Blaster Master & Zelda 2 hit Nintendo Switch Online next week

Nintendo is slowly sprucing up its Nintendo Switch Online library. The service has more than a few dozen classic NES games, some of which include rare gems that have never seen a Nintendo Virtual Console release. Nintendo will add two more games to its NES - Nintendo Switch Online catalog next week, which should interest old-school players of all stripes.

Blaster Master

The two games set to hit the NES - Nintendo Switch Online service next week include:

Blaster Master: The premise of this old-school Metroidvania (before that term was ever a thing) is a bit of a bizarre one. A boy loses his pet frog and sets out to retrieve him by jumping into a powerful tank and exploring a labyrinth of tunnels. Players must defeat the Plutonium Boss and his army of mutants, but to do so, they'll have to run through both side-scrolling and top-down sections of increasing difficulty.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link: Long considered the red-headed stepchild of the Legend of Zelda world, this sequel to the original has recently benefitted from bursts of nostalgia. Enough time has passed that hardened Zelda fans have come to appreciate this side-scrolling Legend of Zelda adventure for its own merits, as well as its crushing difficulty.

As is the case with the rest of the NES - Nintendo Switch Online library, players can access these games as part of their Nintendo Switch Online membership. They'll also be able to save their progress at any point and return to their game later.

Both Blaster Master and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link will be available on Thursday, January 16. In the meantime, those who loved the original Blaster Master may be interested to know that there is a sequel out there on the Nintendo Switch. If you haven't picked up 2017's Blaster Master Zero, a recent sequel that retains the original 8-bit aesthetic, go out and give it a shot.