Nintendo Adds Game Boy Favorites to Switch Online in May Update

If you're a fan of retro Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles, then Nintendo has you covered this month with a foursome of nostalgic greatness coming to Switch Online.

First up is Survival Kids, a Konami Game Boy Color title from 1999 that has you surviving on a deserted island. It uses a 2D-style viewpoint, like early Legend of Zelda and Pokémon games, and makes you keep track of your hunger, thirst, and sleepiness. You'll hunt, gather, and find spots to rest, just like your favorite current survival game, only more retro.

1997's Kirby's Star Stacker is a puzzle game in the vein of Puzzle League or Tetris. You'll earn as many stars as possible by matching pairs of blocks (or friends, as the game calls them) that fall from the top of your screen. The Game Boy title pulls heavily from Kirby's Dream Land 2 with friends like Rick the hamster, Coo the owl, and Kine the fish. There are four game modes to keep you entertained, with a multiplayer mode that needs a friend who also owns the game.

Gradius: The Interstellar Assault is a 1991 horizontal scrolling sci-fi shooter for the Game Boy that has you taking control of the Vic Viper and flying through five different stages to destroy Bacterion's army. The power-up bar from the original Gradius appears here, letting you speed up, use missiles, shoot double firepower or lasers, and use the classic forcefield to protect yourself. This was the second Gradius game released for Game Boy, and definitely belongs with the other classics now on Switch Online.

Originally released in Japan in 1989 as Selection: Erabareshi Mono, The Sword of Hope arrived on global shores in 1991 for Game Boy. You'll take on the role of Prince Theo, whose dad, King Hennessy, has been corrupted by an evil dragon. This RPG will have you face several bosses throughout, each with its own weakness to exploit when fighting.