Nintendo Finally Injects Some Difficulty Into Switch Online With Four New Classics
Nintendo adds four notoriously difficult classics to Switch Online: Battletoads, Ninja Gaiden II, Bionic Commando, and Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters.
If you felt your blood pressure was dangerously low this holiday season, Nintendo has provided the perfect remedy in the form of four controller-smashing retro titles.
The platform holder has updated its Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) library today, adding a quartet of games that are defined less by their nostalgia and more by their sheer, unadulterated hostility towards the player. After months of scraping the barrel with obscure sports titles, we have finally received some heavy hitters for the NES and Game Boy applications.
The headline act is undoubtedly Battletoads for the NES. Rare's infamous 1991 brawler is renowned for two things: its technical wizardry and the Turbo Tunnel level, a sequence so punishing it likely ruined thousands of childhood weekends. It is a game that demands perfection. With the Switch's rewind feature, however, you might actually see the ending this time around.
Joining the toads is Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos. Widely considered the peak of the NES trilogy, it refines the tight platforming of the original while introducing the "Shadow Clone" mechanic. It remains a masterclass in 8-bit action design, provided you have the patience to memorise enemy spawn patterns that were clearly designed by a sadist.
Bionic Commando also makes its debut. This is the NES classic that famously removed the jump button, forcing players to navigate vertical levels using only a bionic grappling arm. It is a mechanic that feels awkward for exactly five minutes before becoming second nature.
Finally, the Game Boy app receives Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters. Released in 1991, this handheld sequel often gets overlooked in favour of its NES predecessor. It is a competent, if slightly slower, platformer that proves the Game Boy was capable of more than just Tetris.
All four titles are available immediately for subscribers. It is a surprisingly robust update, offering a genuine challenge rather than just a curiosity.
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