Nintendo Switch Online gets new batch of NES and SNES games
After a dry spell that has lasted since February, Nintendo is finally sending out a new batch of NES and SNES games to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.
This latest group has already proven to be a point of contention among some Switch owners. I’ve seen people complaining that we still haven’t gotten any of the Donkey Kong Country games, or Earthbound, or Super Mario RPG. Me, however? I’d much rather get an interesting batch of lesser-known yet still fun games than the same big titles over and over.
In that, I think this latest group is legitimately a good one. First up for Super Nintendo is the fantastic Panel de Pon, the original Japanese version of what became known as Tetris Attack here in the States. Panel de Pon is one of the all-time classic puzzle games, up there with other franchises such as Tetris and Puyo Puyo. Panel de Pon is definitely enjoyable solo, but where it truly shines is when competing with friends and family in its multiplayer mode.
Next up is a true cult classic from the SNES: Wild Guns. Natsume’s third-person shooter set in a cybernetically-enhanced Wild West is still as fun now as it was when it first hit back in 1994. So much so, in fact, that it received an enhanced port a few years back on PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC. If you didn’t get a chance to play that version, then don’t miss it here.
The final SNES game is the only one in this batch I have no direct knowledge of: Operation Logic Bomb. I’m going to finally be giving it a go, though, as this Jaleco top-down shooter certainly looks interesting.
Along with those titles we get one lone NES release. While its original 1986 arcade release was a more straightforward side-scrolling action game, Tecmo turned Rygar on the NES into a far deeper and more involving adventure RPG of sorts. I still remember playing this as a kid, and while it could definitely be hard to figure out at times, it was also pretty captivating all of the way through. So, if you do try Rygar out, don’t give up right away.
Wondering when our next batch of NES and SNES games will be? Who knows. If Nintendo keeps up this pace, maybe we’ll be back to talk about more in another three months. It’d be nice, though, if they’d open up the glacially slow drip of games just a little more so that we don’t have to wait that long.
Panel de Pon, Wild Guns, Operation Logic Bomb, and Rygar will his the Nintendo Switch on May 20th.
Mollie got her start in games media via the crazy world of gaming fanzines, and now works at EGM with the goal of covering all of the weird Japanese and niche releases that nobody else on staff cares about. She’s active in the gaming community on a personal level, and an outspoken voice on topics such as equality in gaming, consumer rights, and good UI. Check her out on Twitter and Mastodon.
