nintendo switch online services

SNES Games and More May Be Coming To Switch Online Service

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Published: January 13, 2019 9:00 AM

Last year with the launch of Nintendo Switch online a collection of NES games became playable as part of the package. While many of these NES games are just straight emulations of the classic Nintendo titles there have since been a number of ports with added features such as netplay and even easier editions of games like the original Legend of Zelda. Late last night Twitter user @KapuccinoHeck tweeted a list of SNES games that he had found located in the NES Online strings. While there has been no official word from Nintendo on the addition of SNES games to the Switch Online service there has certainly been a request from the player base to be able to play more of Nintendo's biggest titles on their Nintendo Switch.

The list of all SNES games referenced in the NES Online strings are as follows:

  • Super Mario Kart
  • Super Soccer
  • Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
  • Demon's Crest
  • Yoshi's Island
  • Stunt Race FX
  • Kirby's Dream Course
  • Pop'n Twinbee
  • Star Fox
  • Contra 3
  • Kirby Super Star Super
  • Ghouls 'n Ghosts
  • Kirby's Dream Land 3
  • Super Metroid
  • Super Mario World
  • Pilotwings
  • F-ZERO 
  • Star Fox 2 (Previously only available for those who purchased the SNES Classic)
  • Super Punch-Out!!
  • The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
  • Super Mario All-Stars
  • Breath of Fire 2
As well as tweeting out a link to all of the titles found Kapu also linked to the Pastebin to confirm what had been found. If you want to look through it yourself you'll see a variety of English descriptions for games that are already available for the NES. The NES titles in each of these headers are abbreviated, for example, "META_TITLE_COMMENT_CLV_P_NAAQE_sp1" is for the special version of Metroid, if you look for NAAQE elsewhere you'll find the original version of the game. While the NES titles don't have obvious naming schemes the headers for the SNES titles are easier to spot such as "META_TITLE_COMMENT_S_ZeldaLinkToThePast_j. None of the SNES titles are yet to have English descriptions showing how early in the process this may be. Translated the description for Link to the Past reads as follows:
"Legend of Zelda" that appeared in Super Nintendo. Using a variety of actions and weapons, challenge a mysterious dungeon. This title is an action adventure game for Super Nintendo released in 1991. In order to defeat the evil king Ganon, manipulate the hero link and adventure the field and dungeon. Attacks with swords are various such as rotation slashing and dash slashing. There are also many items that you can get in the middle of adventure, such as boomerangs, bows, and bombs. In addition to basic actions such as running and swimming, you can also throw things and pull on things, use them differently, solve the mystery hidden in the field and dungeon, and advance the story.
Twitter user @OatmealDome also details his own investigations into the NES Switch app explaining that it's not just those descriptions that have been added to the application.

https://twitter.com/OatmealDome/status/1084303319277989888

At the moment on Twitter there are all kinds of speculation as to not only SNES titles arriving for the NES Online app, which may need a title change, but also for what these two other emulator types could mean for the future of retro titles on the Nintendo Switch. Further down @OatmealDome also clarifies that these descriptions and new emulator types haven't always been present and have only been added in one of the applications recent updates.

Last month in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter when asked about the Classic consoles Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America, explained that they were no longer planning to expand the library of them or continue producing them but instead "The way that consumers will be able to continue participating with our classic content is going to be through Nintendo Switch Online. ... We look at that as the main way that consumers will be able to experience that legacy content."

The NES Online app has continued to add additional with this month adding the original Blaster Master and Zelda II - The Adventure of Link to the ever-expanding collection of NES titles available to subscribers of Nintendo's Online service.

What do you think of the discovery of these Japanese descriptions and titles? Is there any SNES game that you would like to see coming to the Nintendo Switch? What are you hoping the new emulator types are?


Andrew Stretch Headshot
| Senior Content Manager

Andrew has written Video Game and Entertainment news, reviews, and guides for 10+ years. As Senior Content Manager, he assists in creating and editing… More about Andrew