Nintendo Switch Online Added Fun Namco Classics and Virtual Boy Treats – NSO Monthly Roundup April/May 2026
In April, Nintendo Switch Online brought us some Namco delights to the NES collection, and in May, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack added a bunch of Virtual Boy games. Since I missed April’s additions due to my computer being in the shop, I’m giving you guys a double helping this month. First, let’s look at the April releases.
Nintendo Switch Online April 2026 Additions
In April, Nintendo Switch Online added three NES games from the classic developer Namco. Are they any good? Let’s take a look.
Mendel Palace
Mendel Palace is an NES game where you’re trapped on a grid of squares, some of which have designs such as stars. Of course, there are enemies after you, but you can get rid of them by pushing the floor tiles at them. Push them to the edge and they die, and if you kill all the enemies, you advance to the next level. Star tiles can be picked up for points, and there are other special tiles that can affect enemies in different ways. While this game is fun in small doses, it feels like it’s missing something. It might be more fun in two-player, but I didn’t have anyone to play with.
Pac-Man
You know Pac-Man. Pac-Man eats dots through a maze while avoiding colorful ghosts. The NES version is a solid port of the arcade game. While the graphics and sound take a hit when compared to the arcade version, the classic gameplay is still as addictive as ever. I’ve loved Pac-Man ever since I was little, so I was glad to see this game finally added to Nintendo Switch Online. Pac-Man is a forever classic that will always be loads of fun, even if you weren’t around for its heyday.
The Tower of Druaga
In this NES game, you’re a hero named Gilgamesh, and you have to rescue your love by questing through a tower maze full of enemies. You can swing your sword at enemies and collect items as you try to find the exit to each floor. This game could have been great, except that it has two major flaws. The first flaw is that your character moves incredibly slowly, to the point where I just wanted to scream at him to hurry up. The second flaw is that there’s a time limit. Slow walking and time limits do not mix well.
Nintendo Switch Online May 2026 Additions
In May, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack added a bunch of Virtual Boy games, so you can have some fun in red and black 3D while trying not to get a headache. Let’s take a look at what we’ve got.
Jack Bros.
Along with Virtual Boy Wario Land, Jack Bros. is easily one of the best games for the Virtual Boy. You pick one of three characters, and you must make your way through a series of labyrinths where you shoot enemies, collect power-ups, and fight bosses as you descend through the layers of the maze. However, there’s a time limit, and getting hit reduces your allotted time, so you have to hurry and watch your back. This game has great music and a stellar presentation, and I’m so glad that Nintendo brought it back to life.
Space Invaders Virtual Collection
This game was previously a Japan-exclusive release. In case you don’t know Space Invaders, it was one of the first smash hit arcade games. Rows of aliens inch across the screen, slowly descending towards you, and you have to shoot them. This collection includes the classic mode, where the aliens descend in 2-D, and a 3-D mode, where you see the aliens from a perspective where you’re looking up at them. Both versions are fun, though they can be a little slow.
V-Tetris
You know Tetris, right? Blocks of different shapes fall from the sky, and you have to move and rotate them to fill up rows. Unlike 3-D Tetris, which is already available on Nintendo Switch Online, V-Tetris doesn’t take advantage of the Virtual Boy’s 3-D capabilities. It’s simply Tetris. Since you can already play the NES and Game Boy versions of Tetris on NSO, V-Tetris seems a bit redundant, but if you enjoy Tetris, you’ll still enjoy V-Tetris.
Vertical Force
This is a shoot-em-up with a twist. There are two 3-D layers in the playing field, and you can shift from the top layer to the bottom layer and vice versa at any time. This adds a layer of strategy to the shooting gameplay. The 3-D effect is very effective at telling you which layers the enemies are on. Shoot-em-ups are generally simple fun, and that’s what this game is. I had a good time with this game.
Virtual Bowling
The name says it all. This is bowling on the Virtual Boy. The 3-D effect of the ball zooming towards the pins is pretty impressive the first time, though after a few frames, you’ll stop noticing the 3-D so much. While the game is incredibly simple, I played a full bowling game, and it engaged me to the end. If you like bowling and you don’t mind red and black 3-D graphics, you’ll probably have some fun with this game.
What’s Coming to Nintendo Switch Online in June?
We already know that June will be a great month for Nintendo Switch Online because on June 4th, Donkey Kong 64 is finally coming to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Fans have been waiting for NSO to add Donkey Kong’s first 3D adventure for ages, so this should make a lot of fans happy. I’m definitely excited to play Donkey Kong 64 on Nintendo Switch Online.
