It was advertised as a sillier, more cartoonish version of the arcade game, even though the actual product is nothing like that. The Japanese subtitle, Hachamecha Daishingeki, translates to “Ridiculous March”. This came to be a problem in the English NES version, where you have both the hero and the villain fundamentally having the same name, just romanized differently. The hero of the Japanese versions is supposed to be unnamed, but he became known as Rygar instead in the English versions. In the arcade game, the final boss was supposed to be named Rygar…but “Rygar” and “Ligar” are spelled the same in Japanese (ライガー) due to the lack of differentiation between “L” and “R” sounds. Incidentally, the story highlights a disconnect between naming conventions between the arcade game and the NES game. So, Rygar has to find and consult the five Indora gods in order to find a way up to the foul sky where Liger’s palace floats. He has to traverse the land in order to reach Liger’s fortress of solitude, which just so happens to be floating in the sky. Rygar is to defeat the villain and open the Door for all of Argool’s creatures to walk through and into a better tomorrow… or something like that. Argool is in trouble, as Liger, the evil lion-headed scourge of the land, has stolen the Door of Peace. The main exception is the basic storyline, which doesn’t matter that much. Gamers would soon realize that almost EVERYTHING is different from the arcade game. Well, it’s nice that the game’s a little easier, but is there anything else that sets it apart from the arcade title? However, Rygar takes a hit, and… oh, what’s that in the upper-right corner of the screen? Why, it’s a life meter! Rygar can take three hits before he folds, according to those little red dots up there. At first, it did not seem too different from its predecessor, what with the opening section being a strict side-scrolling affair and those damn rolling caterpillar thingies still prevalent. The updates are a bit infrequent, and for people who really want a way to play all their old favorites on Switch, that can be frustrating-Nintendo just announced a new Paper Mario, so where is Super Mario RPG? If you're just checking it out now, though, you'll find a good handful of NES and SNES classics, and it's worth remembering that Tetris 99's still a perk of the service too.When the hero of Argool made his debut on the NES, it was an entirely different venue from the arcade game.
Ultimate convinced you to get Nintendo Switch Online, but you still haven't checked out its free offerings yet, you really should. If something like Animal Crossing: New Horizons or Super Smash Bros. Still, Rygar did get its due in a 2014 list of the greatest NES games right here on this site (you're welcome, Tecmo). It has the kind of nonlinear structure and beginnings of an RPG system that's more associated in platformers with Castlevania today. Rygar, meanwhile, is an under-credited gem that lives in the shadow of its arcade sibling. If you're more into retro action than puzzling, then Operation Logic Bomb and Wild Guns should help scratch that itch. You know the drill: flip the tiles, make matches, avoid those dreaded garbage blocks.
That would be Panel de Pon, which was released as Tetris Attack in America and was later followed by the Puzzle League series that has crossed over with Pokemon and Animal Crossing. Of the four, it should be noted that you've probably played one of them in some form even if it doesn't immediately register. The three SNES titles are Operation Logic Bomb, Panel de Pon, and Wild Guns, while the NES selection is getting Tecmo's 1987 platformer Rygar. On May 20, Nintendo is adding three SNES games and one NES game to the Switch catalog. Soon, though, four more games will be added to the service, and there's a pretty good chance you'll think at least one of them is a stone-cold classic, even if you don't recognize it at first. It can also feel like it takes ages between updates.
Is there something you think we should be reporting on? Email the updates for Nintendo Switch Online's selection of NES and Super NES titles aren't too exciting, like those "Special" remixes.