Nintendo Switch Online Adds Shigeru Miyamoto's Forgotten Gem Mole Mania and Two More Game Boy Classics on October 27
Just one week after expanding its Expansion Pack library with three Game Boy Advance classics led by Metal Slug Advance and Kururin Paradise, Nintendo is turning its attention back to its original monochrome handheld. Starting Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the Game Boy - Nintendo Classics app on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 will welcome three new titles: Mole Mania, Avenging Spirit, and Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator.
Unlike Game Boy Advance or Nintendo 64 releases, all three 8-bit titles are included in the standard Nintendo Switch Online membership at no extra cost, with no Expansion Pack upgrade required.
Mole Mania: Shigeru Miyamoto's Underrated Underground Puzzler
The standout headliner of this October drop is Mole Mania. Originally released in Japan in July 1996 as Moguranya before arriving in North America and Europe in early 1997, this overhead puzzle-action adventure was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and directed by Masayuki Kameyama.
Players step into the claws of Muddy Mole, who must battle across the seven worlds of Jinbe Land to rescue his wife and seven children from the clutches of the scheming farmer Jinbe. What makes the game shine is its dual-layer puzzle design: every single screen lets you dig into soft soil to navigate an underground grid, tunneling beneath surface obstacles and popping back up behind enemies.
Above ground, you push, pull, and throw black iron balls, barrels, and bombs to clear hazards and unlock the gate to the next screen without accidentally blocking your own tunnels. The release also preserves the original two-player VS Mode, where one player controls Muddy trying to harvest cabbages while the other plays as Jinbe setting traps across the field.
Avenging Spirit: Body-Hopping Arcade Action From Jaleco
Arriving right in time for Halloween week, Avenging Spirit brings one of the era's cleverest platforming gimmicks back into the spotlight. First launched in arcades by Jaleco in 1991 and adapted for the Game Boy in 1992, the game casts you as a young man gunned down by a crime syndicate while walking with his girlfriend.
Because her father is a leading scientist researching ghost energy, the syndicate kidnaps her to force his cooperation. Returning as a restless spirit across six stages, you can possess more than 20 different enemy types, ranging from Tommy-gun gangsters and agile ninjas to fire-breathing dragons and heavily armed robots.
Every host body grants its own health bar and weapon set, while floating outside a host rapidly drains your spiritual energy meter.
Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator: HAL Laboratory's Pre-Kirby Table
Rounding out the trio is Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator, developed by HAL Laboratory and first released in Japan in 1989 (followed by Western launches in 1990). Years before creating the beloved Kirby's Pinball Land, the studio honed its handheld ball physics on this alligator-themed table.
The board spans four main vertical screens and three bonus stages triggered by hitting specific targets and lanes. Letting your ball slip all the way down to the bottom Gator Stage feeds it straight into the jaws of a giant crocodile. Alongside the solo score-chasing mode, players can team up or square off in alternating two-player and Match Play modes.
If you are looking to keep your retro library active on Switch or Switch 2 without overspending on console memberships, see how Nintendo's base tier stacks up in our 2026 comparison guide between Nintendo Switch Online, PS Plus, and Xbox Game Pass.
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My Perspective: A Long-Overdue Spotlight for a Design Masterclass
I have been waiting for Mole Mania to join the Switch library ever since the Game Boy app first launched. Because it originally came out right as the Nintendo 64 and the Pokemon phenomenon were taking over the world, Miyamoto's underground puzzler was unfairly overlooked by millions of players.
Digging beneath puzzles to rethink each single-screen room in two layers feels just as clever today as it did in the nineties. Pairing a first-party hidden gem of that caliber with Jaleco's Possession mechanic in Avenging Spirit and HAL's early pinball craftsmanship makes this October update one of the most rewarding retro drops Nintendo has delivered all year.
Based on the outskirts of New York City, Chaya 'Chayane' spent five years studying software engineering in Montreal before returning to her home state. A Full-Stack developer and Deep Learning AI architecture researcher, she explores neural networks and algorithmic optimization while engineering data pipelines for Retrocharting and Gamescharting alongside Grimtag. A gamer for over 20 years and an avid collector of Nintendo history and The Legend of Zelda, she explored World of Warcraft's Azeroth before bringing her deep technical background to video game analysis.
