The Switch continues to grow its NES library with the addition of two new games coming to Nintendo Switch Online later in August.
Every month Nintendo adds a handful of classic games to its slowly (but steadily) growing library of NES titles for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. The service started out last year by offering games from flagship Nintendo franchises, such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, and Metroid. But in subsequent months, Nintendo Online has begun offering more niche, hard-to-find NES titles.
Nintendo, as it does every month, took to Twitter to announce its new batch of NES entries coming to Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo announced two free NES titles for August, including Kung-Fu Heroes and Vice: Project Doom. Kung-Fu Heroes is an arcade beat 'em up with co-op, and Vice: Project Doom is a side-scrolling action game that hasn’t been officially released since its original debut in 1991.
Both games will be added to Nintendo Switch on August 21, which will bring its available NES library up to nearly 50 titles. In total, there are 716 games in the NES library (679 of which released in North America). Taking licensing into consideration, it’s highly unlikely Nintendo Switch Online’s NES library will grow anywhere near that number, but the big N does have plenty of classic titles to pick from, nonetheless. Regardless, Nintendo will likely need to start adding games from other classic Nintendo consoles such as the Game Boy and SNES in order to keep subscribers satisfied in the future.
Data miners did uncover 22 SNES games back in January – including Super Mario Kart, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Super Mario World to name a few – but the code was quietly removed just a month later. Fans still remain hopeful that Nintendo will opt to include SNES games soon, and many point to September as a likely release window as Nintendo Switch early adopters’ yearly memberships will be due for renewal. Nintendo did recently tell investors that it wants to make Switch Online more enticing by adding additional content, but it is still unclear if it was referring to free games from other classic consoles.
For just $4 a month (or $20 annually), Nintendo Switch Online subscribers unlock the ability to play compatible titles online and occasionally gain access to exclusive deals and games, on top of the free NES titles. Currently, Nintendo is offering an extended free trial of Mario Tennis Aces and free items in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for NSO subscribers.
Kung-Fu Heroes and Vice: Project Doom are releasing on Nintendo Switch Online August 21.