The Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics games for Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack owners who bought one of the two peripherals are live and work about exactly as you expect. You need to go ahead and jam your eyeholes right up against the system to start playing seven launch games. While needing to own one of those peripherals that resemble or function like the original device is a bummer and added expense, what is here right now can sometimes be enlightening, impressive, or some mix of the two. It’s definitely an appreciated move in terms of game preservation. So, let’s go through what we get and how good it is at highlighting the legacy of the Virtual Boy.
3D Tetris
3D Tetris is one of the seven Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics games that I believe best highlights what the company was going for and functions well on the Switch and Switch 2. It can be a bit frustrating, due to camera angles and constant rotation of the field. But you’re essentially looking at a Tetris well from overhead and dropping non-traditional Tetriminos down into it to create solid layers. When you completely fill the flat grid, it disappears. It is still possible to wipe a huge space with proper piece placement, but I felt like survival was more the goal here. It definitely nails the 3D sort of atmosphere while being fun to play and looking good.
Galactic Pinball
Frankly, Galactic Pinball feels like one of the more boring Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics additions to this Switch and Switch 2 game library. There is a forced 3D illusion, but it doesn’t feel as impressive as other games like 3D Tetris, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, or Virtual Boy Wario Land. It’s also pretty bland tables. I get why it’s here, but I doubt people would (or should) spend much time with it.
Golf
Like its name, Golf is a rudimentary simulation of the sport and serves as one of two sports games in the Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics library at launch. It works well and the controls are fine. If I’d been playing this in 1995, I’d probably be much more impressed. But it’s not as robust or entertaining as even some of the Game Boy games from that era, which is a knock against it. It’s also not the best example of the 3D effect on the system.
The Mansion of Innsmouth (Innsmouth no Yakata)
I think I’m more excited about The Mansion of Innsmouth after playing it for a while than the excitement I felt when I heard about it actually showing up. It’s such a fun addition. This is sort of like a first-person RPG and maze in which you attempt to get through a haunted mansion. The 3D effects are fine and not as impressive as other titles, but the accessibility is the important part here! It’s Nintendo showing that it is willing to go with unlocalized games to round out this collection, and I love that.
Red Alarm
Red Alarm is the Star Fox-like shooter and, I’ve got to say, taking the fight to AI at this point in time is satisfying. The perspective with the peripheral works for it to offer the illusion of a 3D experience and moving through space. The gameplay is solid too. I would recommend sticking with the game and not giving up on it if it doesn’t immediately click with you. The wire-frame models take some getting used to. But should you adjust, you’ll find it interesting to see how much T&E Soft did with so little.
Teleroboxer
I’m not always great at playing Teleroboxer, but I think it’s the strongest example of what the Virtual Boy was capable of when playing it on the Switch and Switch 2. It’s the equivalent of Punch-Out, only with robots. It’s difficult and requires learning to read opponents in the same way as games in that series too! But the 3D effects here and character sprites are fantastic. If you only have time to hop into one Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics launch game to test out the new peripherals, this is the game to choose.
Virtual Boy Wario Land
Virtual Boy Wario Land is great for three reasons. One is that it’s the most universally accessible game in the Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics lineup. Anyone can jump in and play it. It’s a platformer. It works exactly like other Wario Land games. You can’t mess it up. The second reason is that it makes great use of the 3D effect by using it to highlight things going on in the foreground and background. We’re jumping between the layers as we play, and it’s well conveyed. So the 3D effect is good. The final and most important reason is it’s just a pretty great Wario Land game that a lot of people probably missed out on, and now everyone can easily access it.
