During the last Nintendo Direct, the Japanese finally revealed the addition of games from iconic handhelds to the Switch Online service. The first titles are now available.
The latest Nintendo Direct took place on the night of February 8-9 and initially did not herald too many interesting news. However, in the second half, it was revealed that the Gameboy and Gameboy Advance games will go to the Switch console. An active Nintendo Switch Online subscription is required to use them.
The titles have been spread across two subscription tiers. The basic game included games from the original Gameboy (as well as those from the improved Gameboy Color), and the more expensive Expansion Pack included the library from Advance. The best thing is that right after the end of Nintendo Direct, Switch users could already start enjoying the first productions from the iconic series of portable consoles. In addition, in both applications that support games, we can adjust the graphics settings to better reflect the retro style of the original devices.
At the moment, the range of titles is very limited, but there will definitely be more of them. For the regular Gameboy , Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (US and European versions), Game & Watch Gallery 3 , Gargoyle’s Quest , Kirby’s Dreamland , The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (English, German versions) are available at the moment and French), Metroid II: Return of Samus , Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins , Tetris , and Wario Land 3 . In turn, for Advance we have Kuru Kuru Kurukin , The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap(in US and European versions), Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (also in US and European versions), Mario Kart: Super Circuit , Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (also divided into two versions) and WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames (also divided into two versions).
Many people will be surprised by the lack of at least one installment of the Pokemon series in this list (for now, the only confirmed game that will be added in the near future is Pokemon Trading Card Game from Gamboy Color). Well, the libraries of both consoles will be expanded over time and the famous creatures will probably also go there. Perhaps later this month, because February 27th will be the official Pokemon Day and that’s when announcements about this series may appear.