Nintendo adds three oddball Game Boy classics

Nintendo has added three more Game Boy games to the Game Boy Nintendo Classics library for Nintendo Switch Online: Mole Mania, Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator and Avenging Spirit. The three games are available on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 for subscribers, according to reporting from Automaton. ¹

The update is a small but pleasingly odd slice of Game Boy history. Mole Mania is Nintendo's 1996 action-puzzle game, in which the mole Sir Graham digs through maze-like stages while rescuing his family. Its grid-based puzzles remain the main attraction, with the player switching between the surface and underground routes to reach each exit.

Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator comes from HAL Laboratory and turns the Game Boy into a portable pinball table. Its boards are built around cartoon crocodiles, with the usual flippers, targets and bonus areas providing the reason to chase a higher score. It is the sort of compact arcade game that suits short sessions particularly well.

The strangest addition is Avenging Spirit, Jaleco's 1992 action game. Its central gimmick lets the player possess enemies and use their different abilities, creating a more unusual take on the platforming and shooting games that crowded the handheld in the early 1990s.

Nintendo's official Game Boy Nintendo Classics page confirms the collection is available through a Nintendo Switch Online membership and can be played on Switch systems, with compatibility information also covering Nintendo Switch 2. ² The three additions sit in the standard Game Boy collection rather than requiring the Expansion Pack tier.

Why these three games matter

None of the additions is a modern blockbuster, and that is precisely the appeal. Nintendo's retro library is at its best when it digs beyond the obvious first-party hits and makes curiosities such as Avenging Spirit easier to try. Mole Mania is the most immediately distinctive of the trio, while Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator offers a straightforward score-chasing alternative. Together, they make this a more interesting update than another familiar mascot release.

Our opinion

This is a strong little library update because each game offers a different flavour of handheld design: puzzle-solving, arcade scoring and possession-based action. Mole Mania is the standout, but the real win is that Nintendo has treated the Game Boy catalogue as a place for oddities as well as classics. If you already have Nintendo Switch Online, these are three easy games to add to the next retro-game download queue.