Nintendo Switch Online Is Adding Two Cult Hit Game Boy Advance Games in September
Two sequels are a welcome addition to Switch Online’s GBA collection.
Nintendo Switch Online may not be the best value for your money, offering a rather limited selection of games and requiring an additional Expansion Pack subscription to get access to everything. But where it really shines is in making cult classics and other hidden gems accessible to subscribers. This month, the higher tier subscription is adding two unexpected, offbeat Game Boy Advance hits that are well worth your time.
Starting September 25, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers will be able to play both Mr. Driller 2 and Klonoa: Empire of Dreams in the GBA catalog. Both are quirky cult classics from Bandai Namco that may not be the first games from the console that anyone would expect to see in the classics catalog, but are interesting platforming experiments nonetheless.
Nintendo Switch Online adds two Game Boy Advance hidden gems in September.
Mr. Driller 2 began as an arcade game before being ported to GBA and, later, PC. Before coming to Nintendo Switch Online, it was also available through the Wii U virtual console. The Mr. Driller series is a spinoff of Namco’s Dig Dug, and Mr. Driller 2 feels something like a mix between that game and Tetris. The goal of the game is to dig through the ground by drilling through colored blocks, reaching as far down as you can on each run. Drilling into one block will also remove every block of the same color connected to that one. As you make your way down, you need to collect oxygen to replace a constantly depleting tank and take care not to be crushed by debris, which can fall when you destroy the blocks supporting it.
By comparison, Klonoa: Empire of Dreams is a bit more typical of a platformer, but it’s still an interesting one. A spinoff of the PlayStation Klonoa series, Empire of Dreams sticks close to its console counterparts without simply emulating them. As the eponymous Klonoa, you have the ability to grab enemies from a distance, then throw them as projectiles at other foes. Instead of throwing them, you can also use them to perform a double jump, which also destroys the enemy. Unlike the more action-oriented PlayStation games in the series, Empire of Dreams puts more emphasis on puzzles using Klonoa’s unique abilities.
Both new additions to Switch Online’s GBA catalog are puzzle platformers worth checking out.
Mr. Driller 2 and Klonoa: Empire of Dreams arrive at the perfect time for Nintendo’s classics collection. Just a few weeks prior to their release, Switch Online’s GBA app received an update that adds the ability to remap controller buttons and increases the resolution of games played in the app on Switch 2. At the time the new features were added, the GBA catalog hadn’t added any new games since April’s Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, making its timing slightly odd. Now, though, subscribers will be able to take full advantage of the update with the newest additions to the catalog.
Between indie heavy-hitters Silksong and Hades 2, Switch players may already have a lot on their plates, but the new additions to the GBA catalog are still a welcome treat. Some fans of the original games are undoubtedly excited to get their hands on the games again, but it’s an even bigger deal for anyone who didn’t check them out the first time they were available. As always, the best part of Nintendo Switch Online is getting to check out retro games you didn’t have the chance to play originally or never even heard of. Mr. Driller 2 and Klonoa: Empire of Dreams both fit that bill for a lot of players, and they’re clever platforming experiments that deserve a second chance to shine.
