Let’s dive into the latest updates for retro gaming fans: Nintendo has now added Donkey Kong Land 3 to their Switch Online service. This classic from the Game Boy era, which just celebrated its 27th anniversary in October 2024, completes the Donkey Kong Land trilogy on the platform, giving fans a nostalgic treat.
If you’re not familiar, the Donkey Kong Land series was developed by Rare in the ’90s, back when they were independent and not yet part of Microsoft. Each title in the series was released annually between 1995 and 1997, with the first game making its way to Nintendo Switch Online on November 22, and followed shortly by its sequel four days later.
Recently on December 4, Donkey Kong Land 3 joined the lineup on NSO, available to all subscribers, regardless of their subscription tier. It’s important not to mix this up with Donkey Kong Country 3—the SNES classic, which was added to NSO a bit earlier in December 2020.
Now, here’s something noteworthy: what we got isn’t the most refined version of Donkey Kong Land 3. Instead of the colorful Game Boy Color version from 2000, NSO has added the 1997 Game Boy original. Why’s that? Mostly because this upgraded version was exclusive to Japan, and bringing it to a global audience now means having to localize it—a step Nintendo doesn’t always take. We did, however, see them make such moves with games like F-Zero: GP Legend, added back in October 2024, but those instances are rare.
The inclusion of DKL3 nevertheless bolsters the Switch’s status as a must-have console for Donkey Kong fans. With 10 titles now accessible on Nintendo Switch Online, players can explore everything from the classic Donkey Kong Country series to DK Jr. Math. Plus, the console has seen ports and remakes like DKC: Tropical Freeze and the reimagined Mario vs. Donkey Kong in 2018 and 2024, respectively. And soon, players can anticipate Donkey Kong Country Returns HD launching on January 16, 2025.
But that’s not all—the NSO library’s December additions continue with Tetris for NES, expected to drop on December 12. This upcoming release might just round off the NSO offerings for 2024.
Shifting gears a bit, let’s refresh ourselves on the Nintendo Switch Lite. While it lacks 4K capabilities and doesn’t support docking, this handheld-only device, released in 2019, remains a compact, cost-efficient choice. Its fixed controllers are built exclusively for portable play, and it packs a 5.5” touch screen, 32GB of storage, and a custom Nvidia Tegra X1 processor. While it’s lightweight at 0.61 lbs, the Switch Lite still delivers the complete Nintendo Switch experience on the go.
