Nintendo Switch Online is far from a perfect service. Since its 2018 launch, Switch Online has struggled to live up to its Xbox and PlayStation counterparts, with the service lacking common features like party chats and direct messaging. Switch Online’s infrastructure has also been a consistent point of criticism over the last six years, with netcode and server issues often causing extreme lag. But one shining beacon over the years has been Nintendo Switch Online’s ever-growing library of retro video games.
Beginning with just a handful of NES games, Nintendo Switch Online is now home to over 300 retro titles, encompassing the SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, GBA, and Nintendo 64. That impressive collection has just grown a little bigger, with a classic Donkey Kong game having been added a few days ago.
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Nintendo Switch Online Has Just Added Another Donkey Kong Game
Donkey Kong Land 2 Is Now on Switch Online
In 1995, the Rare-developed Donkey Kong Land released for the original Game Boy. An incredibly ambitious project for the time, Donkey Kong Land was a condensed, reworked version of the beloved SNES game Donkey Kong Country. While some bosses were changed and levels were added, Donkey Kong Land was a remarkably successful attempt at capturing the gameplay formula of Donkey Kong Country, so much so that a sequel released just a year later.
Donkey Kong Land 2 launched in September 1996, also for the original Game Boy. Much like its predecessor, Donkey Kong Land 2 attempted to distill a full SNES Donkey Kong game into one tiny Game Pak. Donkey Kong Land 2 is essentially a retooled version of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, with it borrowing the SNES game’s narrative and many of its stage names, but changing some level designs.
A big change in Donkey Kong Land 2 and its more technically impressive SNES counterpart was the ability to play as Dixie Kong, who could spin her hair to glide. Donkey Kong Land 2 is now available on Nintendo Switch Online.
Another Donkey Kong Game Could Be Right Around the Corner
But the Donkey Kong Land series is actually a trilogy, and that means there’s still one entry left to join Nintendo Switch Online’s roster. Donkey Kong Land 3 was originally released in 1997, giving fans a portable version of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!, albeit with changed level layouts once again. With Donkey Kong Land 1 and 2 now on Switch Online, it’d be great if Donkey Kong Land 3 was right behind them, especially as DKL2 was added just four days after its predecessor.
Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy Library Is Full of Heavy Hitters
With both Donkey Kong Land 1 and 2 now on the service, Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy/Game Boy Color library is currently sitting at a solid 33 titles. While that’s not quite as high as NSO’s NES or SNES game count, the vast majority of these Game Boy titles are certified Nintendo classics. From Mega Man 1-5, to The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, to Metroid 2: Return of Samus, to Super Mario Land 1 and 2, to Kirby’s Dream Land 1 and 2, Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy library is packed with games that must be played, even for those who don’t have nostalgia for that particular era of gaming.
Donkey Kong Land 2
- Franchise
- Donkey Kong
- Released
- September 23, 1996
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- ESRB
- e