Let’s face it, getting together with a few of your closest friends and playing games on the same TV isn’t as easy as it used to be. Maybe it’s because we’re getting older, or maybe it’s because online co-op has become ubiquitous, while couch co-op isn’t as popular as it used to be.
While both Sony and Microsoft’s respective consoles rely heavily on online co-op, Nintendo still wants you to get together with friends and family to play games together. In fact, many best nintendo switch multiplayer games are designed to be played this way.
From Mario Party to Mario Kart to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, many of the best nintendo switch games are great for playing with your friends. But what if you want to play with your family too? Try explaining the rules of Mario Party Superstars to your grandparents or even your aunts and uncles and I’m sure you’ll lose a few along the way.
I’ve tried getting large groups of friends and family across generations to play games together before and it went exactly as expected. Now I think I’ve found the perfect game for both older and younger players to play together with the release of Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition.
Not only do you get several classic Nintendo franchises, from Super Mario Bros. to Kirby, rolled into one game, but instead of full levels, you’re tasked with taking on bite-sized challenges and completing boss fights as quickly as possible. It’s really easy to pick up and for those who haven’t held a controller since the late ’80s or early ’90s, there are sample plays you can watch before tackling each challenge.
Here’s my take on the game after playing it a bit earlier thanks to Nintendo and why I think it might be my new go-to board game.
For every generation of gamers
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a nostalgia-fueled experience. When you first boot up the game, it tells you the story of the Nintendo World Championships, a series of video game competitions held in cities across the United States in 1990. In fact, the 1989 film The Wizard starring Fred Savage and Christian Slater was used as a promotional tool by Nintendo to promote the then-unreleased Super Mario Bros. 3 while also building buzz for its own video game tournament the following year.
List of Hype Tags in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
(Image credit: Nintendo)
There’s not much to set up at the start of the game, but you do have to choose a Hype Tag that other local or online players can see. There are some really fun ones, and if you grew up playing the classics, you’ll know a lot of them.
Once you complete this step, you will be able to participate in over 150 different challenges from 13 classic Nintendo games, including Super Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Excitebike, Kid Icarus and many more. There is a wide variety of games and challenges for you to participate in.
One of the Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition collectible pins
(Image credit: Nintendo)
The easiest ones will ask you to do something simple like get a Super Mushroom in Super Mario Bros. or defeat all the enemies in The Legend of Zelda. The harder ones will ask you to complete an entire level or take on the toughest bosses in a game. Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is based on speed racing after all, so you’re trying to get the fastest time for each challenge. Whether you’re competing against yourself, a friend on the same couch as you, or someone online is entirely up to you.
Doing well on challenges earns you pins, but there are also unlockable icons. You can use these to personalize your profile and stand out from the crowd. So far, I’ve really enjoyed trying to collect all the pins, and beating your best time on a particular level or challenge is a reward in itself.
Better together
An intro screen explaining how a challenge works in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
(Image credit: Nintendo)
I’ve had the last couple of weeks to test out Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition and while it was fun on its own, it was even better when I got to play it with my wife’s younger cousin. His first console was a Wii while mine was a Super Nintendo, so there were definitely some classic NES games that we both didn’t have.
Once he got familiar with the layout of the best Nintendo Switch controllers, we started working through all the challenges starting with the easiest ones. He mainly plays shooting games like Valorant now, but after a few minutes the side-scrolling platformer came back to him while he was playing Super Mario Bros.
Results of a challenge in the Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
(Image credit: Nintendo)
We did a few challenges before moving on to the game’s challenge packs, which are a series of challenges bundled together from a single game or multiple games that share the same theme. It was a lot of fun, especially since neither of us had played much of Balloon Fight or the original Metroid. But when we started playing Kirby, he told me he played it a lot on his Nintendo DS.
Although we only planned to play for a short while, we ended up playing Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition together late one night. It was fun for two, but it got me thinking about how great this game would be to play with a full house. Luckily, it was designed for large multiplayer sessions.
Playing with a full house
A screenshot showing how player windows are arranged in multiplayer sessions in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Playing with eight people on the same console is almost unheard of, but there are a handful of Switch games that support it, including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Super Bomberman R, and The Jackbox Party Pack, which is a favorite for local co-op with large groups since everyone can use their smartphone as a controller.
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is the latest Switch game to support local co-op for up to eight players, and since the NES controller only has two face buttons, everyone can play with a single Joy-Con facing sideways.
A screenshot showing an example of an eight-player game in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
(Photo credit: Tom’s Guide)
Of course, I had to see for myself what this looked like, so I connected four pairs of Joy-Cons to my Switch and gave it a try. Unlike the game’s Online Survival or World Championships mode, you don’t have the option to simply expand your screen. Instead, you have eight small screens side by side, and each player gets a randomly selected icon. Nintendo recommends playing this way on a large TV, and after testing it out on a 32-inch monitor, I can see why.
My new must-have board game
A screenshot showing the results screen after completing the Party Mode challenges in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
(Image credit: Nintendo)
So why would I choose Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition over Mario Party or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for my next big party? The reason is simple: Most people know how to play these classic games—or at least one of them—and they’re not overly complicated.
Before each challenge, you also have the option to watch a gameplay video showing you exactly what you need to do. If you’re short on time, you can also skip them entirely or fast-forward through the game to reach a specific point in a challenge. Not only is this a good refresher for seasoned players, but it’s also a good introduction for those who haven’t played a particular NES title before.
With Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, it’s also easier to play with older and younger players together, and everyone will likely get something completely different out of the experience. Those who grew up playing the NES might be hit with a wave of nostalgia, while younger players might get a lesson in video game history and come away appreciating how far gaming has come.
Similarly, seven years after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released on Switch, only the most hardcore Mario Kart fans aren’t looking for something new to play locally with their friends. Even then, playing the game with more experienced Mario Kart players can ruin the fun for younger players or those who haven’t picked up a controller in a while. It’s a similar situation with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
A screenshot showing the speedrun mode with Donkey Kong in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
(Image credit: Nintendo)
With Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, the playing field is more level since the games in the collection are much older. Sure, some people may remember playing the original Donkey Kong, but they’ve probably lost the advantage they had back when they were putting coins into the arcade cabinet while waiting for their turn to play.
At $60, the physical edition of the game is primarily aimed at collectors and those who remember the rarity of the original Nintendo World Championship cartridges. If you’re buying the game digitally, $30 is a much more reasonable price for what you’re getting. Replay value is pretty high, though, as you can try to beat your old records, and Nintendo plans to change the World Championship mode challenges every week.
While a game like this might not be for everyone, if you’re a big Nintendo fan or grew up playing these games, it’s definitely worth a try, and it’s even better when you’re playing locally with friends or even family. I know I’ll be whipping out the controllers and booting up my Switch to play this to cap off the next big gathering at my house.
More information on Tom’s Guide
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