The collection of Nintendo 64 games available on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service has been slowly but steadily growing. Nintendo has now announced that Pokémon Puzzle League will be the next classic Nintendo 64 title to be joining that line-up, and it will be available next week.
Pokémon Puzzle League will be added to the service on July 15, and it will be playable for anyone who is currently subscribed to the Expansion Pack tier of Nintendo Switch Online.
Pokémon Puzzle League is a Tetris-like puzzle game that attempted to bring the formula of the Panel de Pon games to the West. It was originally released in 2000 on the Nintendo 64 in PAL and North American regions.
During gameplay, players are given a wall of Tetris-looking blocks to resolve. Players must swap blocks around to create either vertical or horizontal lines of blocks that have matching colors, which will then clear them.
Unlike most other games in the Pokémon franchise, Pokémon Puzzle League is actually based on the world and characters of the Pokémon anime. Characters like Ash Ketchum and Professor Oak play prominent roles in an unexpected story mode. The narrative revolves around Ash competing in an official Pokémon Puzzle League tournament and going up against his rival, Gary, as well as gym leaders from the Kanto region.
Nintendo also released a short announcement trailer on YouTube, which can be seen below. The Japanese game-maker describes the game as follows: “Get ready for a new kind of Pokémon battle where the power and speed of your brain are just as important as the strength of your Pokémon! Join Ash, Brock, Misty, and many more characters from the Pokémon animated series as they gather in Puzzle Village to compete for the title of Pokémon Puzzle Master.”
Pokémon Puzzle League is the latest surprise announcement for the N64 Expansion Pack offerings. Last month, Nintendo released Pokémon Snap onto the service, and it seems like the platform-holder is set to continue this slow trickle of new, and unexpected, additions to its paid-subscription service.
