October 2026 has been a surprisingly fruitful month for classic games on Nintendo Switch Online. Just last week, Nintendo added a trio of Game Boy Advance titles to its subscription service, and last night, it announced a trio of original Game Boy games to cap off the month. One of them is even a certified classic that got buried because of its release date (February 1997 in the US).
As you can see in the trailer, Mole Mania, Revenge of the Gator, and Avenging Spirit are now playable on the Game Boy Classics app on Switch. Mole Mania is the clear highlight here, an unsung classic from the era that unfortunately released after the launch of the N64 in the US. I never even heard of the game until the 2010s despite being a child in the ’90s, but having played the re-release on 3DS years back, it’s a great little puzzle title that fans of sokoban stuff should dig.
The other two games, I’m not entirely familiar with. Revenge of the Gator is notable for being developed by HAL Laboratory, though contemporary reviews called it one of the best pinball games on Nintendo’s first handheld console. I imagine it would be a little outdated in 2026, but then I’ve also seen exactly one pinball game with alligators in it. You can never top originality.
I cannot claim to be a master of Avenging Spirit, but it is interesting that the only home port in the ’90s of this arcade title was to the Game Boy. It seems like an entirely different game from the trailer Nintendo released, which shows players inhabiting a ghost who can possess different characters. I suppose there is fun to be had here, though you might wish to opt for the arcade re-release on Switch, which runs just $6 on the eShop.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
