Nintendo’s Switch Online retro library just inducted two more cult-favorites from the Game Boy. Mario’s Picross and Donkey Kong, commonly referred to as Donkey Kong ‘94, joined the subscription service overnight. That probably doesn’t mean anything to most people but you’d be wise to pay attention.
Donkey Kong (1994) was a port of the arcade game to Nintendo’s handheld that’s much more than it initially seems. “One of the best Game Boy games ever is now on Switch Online,” is how Kotaku’s managing editor and resident Kong enthusiast Carolyn Petit announced the news to staff last night. I’d never played it. What could possible be so special?
“One of the best GB games ever,” she said when I asked. “It uses the original Donkey Kong (the arcade game) as a jumping-off point, like the first four stages of the game ARE the stages of the arcade game, but then instead of just looping infinitely like the arcade game does it becomes this epic puzzle platforming adventure.”
She continued, “It’s just a really neat riff on the original classic arcade game that expands it brilliantly and is actually ‘beatable’ unlike the arcade game and feels like it comes from an alternate universe of Mario platforming because he has different abilities and movement than he does in the Super Mario Bros. games.” Also there’s really cool arcade cabinet art bordering the gameplay on the original Super Game Boy.
Mario’s Picross, on the other hand, was the first in the Nintendo series about chipping away at nonogram logic puzzles to reveal cool pictures. It’s continued all the way to today on the Switch with the Picross S series, though Mario’s Super Picross, Picross DS, and Picross 3D remain many fans’ favorites. What’s so special about the original one besides being first? “It’s one of my favorite games ever!” contributing editor John Walker told me. “One of the solutions is a guy sat on the toilet.”
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