Mario and friends return in this colorful collection of classic games
A couple weeks ago Nintendo announced that we would (finally) be getting Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games on NSO. This is exciting news if you’re an old-school Nintendo fan like me. The line-ups are just a handful of games, but there are some very good games here. Among them was a bit of a surprise: Game & Watch Gallery 3. Not sure why they didn’t do the first game (which is great, played that one a lot as a kid). I’ve played the first two games, but not this one. Is it as good as the others? Let’s find out.
G&WG3 was released for the Game Boy Color in 1999. It’s a collection of five mini-games, which are these: Egg, Greenhouse, Turtle Bridge, Mario Bros, and Donkey Kong Jr. Each game has a modern version (Mario and friends) and a classic version (the OG, usually with Mr. Game & Watch), and you can play either Easy or Hard mode. In addition to the games, there are plenty of unlockables and extra stuff. Let’s briefly look at each of the games.
In Egg, you must have Yoshi move in four directions so he can grab cookies tumbling towards him. When pointed in the right direction, his tongue will automatically zip out and grab the cookie. You’ll also see Chef Mario pop out a few times. As you grab cookies, make sure you don’t grab a bob-omb, which will appear occasionally. This is a very simple yet fun game, and I especially love that the cookies Yoshi grabs are the same cookies in his game Yoshi’s Cookie.
Yoshi also stars in Greenhouse, in which you must spit watermelon seeds at flying shy guys and monkeys to protect vegetables. If Yoshi can collect enough watermelons, his spit will turn into fireballs (that’s what I’m talkin’ about!). This game is certainly much slower, and it’s not a favorite of mine. However, the music is very nice.
Turtle Bridge is a fun one. You play as Toad as he tries to take a mushroom from Mario on the left and cross a bridge of birds to get it to Peach on the right. There are two birds on the left, a floating block in the middle, and three birds on the right. But it’s not as simple as you think! Every now and then balloons will float up from the bottom of the screen, and depending on where the balloon is, one of the birds will peck at it, meaning Toad will fall if he happens to be on that bird at that moment. Also, the block in the middle will fall if Toad stands on it too long. This means the only spot where Toad can stand without falling is on the very far left (the tower under Mario). This is a great game!
In Mario Bros, you play as (guess who?) the Mario Bros. as they work together to package some cakes and put them on a delivery truck (it’s their side business). This one’s a little tricky as you have Luigi on the left and Mario on the right. You move Luigi with the D-pad and Mario with the A and B buttons. For some reason Bowser is at the top watching the bros. (maybe he’s the manager?), and Wario drives the delivery truck (I wouldn’t trust him not to eat those cakes). This game is fine, but it’s not really that interesting.
Finally, Donkey Kong Jr. is a simplified version of the NES game. You play as DK Jr. as he moves through one-screen levels, grabs the key, and gets to DK’s cage. Along the way, he will have to avoid enemies such as goombas and bullet bills. You will have to get to the cage four times before you go to the next level. There are only three levels, and once you do them all, they repeat. This one’s not bad. The levels can be quite challenging, especially since certain things change as you play (such as the vines disappearing or the clouds blipping in and out). This one will keep you on your toes.
But that’s not all! By collecting stars, you can unlock five more games! These games are: Flagman, Judge, Lion, Spitball Sparky, and Donkey Kong II. However, these are only the classic versions. Let’s be honest: the classic versions are just a novelty. They are so slow that you probably won’t enjoy playing them (I don’t). Thankfully, there is also the Gallery Corner, which is home to the Note Board, the Music Room, and the Museum. In the Museum you can learn about games, and play even more unlockable games such as Pinball, Donkey Kong Hockey, Donkey Kong Circus, Super Mario Bros, Climber, Balloon Fight, and a reversed version of the game Fire.
Final Verdict—4 Stars: Recommended
While I personally don’t think the games in this collection are as good as the first game (I just love Octopus and Fire), I have to admit that this is still a good collection. Some of these games are very fun and addicting, and there are certainly many things to unlock. Hopefully we’ll get the other G&W games on NSO in the future. Do you think that Nintendo should bring back this series? Comment below, and thanks for reading!
You can read my review for Game & Watch Gallery 2 here
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