Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I don't know about you, but after a last week full of really bad gaming news, I desperately needed something positive to cheer me up. Thankfully, Nintendo just announced that there are brand new classic games available right now for the Nintendo Switch Online service! They have officially updated the Nintendo Classics line for the original Game Boy and Game Boy Advance. Let's take a deep dive into these retro additions!
First up on the Game Boy side, we have an absolute masterpiece: Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. This is a legendary game and it is actually one of the few retro games I physically own. This title is incredibly important to Nintendo history because it officially launched Wario's own platforming series. Depending on what special helmet he has equipped, Wario's powers actually change. You can pick up and chuck different enemies across the screen. You can also aggressively ram right into obstacles and secret blocks to clear a path. There are several different hats you can collect down the road that will give you different powers. It is a fantastic platformer.
Next up for the Game Boy is Fortified Zone, a classic retro title originally developed by Jaleco. Going into this one, I am honestly not super familiar with it. When I booted it up, it was not quite what I expected. I was initially expecting more of a fast-paced Contra style run-and-gun, but this gameplay feels almost like a top-down Legend of Zelda adventure mixed with the arcade shooting of Ikari Warriors. While I don't know that this specific title is something I would personally get heavily into myself, I could definitely see how you could get into something like this if you are a massive fan of old-school dungeon crawlers and Ikari Warriors.
The third Game Boy addition is The Sword of Hope 2, developed by Kemco. Again, this is another retro title that I am completely unfamiliar with. Kemco games can definitely be a hit and miss experience. The game opens with a dramatic story. Right away, this feels exactly like a hardcore retro RPG. Yes, it is definitely a traditional role-playing game. It is very much a first-person, turn-based, text-heavy RPG experience. Honestly, this genre is not really for me, so we won't go very deep on that today. If you absolutely love these types of classic text-based RPGs, you have a massive adventure here.
In addition to the Game Boy lineup, there is also a brand new Game Boy Advance game added to the Expansion Pack tier. Let's check that out too! We received Dr. Mario & Puzzle League, which is essentially an incredible two-games-in-one cartridge. I don't know if I have ever actually played this compilation, and at first, I didn't even know what Puzzle League was. So, we started that one first. Suddenly, it clicked! I have played this gameplay style before, and I love this on the Super Famicom side. This is a fantastic puzzle game, originally known as Panel de Pon. I absolutely love this frantic block-matching gameplay. It is a great game!
Finally, on the Japanese side of the Nintendo Switch Online app, they received all the same titles, but they also got a completely different Game Boy Advance game. Over on the Japanese app, they received a game called Tomato Adventure. Oh man, what is this? It looks like a colorful RPG. Is this like a handheld version of Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom? I am honestly not sure, especially since I can't read the Japanese text! It turns out it is actually an RPG developed by AlphaDream, the same team that created the Mario & Luigi RPG series.
Out of all these newly added retro titles, which one is your absolute favorite? Let me know all your thoughts down below in the comments!
#NintendoSwitchOnline #WarioLand #DrMario #GameBoy #GameBoyAdvance #RetroGaming #Nintendo #SuperMarioLand3 #PuzzleLeague #TomatoAdventure #FortifiedZone #SwordOfHope2 #NintendoClassics #GameBoyGames #NintendoSwitch #GamingCommunity #RetroGamer #SwitchOnline #NintendoSwitchGames #ClassicGaming
I don't know about you, but after a last week full of really bad gaming news, I desperately needed something positive to cheer me up. Thankfully, Nintendo just announced that there are brand new classic games available right now for the Nintendo Switch Online service! They have officially updated the Nintendo Classics line for the original Game Boy and Game Boy Advance. Let's take a deep dive into these retro additions!
First up on the Game Boy side, we have an absolute masterpiece: Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. This is a legendary game and it is actually one of the few retro games I physically own. This title is incredibly important to Nintendo history because it officially launched Wario's own platforming series. Depending on what special helmet he has equipped, Wario's powers actually change. You can pick up and chuck different enemies across the screen. You can also aggressively ram right into obstacles and secret blocks to clear a path. There are several different hats you can collect down the road that will give you different powers. It is a fantastic platformer.
Next up for the Game Boy is Fortified Zone, a classic retro title originally developed by Jaleco. Going into this one, I am honestly not super familiar with it. When I booted it up, it was not quite what I expected. I was initially expecting more of a fast-paced Contra style run-and-gun, but this gameplay feels almost like a top-down Legend of Zelda adventure mixed with the arcade shooting of Ikari Warriors. While I don't know that this specific title is something I would personally get heavily into myself, I could definitely see how you could get into something like this if you are a massive fan of old-school dungeon crawlers and Ikari Warriors.
The third Game Boy addition is The Sword of Hope 2, developed by Kemco. Again, this is another retro title that I am completely unfamiliar with. Kemco games can definitely be a hit and miss experience. The game opens with a dramatic story. Right away, this feels exactly like a hardcore retro RPG. Yes, it is definitely a traditional role-playing game. It is very much a first-person, turn-based, text-heavy RPG experience. Honestly, this genre is not really for me, so we won't go very deep on that today. If you absolutely love these types of classic text-based RPGs, you have a massive adventure here.
In addition to the Game Boy lineup, there is also a brand new Game Boy Advance game added to the Expansion Pack tier. Let's check that out too! We received Dr. Mario & Puzzle League, which is essentially an incredible two-games-in-one cartridge. I don't know if I have ever actually played this compilation, and at first, I didn't even know what Puzzle League was. So, we started that one first. Suddenly, it clicked! I have played this gameplay style before, and I love this on the Super Famicom side. This is a fantastic puzzle game, originally known as Panel de Pon. I absolutely love this frantic block-matching gameplay. It is a great game!
Finally, on the Japanese side of the Nintendo Switch Online app, they received all the same titles, but they also got a completely different Game Boy Advance game. Over on the Japanese app, they received a game called Tomato Adventure. Oh man, what is this? It looks like a colorful RPG. Is this like a handheld version of Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom? I am honestly not sure, especially since I can't read the Japanese text! It turns out it is actually an RPG developed by AlphaDream, the same team that created the Mario & Luigi RPG series.
Out of all these newly added retro titles, which one is your absolute favorite? Let me know all your thoughts down below in the comments!
#NintendoSwitchOnline #WarioLand #DrMario #GameBoy #GameBoyAdvance #RetroGaming #Nintendo #SuperMarioLand3 #PuzzleLeague #TomatoAdventure #FortifiedZone #SwordOfHope2 #NintendoClassics #GameBoyGames #NintendoSwitch #GamingCommunity #RetroGamer #SwitchOnline #NintendoSwitchGames #ClassicGaming
