Attention, puzzles. The latest Nintendo Switch Online update brought an obscure yet excellent Kirby game to the service.
If you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber, you can now stream Kirby’s Avalanche through the service’s digital SNES library. Based on Sega’s classic bubble-matching puzzler Puyo Puyo, it’s probably not the first Kirby SNES game you might think. But it is certainly one of the most original and fun.
Joining Kirby’s Avalanche is the SNES fighting game Fighter’s History, and the NES shooter Daiva Story 6. The latter features a little Japanese text, but the shoot-em-up nature of the game makes it perfectly playable for audiences. English.
You will be prompted to download the update the next time you launch the Nintendo Switch SNES and NES apps. Once that’s done, games will be added to the top of each app’s menu, ready for you to stream.
Kirby saves us from a bad lineup
Personally, I could take or leave this month’s games that aren’t Kirby’s Avalanche. However, the puzzling adventure of the round pink bubble is worth anyone’s time. This is largely due to its roots in the devilishly addictive Puyo Puyo.
Kirby’s Avalanche is packed with enchantingly colorful visuals and brilliantly fun gameplay that barely ages a day. Not to mention some truly hilarious lines that Kirby throws at his opponents in cutscenes. All in all, it’s another excellent puzzle game added to the Nintendo Switch ranks.
Retro Switch offerings are still a far cry from the days of the Virtual Console on the Wii and Wii U. But still, it’s nice to see some more obscure titles and hidden gems coming to Nintendo Switch Online.
Another month, another mediocre offer?
It’s a double-edged sword, however. These games will not be to everyone’s liking. And the minuscule number of SNES and NES games added each month is quite unfortunate. Especially considering the sheer amount of games these consoles house. A small handful of games added every month definitely give retro apps a wild west feel.
Fortunately, there’s a greater sense of stability with the Nintendo Switch Online N64 lineup of games available in the Expansion Pack tier. Sure, we’re only getting one a month right now, but they’re usually popular titles that fans can instantly relate to.
At the very least, the SNES and NES collections are still showing signs of life. And that’s definitely a good thing. I just hope that Nintendo doesn’t abandon it all again at the launch of its next console.