Nintendo just added Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack! You can play this staple early 2000's Gameboy Advance game and 5 other nostalgic Pokémon games with the yearly online subscription.
Nintendo Switch Online launched 5 years ago in September 2018, offering Nintendo Switch players easy access to retro games on earlier consoles like the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64. Pokémon fans have long wondered why more of their beloved creature-catching games haven't been ported to the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo more recently launched the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, which added a ton of Gameboy Advance games to the subscription. Personally, I'm hoping that the addition of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team is a sign that Nintendo will be eventually add all of the older Pokémon games that I grew up with like Crystal, Emerald, Ranger, and Soul Silver.
There are now 6 nostalgic Pokémon games that are included with the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion membership:
Pokémon Stadium released in early 1999 for the Nintendo 64. As opposed to the standard role-playing games, Pokémon Stadium is mainly a battle simulator. Players can choose from the original 151 Pokémon and battle AI trainers in the Stadium or face off against all 8 Kanto Gym leaders in the Gym Leader Castle. Personally, I remember the Kids Club being my favorite part of Pokémon Stadium. The Kids Club has 9 different mini games you can play with your friends or with the AI.
Pokémon Stadium 2, also known as Pokémon Stadium Gold and Silver, is also available to play on the Switch. As the name suggests, this sequel to Pokémon Stadium includes to Johto Pokédex, along with better battling 3D graphics. This updated version of Stadium includes 21 trainers in the Gym Leader Castle and 12 brand new mini games. In Professor Oak's Pokemon Lab, you can check a 3D Pokédex and see a 3D world map of Kanto and Johto. The new Battle Now! mode throws players into a 3x3 battle with 6 random Pokémon, a fun rogue-like option for players.
Pokémon Snap is a spin-off Pokémon game that released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999. A remastered version was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2021, but you can still relive the original with a Nintendo Switch Online membership! Join Professor Oak on Pokémon Island. Instead of battling and catching Pokémon, you only take photos and document the wild Pokémon on the island, making this the perfect relaxing, cozy game! Use Pokémon food to lure out shy Pokémon capture them in their best angle! This was the first Nintendo 64 game to feature fully rendered 3D Pokémon, and the game features 63 of the original 151 Pokémon.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team is the first Pokémon Gameboy Advance Game to be released on Nintendo Switch Online. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games are a spin-off roleplaying adventure where players are mysteriously turned into a Pokémon and sent on a long adventure to discover how their fate is tied to the fate of the Pokémon world.
The first Mystery Dungeon games were released on the cusp of the Nintendo DS release. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team was released for the Gameboy Advance while Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team was released for the brand-new Nintendo DS console.
Being close to middle school age, I was already obsessed with personality tests and loved the idea of taking a personality test to determine what Pokémon I was! Mystery Dungeon games were a huge part of my childhood, and I remember hiding my DS under my pillow to play Mystery Dungeon after bedtime. I sincerely hope that the addition of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team is a precursor to Nintendo porting more of the Pokémon role-playing games to Nintendo Switch!
Pokémon Puzzle League is the 5th game you can play with a Nintendo Switch Online membership and was the first Tetris-like game to be released in the Pokémon franchise. Ash and Pikachu are on vacation in the Orange Islands when you receive a call from Professor Oak to compete in the Official Puzzle League Tournament. The player must defeat 8 gym leaders, several interruptions Tracey and Team Rocket, and eventually beat the Elite Four to become the Puzzle Champion.
Pokémon Puzzle League is the precursor to other Tetris-like games like Pokémon Trozei!, Pokémon Shuffle, Pokémon Cafe Remix, and even official Pokémon Tetris.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game is the final (and oldest) Pokémon game available with a Nintendo Switch Online membership. This nostalgic Pokémon game was originally released in 1998 for the Gameboy Color and features an extensive 16-hour campaign. This spin-off game is based on the trading card game. The player starts at Professor Mason's lab and is given the choice between 3 different starter decks: Charmander & Friends, Squirtle & Friends, or Bulbasaur & Friends.
The object of the game is very similar to the original role-playing games. Defeat 8 "Club Masters", defeat 4 "Grand Masters", and defeat the Champion. The game includes over 200 cards to assemble a deck worthy of a Champion!
The Nintendo 64 Games - Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Stadium 2, Pokémon Snap, and Pokémon Puzzle League - are available with the standard Nintendo Switch Online membership for $19.99/year. The Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance Games - The Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team - are available with the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack for $49.99/year.
If you want the chance to play other classic Gameboy Advance games like Spyro and Mario, the Expansion pack is definitely worth investing in! Hopefully the addition of Red Rescue Team means other Pokemon ports to the Nintendo Switch are on their way.
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