After years of fan requests, Donkey Kong 64 is the latest game to be added to Switch Online’s catalogue of Nintendo 64 games.
Rare‘s 3D platformer will be added to Nintendo Classics on June 4, bringing the total number of N64 games available to the service to 43 in the West and 45 overall (Custom Robo and Custom Robo V2 are Japan-only).
Released by Rare in November 1999, Donkey Kong 64 is an open world 3D platformer which uses the same game engine as the Banjo-Kazooie games.
The game has Donkey Kong rescuing his friends from King K Rool – after which they too become playable – and was notorious for the sheer number of collectibles it boasted.
It’s also home to the first appearance of the DK Rap, the Grant Kirkhope-composed song that plays during the game’s intro and has become something of a fan favourite.
Donkey Kong 64 was never released on the Wii’s Virtual Console service, but did make it to the Wii U Virtual Console in 2015. Because Wii U sales were low, however, for a large number of Switch owners this will be their first chance to legally play the game since its original N64 release 27 years ago.
Fans have been hoping for the addition of Donkey Kong 64 for some time, and those hopes were amplified last July when a blurred section of a Nintendo Switch Online trailer appeared to show the box art for Donkey Kong 64, Forsaken 64, Glover and Super Smash Bros.
While Forsaken 64 was then added to the service – lending more credibility to the claims – Glover and Super Smash Bros have still yet to appear.
The addition of Donkey Kong 64 will mark the first new Nintendo 64 game to arrive on the service this year. Last year, a total of five N64 games were added – Ridge Racer 64, Killer Instinct Gold, Forsaken 64, Rayman 2: The Great Escape and Tonic Trouble.
NES, SNES, Game Boy and Game Boy Colour games are available as part of the standard Switch Online subscription, which costs £3.49/€3.99/$3.99 for a one-month membership, £6.99/€7.99/$7.99 for a three-month membership, and £17.99/€19.99/$19.99 for a 12-month membership.
Switch Online’s Expansion Pack add-on, which is needed to play Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance and Sega Mega Drive / Genesis games, costs $49.99 / £34.99 / €39.99 per year.
