A list of retro games I played back in November of 2025, along with my thoughts and impressions.
The list will be updated overtime throughout the month of November.
Original Release Date: December 19th 1986
Played On the Nintendo Switch Online. This is an old school vertical platformer. The concept is simple but easy to understand. Unfortunately the controls are not the easiest for me to handle. Multiple times I kept on either slipping and falling, or not pressing the jump button on time. Either which resulted in my death. Enemies for the most part were not hard to deal with with some exceptions.The music for the levels that I played were nice. While I had to listen to it on repeat as I kept retrying the level, I did not get tired of it. And the look of each level was simple, but did not look bad at all. Due to my own time constraints I was only able to play for over an hour and was able to reach the 3rd level of the first stage. I think if I had a lot more time to grind and take better use of the Switch Online Rewind (I tried to use it as little as possible), I could reach farther into the game.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (It was alright)
Version Release Date: February 26th 1993
Played the Super Famicom version on the Nintendo Switch Online (hence the date as that is when the Super Famicom version was released). This was a fun falling blocks puzzle game. It took me a few attempts at the game before I got the hang of the game's mechanics. Once I figured out how to get points and raise my score, it became pretty fun. I liked the graphics and the little guys that show up in the game. I played for about an hour trying out all 3 modes that this version had to offer: Single player endless, versus, and a puzzle mode. My favourite mode was playing the single player endless, where you try to survive for as long as you can and try to get a high score. What I found funny was that it was very easy to get the high score in the game if you start from Expert, as it starts you from level 100 and makes your score immediately at 200k instead of 10k if you were to start in normal mode.
Current rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Had a decent fun time)
Original Release Date: July 27th 1989
I played this game a bit on the Wii U back in the day, but it had been so long I barely remembered it, so I'm playing the game again. I got inspired after watching vtuber Ookami Mio play and finish the game very recently. While this game was not released in English officially until 2015, in all ways this is still an old retro game. The gameplay and graphics remain unchanged. Due to the length of this game I was not able to complete it in just a few hours, but the amount I was able to play was still a fun time. It is an old school classic RPG adventure. Combat is simple and easy to understand. I liked the characters and NPCs that I have met so far. And I really love the background music that plays as you explore the world. I plan to play more in the coming days along with the other retro games.
Current rating: 4 out of 5 (fun game so far)
Version Release Date: January 4th 1986
Played the Famicom version on the Nintendo Switch Online. It is essentially a port of a vertical scrolling arcade game. I wanted to play something that I knew would not take me long to get through, and an arcade game was good for this. My main goal while playing was simply to try and get as high of a score as possible. Granted I am not the best at this game. I could only get to the boss of stage 2 after playing for about an hour. The gameplay took a bit of trial and error before I could figure out how to get a good score. However it was pretty simple to get the hang of and fun to play. My only real complaint is that you cannot hold the button to auto fire, so you must constantly button mash to keep on firing. This resulted in some sore thumbs (no turbo controller for me). Besides this from what I played, I had a decent time.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (an alright time)
Version Release Date: August 22nd 1987
It is one thing to dabble with the game for a few minutes, but it is another thing altogether to seriously sit down and do a proper playthrough of this. Playing this game (on Switch Online) without any help or a guide is very tough and difficult. That being said, for some odd reason I did not feel like giving up while going through it. Despite the tough time I kind of enjoyed the challenge in a strange way. At the very least I was able to (within playing for a few hours) get at least 2 of the triforce pieces. Granted that was after a lot of trial and error. I appreciate this game for many reasons and it makes me grateful how far we have come in the Zelda series.
Current rating: 3.5 out of 5 (challenging so far)
Original Release Date: June 22nd 2001
I played this for about an hour on the Nintendo Switch Online. I was able to reach the Cave levels before stopping. There are some things I do like about this game, like the artstyle, cute bird characters, and the music. I like the game's concept and puzzle mechanics, but levels later on became super tough and challenging. It got to the point where I had to use the rewind function to help me out, just so I didn't have to restart the level all over again. At least restarting is fast and there's infinite lives so you can just keep trying again. But man this is a difficult game to play. It's unlikely I'll come back to this but at least I played a good amount.
Current rating: 2.5 out of 5 (it's alright but i won't go back to it)
Original Release Date: March 10th 1998
This was played on the Nintendo Switch Online. I played enough to do one complete playthrough of the game, reaching the credits. It was a cute and fun time. The levels were pretty straightforward with a bit of exploration to find a few secrets. The controls sometimes felt a bit slippery to me but I was able to live through it. On the last level however I did utilize the save state that the Switch Online has to help me get through the last level a bit easier (mainly because I kept falling into the void). Overall I enjoyed myself playing this game. I may try the other levels in a future playthrough.
Current rating: 3.5 out of 5 (had a pleasant experience)
Version Release Date: March 18th 1993
I learned while looking up this game that in Europe it's called Solomon's Key 2 and it's the prequel to the first Solomon's Key game (which I haven't played yet). I did not expect that it would be a puzzle game. The concept is simple. You push blocks of ice to get rid of fire. The first few levels are simple enough but once you have the basics down it begins to get challenging. A few times I had to restart the level due to getting trapped or stuck somewhere. I did like how the game looked. I liked the cute story and the characters you meet. Granted I was only able to complete 2 worlds in the hour or so that I played. A good game overall and something to play if I have the brain power for it.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (good to play if my brain is ready for puzzles)
Version Release Date: October 18th 1985
I played this on the Switch Online and reached the 14th level of the game. Generally I liked the concept, and some of the puzzles are neat, but there's something about this game I just couldn’t get into. It may be because everything looks the same, or that it's very easy to mess up forcing you to restart the level again, or that the enemies can get annoying and in the way of you trying to solve the level. I don't think I'll be trying to go for all 100 levels. The 14 that I did play gave me a good idea of what the game is. At least I can say I gave this game a try.
Current rating: 2.5 out of 5 (wasn't very interested after a short while)
Version Release Date: June 5th 1995
After finishing Earthbound Beginnings, I wanted to give its sequel game a try. This is being played on the Switch Online. I have seen people play this game long ago, and I have watched videos about the localization differences, but it is my first time sitting down and playing it. The game immediately has a lot of charm and quirkyness to it. To me, it's what makes the game enjoyable. I can see a lot of similarities from the NES game and I like how everything has gotten an upgrade since then. At the time of writing I reached Giant Step and got my first melody. I will continue to play the game in the coming days and see where the story goes. I know it'll be a good game to enjoy.
Current rating: 4 out of 5 (charming and enjoyable)
Version Release Date: November 3rd 2003
This is my first time playing a Fire Emblem game ever, and the GBA version seemed like a good place to start (played on Switch Online). I also heard this is the first one that got localized as well, and people say it's a good entry point to the series. I never played a strategy RPG game before so it was a new experience for me. I only played the first 3 chapters which are mainly tutorial levels to teach you the game, but it was done well. It eased me into the game's mechanics and got me a chance to learn about how this kind of game works. Plus I am liking the characters I am meeting so far such as Lyn. Since this is on Switch Online, when I get to later chapters I will most likely be making use of its save states and rewinds to make sure none of my units die in battle. I don't want to miss out on some dialogue and story bits. I might play more in the future depending on my schedule.
Current rating: 3.5 out of 5 (good first entry into the SRPG genre)
Version Release Date: June 26th 2000
I watched lots of people play this game before, but this is my first time sitting down to play it for myself. Because of schedules and distractions I could only play about an hour and play 2 worlds. However, what I got to play was pretty fun. My favourite thing about this game is the music. Every track I listened to is lovely and enjoyable to hear. The controls for me took a bit of getting used to but I eventually got the hang of it. I plan to keep on playing and collect all of the crystal shards in the game.
Current rating: 4 out of 5 (Kirby is cute and fun)
Version Release Date: April 12th 2005
I was fortunate the North American version of the game (which I played on Switch Online) just barely reached the cut off point of this year's retro games, seeing as it has been out for 20 years as of this year (2025). Granted, the original Japan version came out in 2000, so it can still count if we use that year. I was surprised when I turned on the game that it had voice acting, which for its time was not that bad at all. I realized that the gameplay of the Mr. Driller series was one that I was familiar with: it had been copied and reused for other sites (like Neopets). That said, I did enjoy the gameplay of Mr. Driller 2, even if it did get repetitive after some time. There are only 3 main stages to complete after all. Granted there's also some time attack challenges to try and an endless. I gave each a try and enjoyed it. I also like the two main characters you can play as too. I find them pretty cute and endearing. I was able to play and complete the India Stage.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (a cute and fairly simple game)
Version Release Date: March 6th 2000
I played this one on the Switch Online. I did one Stadium Mode in the Poke Cup (Poke Ball) round with a team of Charizard, Dewgong, Dragonite, Exeggutor, Raichu, and Lapras. I also played a few of the mini games. Playing this had to remind me of how the battle rules in Gen 1 worked, since a lot has changed over the years. Fortunately with my team we were able to get an easy win most of the time. Sometimes the RNG ended up screwing my team over and I had to use one continue to restart a fight. I did enjoy seeing the animations for each attack and listening to the announcer call out all the moves and attacks (even if the lines were repeated constantly). The mini games were fun but the CPU on normal mode was harder than I was expecting. Overall, I had a decent time.
Current rating: 3.5 out of 5 (a fun time)
Version Release Date: April 14th 2003
I played the first Golden Sun back around the beginning of the year. So after taking a long break from it, I went and started up the 2nd game (which is a direct continuation of the first game). I only played for a couple of hours just to get a general feel, but I can say it's still the same Golden Sun game as before, except this time I'm playing with different characters. It is still a fun JRPG game to go through and while I'm just barely scratching the surface, I can see myself continuing to play this game until I reach the end.
Current rating: 4 out of 5 (a fun JRPG to play)
Version Release Date: October 18th 1985
I wanted to give this game a try. I played it on the Switch Online. I was only able to play for 20 minutes before I gave up on it. I wanted to give this game a fair shot, but the controls were just really bad. The jumping and moving around was very unintuitive and felt sluggish. I was only able to make it to stage 8 before I stopped. The music at least was nice and I can appreciate how the characters from this game are in Smash Bros. Plus each level was pretty short to complete.
Current rating: 2 out of 5 (has poor controls)
Original Release Date: November 2nd 1997
I found this game on the Nintendo Switch Online today and reading up about its origins is interesting. It was originally on the Satellaview back in 1997, and it never got released internationally until earlier this year. It's a puzzle game where you need to move boxes to reach rainbow crystals to complete the level. While I couldn't complete every level, I did clear all the ones in Stage 1. They were pretty enjoyable to do and a few even gave me a head scratcher. I admit some things confused me until I figured out where the tutorial was and watched some of their demonstrations. Because the game is all in Japanese I had to trial and error my way through, but I was able to figure out what it was the game wanted me to do. I may go back in the future and play the other levels.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (a fine puzzle game)
Original Release Date: April 9th 2001
This is a fun puzzle game. I played the NES version last year so this version was pretty much similar. I tried out every mode that the game had to offer for single player mode. Despite the game being pretty fun I am terrible at this game. It doesn't take me very long before I can reach a game over. And for the story mode I was not able to even make it past the first stage. I think I had the most fun with the classic and endless modes of the game when I was not facing off against any CPUs. The game looks and sounds great though, and I still had fun.
Current rating: 3.5 out of 5 (despite being bad at it, it's still fun)
Version Release Date: March 12 1991
I played this game for just under an hour on the Nintendo Switch Online. Due to it being a rougelike game (Which I didn't realize until I started playing the game and looking up stuff about it) I only got 3 of the 10 spacecraft pieces. I liked the intro cutscene that they played showing off the two characters. For an early roguelike it was generally fun. The gameplay was pretty easy to get the hang of and not too bad to control. Although sometimes the characters would feel slow to move with, but it was manageable. I also like the music that they provided for each level. Not sure if I'll play more in the future, but I had a decent time for what I got to experience.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (a not bad early roguelike)
Original Release Date: November 22nd 1984
I actually had more fun with this game than I was expecting. I played it for over an hour on Switch Online, and managed to eventually reach stage 5. It took a while for me to fully get all of the controls and mechanics, but as I was figuring it out I was still having fun. And even when I got a game over a lot of times, I wanted to try again and keep playing. Sometimes I would die on a wrong turn, or I would get stuck in between two trampolines, but I would simply just restart and play the level again. I like how each level did not always have the same picture you would try and create, but it would change each round. Overall it's not a bad game at all.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (more fun than I was expecting)
Version Release Date: May 14th 2001
I have been meaning to check out the two Oracle games for GBC. I only started with Ages since it was first on the list on the Nintendo Switch Online. I only played for over an hour completing the first main dungeon in the game. My first impression is that it is your typical Zelda game anyway you see it. I saw it was made by Capcom and I can feel their work, since it feels similar to The Minish Cap which they also worked on. I like Zelda games in general so this was a fun one to try out and play. I hope to keep playing even more and then playing Oracle of Seasons as its sequel.
Current rating: 4 out of 5 (fun Zelda game)
Original Release Date: January 14th 1992
I remember first hearing about the Fantasy Zone games after seeing a version of it on a Yakuza game. This one I played was on the Sega Genesis Online for Nintendo Switch. I am not the best at this game. The furthest I was able to achieve was reaching stage 2 after clearing the first boss. However this game is pretty easy to learn and I got the hang of it pretty quickly. I learned how to make use of the coins that I obtained to get good upgrades when the shop showed (which became essential). Though I will say it would've been nice if the upgrades stayed on even after you lose a life. I like the game's looks and aesthetics. I also enjoyed the music for each level as well. Overall it's a decently fun game.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (a decent time)
Original Release Date: April 1989
I first recognized Lolo and Lala as characters that have appeared in Kirby games. When I looked up this game, I found out that it was made by HAL Laboratory, which explains why these two show up in Kirby games later on. It was nice getting to experience their own game. I did not realize until I started playing that this would be a puzzle game. I was able to complete 3 floors of puzzles before stopping. I think they're pretty neat but I had to reset a lot of times due to getting soft locked by a wrong move. It didn't help that my brain at the time of playing was not suited for puzzle solving. Overall, I think it is a neat game to at least check out and try.
Current rating: 2.5 out of 5 (better if I didn't play this tired)
Version Release Date: August 23rd 1991
I played this on Nintendo Switch Online for about an hour completing the first two worlds of the game. I think the game looks really good for its time, and the music holds up well. The gameplay of a 2D platform is also well established too. However I am just not good at this game at all. Even though I tried, this game is harder than I thought and the amount of times I rewound so I did not die and restart a level was a lot. I can appreciate this game for what it is though, and I will continue to enjoy other people playing it at a better skill than I ever could.
Current rating: 3.5 out of 5 (well made game, but I need to be better skilled first)
Version Release Date: July 14th 1997
I played the Game Boy version on Switch Online. I went and tried out each of the game modes that I could do (except for VS which required another person). It was a lot more fun than I was expecting and I got pretty good at the Challenge level, getting up to 400 stars. The main Round Clear mode was pretty fun too. I tried out both Normal and Hard for Round Clear in the hour or so that I played. Overall its a fun falling block puzzle game.
Current rating: 3.5 out of 5 (had a pretty fun time)
Version Release Date: July 26th 1999
This was played on Switch Online. I did one 18 hole course in the tournament along with one 9 hole course in the mini golf section. The best part of the game was the music. Each track as you played during the whole game was great. It reminded me of Golden Sun’s music and I looked up to see that it's because it's made by the same composer, Motoi Sakuraba. The gameplay itself was alright. It took me a few plays to figure out how to get the best golf shot. Granted there were times where RNG was not on my side and what I thought was a good shot turned out to be putting me into the sandpit. I don't know how this game is with other people involved, but as a single player experience it was alright.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (decent time, music is the best part)
Version Release Date: April 9th 2001
Gave this game a try on the Switch Online. At the time of writing and playing I was feeling under the weather, so I was only able to play for a very short time compared to other days. I like how this game looks and I liked the game’' music. I used the pro controller's gyro to move and control Kirby, but it was not easy. I had to rewind a number of times to avoid falling in the void and have my timer drop to 100 seconds. Still it was good to give this game a try.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (it was alright)
Version Release Date: August 28th 2000
Played on the Switch Online. As of playing and writing this, I am going through a cold so I did not play to the best of my abilities. That said, I still had a fun time. I played through the Mushroom Cup and gave the Ring Mode a try. I mainly played with Peach as my character of choice. The game took a bit to get a hang of the controls but overall I had a pretty fun time.
Current rating: 3.5 out of 5 (had fun with what I played with)
Version Release Date: August 27th 2001
Played one Mushroom Cup and won on the Switch Online. I never originally played this as a kid, and it makes me wonder how I would feel about this game if I did. I probably would have liked it a lot and played a ton of it. From what I played, I had a fun time. I only wish I could play more but had to stop due to at the time of playing and writing not feeling the best. Hopefully I’ll go back and play more of the levels in the future.
Current rating: 3 out of 5 (seems like a fun game)
Version Release Date: December 1993
Played the SNES version on Switch Online. Kind of decided to play this one on a whim. I did try to play this game, but I quickly realized I am very bad at Pool, and at best I was only able to make it past the first stage before I quickly got a game over. I also gave the Trick Shots a try but I had no idea how to properly do them without breaking a glass. The only real good thing is that this game looks very nice and it has a great soundtrack. I like the nighttime city look it's going for. There’s also a jukebox mode you can play to listen to all the songs, and I enjoyed listening to some tracks while writing up this review. The only thing is that if I want to go back to the main menu, I would have to scroll all the way through the song list until I reached Exit. Overall, this is not my game to play, but it's nice to listen to.
Current rating: 2.5 out of 5 (not good at playing but the music is nice)