Nintendo Switch Online Adds 5 Classic Games, Available Free Now

Nintendo Switch Online offers one of the most fascinating gaming libraries, thanks in no small part to the less celebrated corners of Nintendo history. Alongside major classics ranging from the original Super Mario Bros. to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the Nintendo Switch Online library houses a few truly esoteric hits.

The greatest example of this might be the Virtual Boy lineup available in the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, which delivers an array of highlights from Nintendo’s oddball 3D console of yesteryear. This particular selection just got a major buff, including 3D riffs on some undeniable classics.

Nintendo of America announced five new Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack games on X, all of which hail from the Virtual Boy library. The full list of games is as follows:

V-Tetris
Jack Bros.
Space Invaders Virtual Collection
Virtual Bowling
Vertical Force

While a couple of these titles might be unfamiliar to all but true Virtual Boy acolytes, several speak for themselves. V-Tetris offers a fairly typical Tetris experience in its Type-A mode, but the Type-C option takes advantage of the Virtual Boy‘s 3D effects with a cylindrical approach. Space Invaders Virtual Collection similarly includes both direct arcade ports of the original Space Invaders games and updated 3D versions. Virtual Bowling isn’t based on any particular franchise, but it doesn’t take much critical thinking to figure out the basic gameplay on offer.

Jack Bros. is a maze game, but its real claim to fame is being the first game connected to the Shin Megami Tensei franchise to be released outside Japan. While Jack Bros. never had the cultural impact of later international releases like Revelations: Persona or Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, it’s still an interesting side note in series history.

Lastly, Vertical Force is, true to its name, a vertically scrolling shoot’ em up. In terms of gameplay, it didn’t revolutionize the genre, but the 3D effects do make for some visually interesting (if potentially hard to parse) scrolling.

At any rate, the addition of new games is a great excuse for anyone who purchased Virtual Boy headsets for the Switch 2 to break out the niche accessories once more. Along with the pricier plastic model, Nintendo offers a cheaper cardboard version, and the Labo cardboard headset or even a homemade one can work just as well. Playing Virtual Boy games on the Switch won’t appeal to everyone, but it’s great that the unusual Nintendo Switch opportunity exists at all.