Warning, puzzle. 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 SNES digital library. Based on Sega's classic drop-matching puzzler Puyo Puyo, this probably isn't the first SNES Kirby game you'll think of. But it is definitely one of the most unique and fun.
Joining Kirby's Avalanche are the SNES fighting game Fighter's History and the NES shooter Daiva Story 6. The latter contains quite a bit of Japanese text, but the shooter nature of the game makes it perfectly playable for English audiences.
You will be prompted to download the update the next time you launch the Nintendo Switch SNES and NES apps. Once done, the games will be added to the top of each app's menu, ready to stream.
Kirby saves us from a lousy lineup
Personally, I could take or leave this month's games other than Kirby's Avalanche. However, the puzzling adventure of the round pink blob is well worth it. That's in no small part thanks to its roots in the devilishly addictive Puyo Puyo.
Kirby's Avalanche is packed with charming, colorful visuals and brilliantly fun puzzle gameplay that's hardly aged a day. Not to mention some really funny one-liners that Kirby throws at his opponents in cutscenes. Overall, it's another great puzzle game added to the ranks of the Nintendo Switch.
Retro Switch offerings are still a long way from the Wii Virtual Console and Wii U days. But it's still nice to see more obscure titles and hidden gems coming to Nintendo Switch Online.
Another month, another mediocre offer?
However, it is a double-edged sword. Such games will not appeal to everyone. And the small number of SNES and NES games added each month is pretty depressing. Especially considering the sheer number of games these consoles house. A small handful of games added each month give retro apps a Wild West feel.
Fortunately, there's a greater sense of stability with Nintendo Switch Online's range of N64 games available at the expansion pack level. Sure, we only get one a month at the moment, but these are often popular titles that fans instantly resonate with.
At the very least, the SNES and NES collections are still showing signs of life. And that is certainly a good thing. I just hope that Nintendo doesn't give it all up again when it launches its next console.