of a cave area above and to the right. The final target, a toaster, is sitting on a ledge on a magma wall to the left, past a molten pillar. Here's the thing: the upward wind in this stage actually works in your favor for the toaster. Line the bottom of your cursor up with it and let the wind carry the arrow up.
Getting the achievement without hunting all 12
If the full 12 feels like a grind, the achievement only requires 6 hits, so you can target the six easiest ones across Plaza and early Beach rounds and call it done. The Plaza targets are the obvious starting point since there's no wind. Completing the achievement unlocks recognition in the game's achievement log, which feeds into the broader 100% completion checklist for Archery.
For players who want to go further, the full Wii Sports Resort guide collection has additional resources worth bookmarking as you work through the rest of the game's sports and achievements. There's more depth in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort than the casual presentation suggests, and the gaming guides hub is a good place to track down help across other titles too.
