Genre: Game Compilation

Players: 1

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Review:

I’ll start by saying that this isn’t going to be a normal review. You won’t find an overall grade at the end telling you what I think of this collection of classic Virtual Boy games from the console’s original release in 1995 and 1996 as well as previously unreleased games planned to be added to this app. This is for multiple reasons – firstly, the service is still receiving (presumably sporadic) updates that add more content. Secondly, this is not a collection you can purchase and own – rather, this is an included perk of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription, and as such every player who subscribes to that service will have access to this compilation as long as they continue to have that subscription.

I should note that this app refuses to be played in docked mode, and in handheld mode it can only be viewed via two warped-looking screens that isn’t really conducive to play in handheld mode – you’ll really want to get either the Virtual Boy (Cardboard Model) or Virtual Boy replica unit to be able to play these games – or, if you’re playing on the original Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo LABO VR headset or a similar Nintendo LABO VR headset such as the OIVO For NS Pro VR Headset.

This app currently provides access to 7 games. All of the games in this collection have added display options (namely screen size and view distance for clearer 3D effect), the ability to rewind and create multiple save states. In addition, this collection allows players to sort games by title, release date, play time or last date played, or even create a custom order. All games also have the ability to remap buttons for each game, with the app saving each individual game’s button mapping for later use.

So… out of 7 games, what’s still worth playing today, and what isn’t? Well, here’s a rundown of what I thought of each and every one of these titles:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
3D Tetris	Unlimited Pattern Puzzle	1	C+
tl;dr This 3D take on the Tetrs formula is decent, but slow-paced, and the lack of multiplayer keeps it from being truly great.
Galactic Pinball	Pinball	1	B+
tl;dr This wonderful space-themed Pinball game uses a puck instead of a ball, and has solid physics as well as some really great table designs with fun bonuses like a Metroid-themed Shmup minigame. This one is absolutely a hidden gem in the Virtual Boy lineup.
Golf	Sports (Golf)	1	C-
tl;dr This is mostly a decent but unspectacular golf game, but the inability to gague how the power of your shot will translate into distance really hurts the gameplay, and the red/black aesthetic really doesn’t work well for the game.
Red Alarm	Combat Flight Sim	1	C-
tl;dr While it was ambitious for its time to have a Combat Flight Simulator that let you freely roam its environments, those environments were too restrictive to make good use of this, and the view distance was too limited. Add to this the issue that the wireframe enemies and environments look too samey, and make it difficult to judge what is and is not a solid surface.
Teleroboxer	Boxing	1	B
tl;dr While it might be easy to call this “Punch-Out!! with robots”, Teleroboxer has its own combat system that takes time to get used to, but once you do it’s an excellent game in its own right.
The Mansion of Innsmouth	Dungeon Crawler / Misc.	1	D-
tl;dr Never released outside of Japan until now… and it’s easy to see why. This game has you racing through a Dungeon-Crawler environment while stopping to shoot monsters with cursor-based combat. None of this is compelling, the levels look too samey, the time limits are too restrictive, and the combat is terrible. The intro to this seemed so promising, but after playing the game… ugh, don’t bother with this one.
Virtual Boy Wario Land	Platformer	1	A-
tl;dr This is almost-universally agreed to be the best game on Virtual Boy, and with good reason. I would also argue that it’s neck-and-neck with Wario Land 4 for the best game in the Wario Land series. Excellent level design full of secrets, fun gameplay, and good use of its 3D foreground/background mechanic all make this a winner.

When it all comes down to it, the truly must-play game in this list (A- grade or higher) is Virtual Boy Wario Land

And in addition to that, other worthwhile games well worth playing (B- grade or higher) are Galactic Pinball and Teleroboxer

3D Tetris is also pretty good, if you can get past its slow pacing and don’t mind the lack of multiplayer.

For those wanting a Top 5 list (because those are always fun), my suggestions would be as follows:

5. Golf

4. 3D Tetris

3. Teleroboxer

2. Galactic Pinball

1. Virtual Boy Wario Land

Of course, that’s just how it stands now – Nintendo will update this list with additional titles later… and when they do, I’ll try to make it a point to update this list as well.

tl;dr – Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack members currently have access to 7 Virtual Boy games, including few well worth playing, and all of these games have added save states and additional options. just be aware that playing these will require an additional Virtual Boy accessory (or Nintendo LABO accessory on the original Nintendo Switch).

Grade: N/A

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