Board 8 > What are some good short games on Switch Online? (Free trial for Europe)

(+) Yeah! (+)

There's a free 7-day Switch Online trial going for Europe on My Nintendo that expires today.

I haven't had the online in ages and there are a lot of games on there these days, what are some of the best that I could get through? So basically no JRPGs, I would like to play Earthbound but no way it'd fit in the time limit.

This is the base NSO, so NES+SNES+GB only. I've beaten some of the classics before- Super Metroid, LttP, SMB3, DKC2 to name a few, but have undoubtedly missed several of them. Thanks for any input!

Kirby Super Star
Super Mario World
DKC1+3

Donkey Kong '94 (GB)

MacArrowny posted...

Donkey Kong '94 (GB)

Uhhh tough luck there

Wario Land 3

Kirbys Dream Land 1 takes like half an hour to beat.

Oh whoops thought DK94 was on GB, sorry.

WhiteLens posted...

Kirbys Dream Land 1 takes like half an hour to beat.

And then play hard mode!

Ah, this would be a great chance for me to finally play a Kirby game properly and see if the series is actually any good.

I'm not sure if I'd use Dream Land 1 as any real indicator. Like it has the platforming that the series is known for but it doesn't have any copying abilities.

You can only vacuum and spit things back at bosses.

Super Star on the other hand, is the series's highlight. If that doesn't grab you then the series probably isn't for you. Though the progression in Super Star is much different than the rest of the series.

I don't know if I'd call Kirby Super Star short, though it's not a long game either.

Dream Land was my first Kirby game and I still think there's a lot it has going for it over the rest of the series. But it doesn't really give you a good indication of what the series is like now, that part's definitely true.

Kirby's Adventure is short but a little meatier than Dream Land without being as long or having the 8-in-1 presentation of Super Star so that might be a good one to start with, though I'm not sure if it's anyone's favorite Kirby game.

Honestly you kinda can't go wrong with any of them.

Super Star is a big sampler platter of Kirby - buncha small game modes. If you like one of them in specific, there's probably a Kirby game that's close to in-line with its philosophies.

Game & Watch Gallery 3 is great if you enjoy anxiety and the feeling of multitasking, Greenhouse especially. Can probably reach credits (50 stars) in about 3-4 hours.

Fire 'N' Ice and The Adventures of Lolo are both clever little puzzle games on NES, I think they're both real hidden gems with really limited movesets, but a lot of flexibility in how you use those.

Panel de Pon, likewise, is just Tetris Attack. Which is just Pokemon Puzzle League. Which is one of the most fun 'match three' puzzle games out there.

And yeah DKC1 and DKC3 are definitely worth a playthrough. They're close to DKC2, but have their own unique feel and quirks that set them apart (DKC1 having shorter stages that feel more arcade-like, while DKC3 has a lot more careful and methodical stages).

breaking down the Kirby games a bit:
KDL: it's the shortest, but Kirby doesn't have his copy ability yet
Adventure: introduced the copy ability, but it's kind of basic
KDL2: Introduced animal buddies, so copy abilities are different depending on which buddy you have or if Kirby is alone. Unlocking the true last boss can be a little annoying.
Super Star: actually six smaller games that only take a few hours each tops (and also includes a loose remake of KDL1). Gets rid of animal buddies, but instead of each copy power only having one ability, each one has a moveset so you have charge attacks and different attacks if you're jumping or dashing. Also has co op, with Kirby giving up his copy power to summon a helper that can be controlled by a second player or the computer.
KDL3: brings back animal buddies, but gets rid of copy ability movesets so it's more like KDL2. The true last boss is a bit more obnoxious to unlock, since each stage has a secret mission.
Avalanche: Actually a reskinned Puyo Puyo 1. It's probably better to just play Puyo Puyo 2 instead since it's more balanced (there's no way to counter and send back garbage blocks in Puyo Puyo 1, so whichever side that creates an orange symbol worth of garbage blocks first basically wins every time)
Dream Course: Minigolf, with copy powers and some other gimmicks. Seems a bit tough though.

Kirby Super Star is probably the best overall one.

as far as other games go. Mario Land 2 is decent. Wario Land 3 is one of the weaker Wario games and pretty much just a worse version of Wario Land 2, but some people like it anyway (the main problem I'd say is that there's a lot of padding which puts a damper on the excitement of treasure hunting, you have to collect a lot of treasures that just exist to unlock other stages or make other treasure chests reachable or even get back to Wario's basic move set from 2 instead of getting actual new abilities) and platformers where you don't die are pretty rare anyway.

As far as puzzle games go, Puyo Puyo 2 and Panel de Pon are among the best falling block style games, and Magical Drop 2 is decent enough to play for a bit. I like Wario's Woods, but it kind of runs the concept into the ground with too many rounds and not a lot of variety between them so it might be skippable if you are trying to get the most out of your time. For more structured puzzle games where there's levels with a distinct solution, I would say that Adventures of Lolo and Fire 'n Ice are both worth looking at (and aren't too difficult for casual players to finish without looking anything up).

Vice: Project Doom and S.C.A.T. are kind of niche/cult classics although I haven't really had time to play them yet.

edit: of course people already brought up most of the points I was going to make about Kirby while I was typing lol

Kirby Super Star is pretty much the foundation of all main Kirby games starting with Return to Dreamland.

Seconding Fire N Ice

Well, I blasted through Kirby's Dreamland. It was as short as advertised and I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Very basic but the movement felt solid and it's a decent foundation for a kid's first platformer/action game. Haven't tried the hard mode yet. If all the Kirbys are short and easy I might plow through the lot of them in chronological order, or I might just play Super Star as that appears to be the unanimous favourite.

I played Mario Land 2 as well, again a solid if not mindblowing bitesize version of Mario. I worked through the game without issue but the last level is annoyingly long, I may disappoint myself and use a save state to get it done quickly so I don't sour on the game >_>

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll look into the ones I know very little of like Lolo, Fire N Ice and Game n Watch Gallery 3. I've played DKC1 before, it's good but not on 2's level, and I thought 3 was considered the weakest of the bunch? I'm open to giving it a go of course, it's the only DKC I haven't played. I wonder why they put Wario Land 3 on there before 1 and 2.

Anyone have opinions on Metroid II? I like the series but Metroid NES has dated terribly. I haven't gotten Samus Returns yet, is the OG II worth a look or should I just go for the remake?

Metroid 2 is more linear than most of the other metroid games. You're funneled through a series of smaller hub areas, and you can't move on to the next one until you kill all the Metroids in an area

I like DKC3 more than the other DKC games, personally. Not a super common opinion though.

Don't play Metroid 2, it's not very fun. Just play AM2R. It's a free game: https://archive.org/details/am-2-r

I find 2 more playable than 1

Remake's cool tho

I prefer Metroid 2 to both Metroid 1 and Samus Returns. Top tier OG Gameboy game.

andylt posted...

If all the Kirbys are short and easy I might plow through the lot of them in chronological order

They're all fairly short and easy but Dream Land 1 is easily the shortest of the bunch.

Yeah, all the other Kirby games have FAR more than 5 stages.

andylt posted...

it's a decent foundation for a kid's first platformer/action game.

I understand the sentiment, but I tried getting my nephew, who's like 5 or 6, to play Dream Land 1 and it was like Dark Souls to him.
He knows how to play Mario Kart 8, so it's not like he's completely clueless on how to use a controller.

Probably would be easier on an actual Game Boy with no excess buttons

I'm a bit ill so have more time for games, 'hooray'. Beat SML2 (legitimately!), what a weird lil gremlin Wario was in his debut. Who looked at this game and thought 'yeah let's make him a protagonist'. I think my fav part of the game was Space Zone, but that may just be cos there was some cool music there.

andylt posted...

Who looked at this game and thought 'yeah let's make him a protagonist'.

It worked out pretty well lol

I like Kirby's Adventure. First real Kirby game. Super Star is better and longer and all.

ctesjbuvf posted...

It worked out pretty well lol

Too bad we never got any Tatanga games

SML2 aged horribly imo. I played it recently, and the level design is awful. The levels are just empty wastelands that you can run through, with no thought in the platforming (there is barely any actual platforming). They fill it with so many coins so it feels like there is something. But the few scattered enemies move slower than 1970s zombies. Wario's castle was the only good part, and the only part of the game where you can even die realistically.

Onto Super Star. Years ago I played this for five minutes, tried Gourmet Race once and left it at that as I figured it was just a glorified minigame collection. Turns out I picked the least representative mode to try back then!

Spring Breeze is somehow an even shorter and easier version of Kirby's Dream Land. Copying + having a helper makes things trivial, but it is pretty fun. Dynablade doesn't have anything unique going for it, Cave is 100% my jam in theory but I wish it had a map and that the backtracking was a bit better. Meta Knight's Revenge is really good, I love the fast pace and ongoing villain discussions as they fear the pink destroyer. Milkyway is also great, more of a Mega Man type adventure (I assume, I haven't played those either >_>). I haven't done the Arena as I'm not big on boss rushes but maybe I'll try it later.

Overall, a good game! Hasn't put me off the rest of the series, but if this is the best of the lot I may be content with just doing this one. It's a nice relaxing time. Also they nailed the music back then, no need for (very good) Smash remixes at all!

Meta Knight's Revenge > Milkyway Wishes > Great Cave Offensive > Spring Breeze > Dynablade > Gourmet Race

Super Star is weird. It came out, was agreed on to be pretty great, and then no games in the style of it came out for 15 years. Most of the modern Kirbies (Return to Dreamland, Triple Deluxe, Planet Robobot, Star Allies) are very much expansions of the Dyna Blade/Revenge of Meta Knight style, whereas the other games available on the NSO service are a lot slower paced and focused around "how do I get this power combo to this location". Still good games, mind! But KSS is more a starting point that the rest of the series eventually branched off from and the most people generally really like rather than 'the undisputed best'.

... I just really love it because it's real quick and has no fat and I can beat it in an afternoon and feel good every time.

On Fire N Ice now, I'm impressed so far. I don't know why I'm surprised that it's good, nothing about the NES's limitations would prevent a puzzler from being decent. I guess I'm used to NES games having dated horribly.

andylt posted...

Meta Knight's Revenge > Milkyway Wishes > Great Cave Offensive > Spring Breeze > Dynablade > Gourmet Race

This is basically my opinion too!

Kamekguy posted...

Super Star is weird. It came out, was agreed on to be pretty great, and then no games in the style of it came out for 15 years. Most of the modern Kirbies (Return to Dreamland, Triple Deluxe, Planet Robobot, Star Allies) are very much expansions of the Dyna Blade/Revenge of Meta Knight style, whereas the other games available on the NSO service are a lot slower paced and focused around "how do I get this power combo to this location". Still good games, mind!

Amazing Mirror did feel like a take on Great Cave Offensive, at least. I guess that game doesn't really count as modern anymore though.

andylt posted...

On Fire N Ice now, I'm impressed so far. I don't know why I'm surprised that it's good, nothing about the NES's limitations would prevent a puzzler from being decent. I guess I'm used to NES games having dated horribly.

my exact thoughts when I played it!

Ive never been able to get over the fact that they renamed Solomons Key 2 to Fire n Ice in the States.

Is it actually called Fire 'n Ice for you or does it retain its European title of Solomon's Key 2?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/nes/587277-firen-ice/data

I'm not seeing an EU release for Switch Online....

But my question was for andy since he's calling it Fire 'n Ice despite him being in Europe.

Well I call it Fire 'n Ice too despite being in Japan because that's what most of this board knows it as so I image andy is probably doing the same thing

Fire 'n Ice is how it shows up for me despite that apparently being the US title, dunno why. I had no idea it wasn't the original name. There is a Solomon's Key (1) there too just to mix things up! Is that one any good?

Kirby Super Star is not called 'Kirby's Fun Pak' either, so maybe they just standardised the titles to the US versions. On the bright side I do get the European multicoloured SNES controller logo for the app!

Solomon's Key is a single screen arcade game platformer action game with the same concept of creating and destroying blocks with your magic wand. In this case, to seal off or stall enemies or herd them together so it's easier to time your jumps over them or block projectiles.

However it's an extremely brutal game with a lot of esoteric and arbitrary secrets (like create and destroy a block in a certain space, or hit your head against a certain block so many times. some are just scoring items, but others are needed for the best ending). You also have to finish the last quarter of the game without continuing, because it will send you back quite a few levels when you continue after that point (which is actually toned down from the arcade version, where you can't continue the game at all after a certain point). not to mention, jumping is mapped to up like an arcade game from that time instead of having a dedicated button for it which is the sort of thing that a lot of people would criticize as not aging well.

I enjoy it despite being terrible at it, but it would probably be too frustrating for most people. If you want to know what the general gameplay is like but are worried that it's too hard, I guess there's the option of giving the game boy version Solomon's Club a shot if you get the chance. The difficulty is much more reasonable since it's a new game not based on the arcade game and aimed at the home market from the start, and there's a shop where you can use your score to buy extra lives and powerups to make the levels easier.

Fire 'N Ice completed! All 150 levels! Great game from start to finish, I'm surprised I'd never heard of it before. Def one of my fav NES games so far, but I haven't played very many.

Weirdly enough there's another free NSO trial on MyNintendo again this week that has to be triggered by tomorrow, so I have another free week >_> Strange they've done it two weeks in a row, perhaps it will go on indefinitely! I do want to get back to 13 Sentinels but I may try Solomon's Key first (thanks Crispy, as always you're like an encyclopedia on retro games)... or DKC3... or Lolo... in any case I'm happy to hear any other recs anyone has from the service.

Played a bit of Solomon's Key, and yeah it's pretty brutal. I like the idea of it but it's way more dated than the prequel, in typical NES fashion. Hopefully the GB version reaches NSO sometime.

I also tried out F-Zero, which is fine but I don't like not being able to see very far ahead on the track. Maybe a hot take but I think the SNES was a little too early for solid racers that stand the test of time (yes I've tried SMK)! And I gave Metroid II a go, it feels much better than NES Metroid but I think I might leave it and just play the remake sometime. I love maps too much.

I think old racers are fine, I thought they were worse until I started playing them and got used to it, but the move to 3D made it a real genre.

Old racers are more time trials than actual racing games - I think F-Zero and OutRun actually make out a lot better than Super Mario Kart does in that department, as F-Zero provides the illusion of a race rather than the other racers directly hampering the experience like SMK (and is fast), and OutRun is just outright a time attack game.

Link's Awakening was one of my formative games. def could be completed in like a day or two, too. if you've played the oracle games, it's like an earlier version of that, but probably shorter than either. it does a few neat narrative things

Play some Lolo!

Yeah play that and then question why Sakurai made us fight them in Kirby's Dream Land.

I have played Link's Awakening! It has a solid foundation and I think several games have successfully iterated on its narrative premise and surpassed it, but it's a cool game. The only mainline Zeldas I haven't beaten are 2 (tried on multiple occasions, just don't enjoy it), Minish Cap (not on base NSO), and Triforce Heroes.

I will try Lolo next. My expectations for NES puzzlers are high now after Fire 'N Ice!

Lolo was cool growing up.

Beat Lolo. It's fun, not as clean as FnI but decent. I could see a sequel being very good.

Good news, there are multiple of them

The release history of that series is a little confusing, the Japanese versions have different levels and there are more games there, some of which are called Eggerland rather than Lolo

At this point I'd be more shocked to learn of an NES franchise with a clear and logical naming system.