Nintendo Switch Online Adds Survival Kids, New N64 Features
The last Nintendo Switch Online update before the launch of the Switch 2 adds four games to the Game Boy library. You might think this is deliberately low-key since they’d want to save the good stuff for launch day or the weeks after, but you;d be wrong. If Nintendo was trying to be low-key they failed, because they just put up one of the rarest and most sought after GB titles in the system’s life.
The original Survival Kids is one of the pioneers of the survival game genre, released during a time in which survival games themselves were rare and almost unheard of. You play as a youngster who washes onto a deserted island and has to learn the hunter-gatherer life rather quickly. You first priority is searching for food and water, but you eventually learn how to combine items you find to create tools. Survival Kids is a fascinating game that was mostly ignored in its time, so you know what that means…prices for complete copies regularly auction in excess of four hundred dollars. So that being said, its inclusion in NSO is a godsend.
Coincidentally, there will be a new Survival Kids game launching with the Switch 2 as part of its opening library. Go figure.
The three other games NSO got this week are no slouches either…Kirby’s Star Stacker is a solid drop-puzzler (even if the SNES version is already here, making this redundant) and Gradius: interstellar Assault is a decent rails shooter. The odd one out is Sword Of Hope, which you should try only to see what it looked like to cram the scale of an entire PC RPG into an early Game Boy cartridge. You get a tiny window to see your location, surrounded by stats and menus. It was ambitious, all right…perhaps too much so.
Nintendo also revealed that next week, they’ll be adding some requested features to the N64 section, including the most requested of all: BUTTON REMAPPING. The number one complaint when this section launched was that you couldn’t rearrange which button did what — and since the N64’s controller was very different from controllers today, the default is far from a one-to=one match. But soon you won’t have to suffer anymore! Huzzah!
That feature will apply to both Switch and Switch 2. Other features planned for the June 5 update include the ability to rewind the games and add CRT filters, things Nintendo apparently couldn’t get working on the regular Switch — only the Switch 2 will have those options. But button remapping is the real prize.
Survival Kids
In this survival-role playing title released in 1999 on the Game Boy Color system, you play as the young child of a renowned explorer. A vicious storm hits while you’re on a cruise with your dad, and you’re left stranded on an uninhabited island. Now, with no help in sight, the only one you can rely on is yourself! Search the island for food and water, and combine items to create the tools you need to survive. If you scour every corner of the island, you might find a way to escape!
Kirby’s Star Stacker
Join Kirby as he stacks the falling stars with help from his friends: Rick, Kine, and Coo, who look like a hamster, sunfish, and owl respectively. Watch out for King Dedede – he’s out to stop you! But with a few quick moves and a well-timed strategy, you can outwit him and move on to the next challenging level.
Kirby’s Star Stacker features pure puzzle fun for everyone. From above, blocks rain down constantly. From below, whole lines appear with unrelenting clock-like regularity. Sandwich the stars between Kirby’s pals and you’ll be on your way to a high score.
Gradius: The Interstellar Assault
In this side-scrolling shooter, released for the Game Boy system in 1992, the battle is over, and the alien bile on your flight suit has dried. Your fingers twitch as if wrapped around the trigger of your ship’s guns. Suddenly, BLAM! Fire erupts on all sides. A swarm of doomships is closing in! With the three available weapons – missile, double, and laser – you’ll need to shape your attacks to each stage’s terrain and enemies. Just remember double and laser weapons can’t both be equipped at once!
The Sword of Hope
This role-playing game was released for the Game Boy in 1991 and features Prince Theo as its protagonist, who was born with a dagger-shaped birthmark on his arm – the mark of the chosen one. As the chosen one, you must set out to find the Sword of Hope, which is said to have the power to defeat the darkness. With it, you will save the land from the king, once good and mighty, but now possessed by evil. Press on using the magic and weapons at your disposal to defeat the creatures who block your path. Three commands will be essentially for your adventure. Look allows you to inspect people and your surroundings to get information, and Open allows you to open treasure chests to find precious items. Using Hit carelessly may lead to someone getting angry with you – but sometimes it can yield unexpected results!
