Nintendo continues to strengthen its Switch Online + Expansion Pack service with new game releases. Today, the focus is on the entry level, with as many as seven games added to the NES library.
New titles now playable on the service include Urban Champion (1986), Golf (1985), Donkey Kong Jr. Math (1986), Mach Rider (1986), Sunsoft’s side-scrolling platformer The Mystery of Atlantis (1986) – known in Japan as Atlantis without Nazoand two games previously included in the Rare Replay Collection, Solar Jetman (1990) and Cobra Triangle (1989).
Nintendo is currently offering a free 7-day trial for Switch Online in select regions, which resets even if you’ve purchased one before. Here’s a detailed rundown of every title released today, courtesy of Nintendo’s official PR:
City champion™ – There is only one rule on these streets: Hit or get hit. Nintendo’s first 2D fighting game since 1986, City champion™ is a bare-knuckle toss-up between fighters looking to earn the rank of Champion – and send their opponent tumbling into the nearest shaft in the process. If they succeed, they will earn confetti from the locals and eventually enough victory tokens to declare themselves the undisputed champion. But watch out for angry neighbors who will try to drop pots on your head, and the police will occasionally show up to temporarily break up the fight or make an arrest if the battle clock runs out. Spar against a computer opponent or a friend and prove your worth by becoming the city champion!
Golf – Click on the links and revisit one of the original NES sports games. This 1990 classic offers you 36 holes of realistic golf action, with hazards that change every time you play (so you’ll need to plan a strategy beyond just ‘swinging’). Check the wind direction, choose the right club and adjust your swing as you drive. A scorecard tracks your strokes for each hole as you face twisting fairways and hungry sand traps. The time to play is now, so grab your clubs!
Donkey Kong Jr.™ mathematics – First question: Donkey Kong + Donkey Kong Jr. ÷ Math homework = ? The answer: Numerical fun. Originally released in 1986, Donkey Kong Jr.™ Math adopts the original’s amazing gameplay Donkey Kong Jr. game and adds an extra element of mathematical challenge. Play as Donkey Kong Jr. and rescue Donkey Kong who has been imprisoned by Mario. Navigate vines and platforms to solve math-based puzzles that require you to do everything from adding numbers to grabbing matching symbols that add, subtract, multiply and divide them as needed to solve each problem. Along the way you’ll collect fruits and keys and make sure you avoid pesky birds, nasty electrical sparks and creepy choppers! Sorry, didn’t we mention there was going to be a test?
Mach rider™ – Set either 88 years in the future (from today) or 127 years in the future (from the original release date of the game in 1985), Mach rider™ is a combat vehicle racing game in which players navigate their heavily armed Quadrunner through the devastated deserts of Earth in 2112. Engage in the battle course and fight your way through 10 different sectors, avoiding obstacles and defeating enemies. Or try your hand at the endurance course, where you try to complete sectors within a set time, with oil barrels and opponents determined to slow you down. You can also tackle the time trial in Solo Course mode, where it’s just you against the clock. Remember that you are Earth’s only hope – you are the Mach Rider.
The Mystery of Atlantis – Known as Atlantis without Nazo in Japan, The Mystery of Atlantis is a side-scrolling adventure where players take on the role of Wyn, an amateur explorer intent on uncovering the secrets of a lost civilization and rescuing his captive master from the forces of the evil Emperor Zavyra. Using sticks of dynamite, Wyn will try to survive in countless exotic locations such as caves, temples and even clouds. Atlantis consists of 100 areas, each connected by doors – but choose wisely! Your success in the island maze will depend on which doors you pass through and the path you take.
SUNNY® JETMAN – You are a Jetman on a dangerous mission to collect the lost pieces of the Golden Warpship, an almost mythical ship capable of interstellar travel. This multi-directional shooter from the early 90s puts you in the cockpit of Jetman’s Jetpod as you explore 12 menacing alien worlds, each with their own gravity level! Collect alien goods along the way to earn points that you can trade for gear from Interstellar Marketing Co. Trading Post. Once you find a part of the Warpship, you’ll have to tow it back to your Mothership, fighting the extra drag that affects your maneuverability (and burns your fuel – keep an eye on those gauges!). Restoring the pieces will not be an easy task and Solar Jetman is the only hope!
COBRA TRIANGLE™ – Have you heard of the Bermuda Triangle? Well, that’s a resort cruise compared to what awaits you in the COBRA TRIANGLE™. Test your skills and reflexes at the helm of a Cobra-class speedboat in this vehicle-based action game from 1989 for the original NES. In this part boat racing game, part vehicle combat game, you’ll take on high-speed challenges including cannon-equipped enemy ships, endangered swimmers, deadly sea monsters, dangerous whirlpools and ticking bombs. Play through 25 stages of water chaos where you’ll need to collect power-ups scattered throughout the levels to improve your speed and firepower if you hope to make it out of the triangle in one piece!
Japan also got some different games on the Famicom. In place of Mystery of Atlantis, Solar Jetman, and Triangle of the Cobra, he got the former Mahjong system game, a Nintendo adventure game Famicom Mukashibanashi: Shin Onigashima and the match-five game Gomoku Narabe Renju
