Nintendo just released five more games on their Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack’s Virtual Boy app. Let’s have a look!
Virtual Boy App
| Game | Genre | # of Players | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Bros. | Top-Down Arcade | 1 | C+ |
tl;drThe first game in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise to see release in the West plays nothing like most Shin Megami tensei games. It’s an Arcade-style Top-Down character-based Shooter and maze game that’s decent, but would be better if it played more like a 2-Stick Shooter. Also, the time limits are frustratingly restrictive. Still, this is worth a try. | |||
| Space Invaders Virtual Collection | Arcade / Shmup | 1 | C- |
tl;drThis is really just Space Invaders with an optional 3D perspective and that’s pretty much it. There’s no reason for this game ot be in 3D, or for players to play this release instead of one of numerous others available on Nintendo Switch. | |||
| V-Tetris | Endless Pattern Falling Block Puzzle | 1 | C |
tl;drThis is just Tetris. And Tetris is great, but if you subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online, you already have multiple other versions of it, versions that don’t require the Virtual Boy accessory, aren’t in monochrome black and red, and actually include multiplayer. Oh, also, this version makes it harder to tell where blocks will fall, and the music is only so-so. | |||
| Vertical Force | Shmup | 1 | C |
tl;drThe idea behind this Shmup is excellent, pushing players to jump between foreground and background layers, with your “option” support ships able to patrol one while you fight on the other. The problem is that the screen size is absurdly restrictive, especially on the foreground layer, really keeping you fro being able to effectively maneuver and avoid enemies. | |||
| Virtual Bowling | Sports (Bowling) | 1 | D+ |
tl;drThe way this Bowling game handles aiming makes it absurdly difficult to aim your shots accurately, making for a Bowling game where you feel like you’re barely in control. What’s more, even if the controls weren’t bad, there’s little in the way of variety here – no minigames or wacky lanes or anything like that. | |||
Well, at the very least some of the games in this batch of Virtual Boy titles are interesting. Jack Bros. and Vertical Force both have some intriguing ideas at play here… but the execution leaves something to be desired in both cases. And I suppose there’s nothing extraordinarily awful about these ports of Space Invaders and Tetris, other than… well, they’re on the Virtual Boy, and that comes with its own issues, as well as the ready availability of better alternatives not on Virtual Boy. That just leaves Virtual Bowling as the one absolute stinker of this bunch.
At this point, we’ve gotten though nearly all of the announced Virtual Boy games due to be released on this app, with the only ones remaining being unreleased games D-Hopper and Zero Racers. Will either of those games be the true lost classic that Virtual Boy desperately needed but never received? Will Nintendo break down and let players play this app without the accessories? Will Nintendo decide to bring any other games to the Virtual Boy app? Hey, it’s possible we still might get Nester’s Funky Bowling, Panic Bomber, or Virtual League Baseball, all unlicensed games released in English. Well, I suppose only time will tell when it comes to those questions. But at this point I think we can at least safely say that the Virtual Boy App is nearly done receiving new content…
tl;dr – The Virtual Boy App gets five more games: Jack Bros., Space invaders Virtual Collection, V-Tetris, Vertical Force, and Virtual Bowling. Of this group, I think Jack Bros. and Vertical Force are the highlights, but even those games have their issues. All in all, this is a middling group of games, though there’s not much avoiding that at this point – we’re almost out of games for Nintendo to release on this app.
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