![]() While it may represent just a snapshot of its incredible library, these are a handful of Game Boy Advance titles that Nintendo should absolutely add to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in the future! Image: Nintendo Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land Nintendo fans already have so much to look forward to with titles such as Metroid Fusion, Golden Sun, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror coming to the catalog’s future, but there are dozens of other great titles that could still be brought over to the system. While standard Nintendo Switch Online owners now have access to Game Boy games, Expansion Pack users have been given a handful of Game Boy Advance titles to play. Gamers wanted to look to the future, and something that could easily be mistaken as an old arcade game wasn’t on the forefront of most people’s minds.This past week, Nintendo revealed and launched two additional Nintendo Switch Online applications for subscribers of their dedicated online service. The Game Boy was a bit long in the tooth, and there was both a more popular “ Mario” game available on Game Boy with Wario Land ( technically Super Mario Land 3!) *and* a more popular Donkey Kong game on SNES coming later that year in the revolutionary Donkey Kong Country. The Super Nintendo had been out for about a year by the time DK94 had been released. After the first four screens, the game opens up, but turning the game on for the first time and just seeing the original 25m stage, an uninformed player might look at the title and the game and figure it’s just the same old game and move on. This goes hand-in-hand with the twist at the start of the game. Just “ Donkey Kong” makes the average gamer think this is yet another port of the arcade game, and by 1994 people were looking for bigger and better games than a four screen platformer. Handheld titles can be overlooked, Mario Land notwithstanding, but this one’s still not in the conversation! It’s a shame, but it’s easy to guess why.įirst, its title is pretty bad. Off-beat games like this are often regulated to the Warios and Captain Toads of Nintendo’s roster, So it’s surprising to see many “Best of Mario” lists skip right over DK94, when it’s easily in my top ten, maybe even top five, 2D Mario games. There’s an ingenuity at play here that you don’t see much from Nintendo’s safer titles starring Mario. I suppose it shares that with the arcade game, as there’s more music overall, so it’s got that going for it over the original. It’s not bad, but there’s not really anything here that’ll make you tap your foot or look up online for later listening. Pauline’s pixelated cries for assistance, the bounce of Mario’s jumps, and the slams of barrels falling down are captured well on the Game Boy, but I wish there was a bit more to the soundtrack. In the sound department, while the music works, it’s the voices and sound effects that are more memorable. Mario’s acrobatics are fun to watch, as seen in this official art for the game. This would be Jr.’s last major appearance aside from hitting the court in Mario Tennis and getting added as a racer in Mario Kart Tour, so it’s nice to see him helping his pop. into the mix, having the younger ape throw poison mushrooms to fell the plumber. As you progress, you’ll even see DK bring Jr. Cutscenes between levels introduce the new mechanics, so you’re never thrust into a level with no idea what to do. There’s some really incredible sprite work at play here, and it helps the flow of the game with how easy the levels are to read. When performing acrobatic feats, he strikes gymnastic poses, something that became a staple of the 3D entries. Have him fall from a high enough spot and he splats on the ground, leg twitching in the air. There’s a lot of charm in DK94’s graphics and sound, evident from even just moving Mario around. It’s a blast to use these skills to rush through each level, grabbing the purse, hat, and parasol Pauline left behind in each level to rack up a high score. Mario arguably has more movement options in this game than most of his 3D outings, let alone any of the other 2D titles. Each world introduces new items and mechanics as you go, such as ally creatures that help you reach higher jumps, climbable ropes, and balance beams to twirl on. You can even make Mario do a handstand, walking on his hands and letting some projectiles bounce off his feet. ![]() ![]() There is a backwards jump a la Super Mario 64 to gain extra height. You can climb and hang along tightropes to cross gaps or build momentum, enemies and items can be picked up and thrown if you jump on top of them. ![]() The variety of levels is impressive, especially for a game of its size.ĭK94 throws new mechanics at you quickly, but not overwhelmingly. ![]()
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