So, grab any accessories you need and let's dive into every VB playable on Switch...
Publisher: Pack-In-Video
Release Date: TBA
Available On: NSO + Expansion Pack Annoying audio-wise and at times visually flawed, Virtual Fishing at least keeps you occupied with multiple competitions, two modes of play, and saved records. You often find something tugging at the line, which means there's not as much waiting around as you might expect from a fishing game.
It’s just a pity that catching something quickly becomes easy, with the only challenge being added by that first step of hooking the fish.
The 2D version included here is a faithful port of the arcade original, but fans could easily get this fix elsewhere (and with colour options), so the game has to offer something more. Only including one additional (very similar) game limits the appeal, whilst the 3D versions disappoint. They may have good use of 3D and some decent-looking backgrounds but sticking to the basic designs for the rest of the game and using the old audio was a mistake.
For massive Space Invaders fans, playing in 3D offers something different, but Taito could have done so much more with it. Anyone else wanting to play Space Invaders is better off seeing which of their other consoles/handhelds/wi-fi-capable bananas it’s available for.
Virtual Bowling features impressive visuals and atmospheric sounds, which combined with great controls make it a lot of fun to play. There are, however, some problems: the default power meter option makes getting a strike too easy and the game doesn't save your high scores.
A two-player option would be a great benefit, but the tournament mode is excellent and overall Virtual Bowling is a pretty impressive sim.
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: 1st Nov 1995 (USA ) Available On: NSO + Expansion Pack Perhaps it's our affection for sports games with plain, unadorned titles, or perhaps it's tough to make a bad golf game, but we quite like Golf .
Its lack of multiplayer and ability to save your progress hurts (although the latter is solved with save states on NSO), not to mention its single course and inevitably repetitive nature, but the base gameplay here is solid, and you could do a lot worse. We give this three headaches out of five.
Okay, a Mario title - surely a harbinger of quality, no?
Well, not quite . Playing much like an updated version of the original Mario Bros. , Mario Clash is not exactly the all-time platformer we wanted from the plumber on VB, although the 3D effect is pleasant, even if the sprites themselves look a bit flat.
Not a classic, but worth investigation, if only to satisfy curiosity.
Publisher: Bullet-Proof
Release Date: 25th Aug 1995 (JPN ) Available On: NSO + Expansion Pack The first of Virtual Boy's duo of Tetris titles, V-Tetris is Tetris and therefore hits a minimum level of quality almost by default.
It's not particularly special in any way (the 3D effect is only really used for the backgrounds), and not being able to save your high scores is a significant omission, but we can comfortably say without fear of contradiction that this is in the top two Tetris titles on the system.
Although the gameplay is pretty traditional, Vertical Force ’s levels make good use of the hardware's 3D effect. It’s a fun shooter that offers — on two of the difficulty settings — a tough challenge. This adds replayability but the game suffers greatly from only having four full levels.
However, it’s one you will enjoy coming back to, either to try and get that bit further or just to see how far you can make it on one life. While it's not quite good enough to be known as Hudson's 'lost classic', this is still a worthwhile play.
A first-person horror game that suffers from similar issues of repetition as many of the console's other titles, but at least it tried something different.
It all feels a little old-hat by modern standards, but as a curio in the Virtual Boy catalogue, Innsmouth no Yakata — or The Mansion Of Innsmouth as the title is officially localised on NSO — may be worth investigating if you're into old-school 3D dungeon exploration games.
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: 22nd Mar 1996 (USA ) Available On: NSO + Expansion Pack A North American exclusive, 3D Tetris shook up the standard formula by having you look down into the well as the blocks fall away from you. Having to fill in layers rather than make lines feels different to standard Tetris and this features 30 different block types, but the spirit of the game you know and love survives very well.
Let's face it, the proliferation of more easily accessible Tetris titles would make buying a Virtual Boy to play regular old Tetris a bit silly, no? 3D Tetris, though, is definitely worth investigating. Maybe not worth buying a VB for, but still very good - probably worth getting the cardboard goggles for the Switch Online app.
Teleroboxer is one of the entries in the Virtual Boy catalogue that can legitimately, consistently be labelled as 'fun'. Unfortunately, the experience is extremely short-lived, but while it lasts, this first-person robot fighter isn't half-bad.
Hardly a sterling recommendation, we know, but we'll take what we can get with the VB. Teleroboxer is worth a look.
Mario has a decent history with this sport and his Virtual Boy outing (for it is patently his tennis, according to the title) doesn't sully the plumber's on-court record.
Solid visuals and one of the best examples of 3D on the system make Mario's Tennis one of the console's few easy wins - enjoyable, and as approachable as the library gets.
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: 14th Aug 1995 (USA ) Available On: NSO + Expansion Pack A wireframe, on-rails shooter, Red Alarm 's visuals may be crude, but the 3D effect works very well and there's plenty of variety in enemies you'll encounter throughout the game.
Throw in some tight controls and some forgiving mechanics (solid walls — which you may be difficult to discern thanks to the wireframe visuals — don't cause damage when you bump into them), and you've got an impressive little game that's a must-own if you've got a VB.
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