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Nintendo World Championships NES Edition Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

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Nintendo World Championships NES Edition Review, Take on over 150 retro speed-running challenges in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition for Nintendo Switch. Hone your skills and see if you have what it takes to be a champion! Set, beat, and perfect your times in the single-player Speedrun Mode. See how quickly you can grab the first Super Mushroom in Super Mario Bros. or how fast you can gobble up an enemy in Kirby’s Adventure.

Nintendo World Championships NES Edition Review Pros:

  • Awesome 8 Bit NES graphics.
  • 424MB download size.
  • Own in-game achievements like a system with earning pin badges.
  • Two play modes – One player and party mode.
  • You get an initial introduction to what the championships are and when they happened.
  • Player icon which goes by your profile name, you get a fair few to start then you buy more with coins.
  • Hype tag again goes on your profile and these are excellent as they have tags like *I wrote my name on my games* or *first time playing a NES game*.
  • You set if you are a NES player or a Famicom player and then pick your favorite game from the extensive list.
  • Online features are optional, it lets you compete against other players in world championships and the survival mode.
  • Three game modes – Speedrun mode, World Championships, and Survival mode.
  • In Speedrun mode your fastest clear times are saved and you earn coins to unlock more challenges.
  • Each challenge in Speedrun shows a demo video playing (can be fast-forwarded), showing the objective, info on the game, personal best time, and highest rank.
  • Challenges have a star rating difficulty rating.
  • You play challenges in speed run mode in a splits reen style, your best run shows on the right, and your current attempt on the left. It uses the traditional speed run timer and shows button inputs.
  • The style and presentation are excellent from the timer font to the way it’s all shown to you.
  • Restarting challenges or replaying them is instant loading.
  • Very addictive as you try to beat your own score.
  • 13 games you play – Kirby Adventure, Mario Bros 2 lost levels, the adventures of Link, Mario Bros 3, Balloon Fight, Ice Climbers, Excitebike, Mario Bros 2, Kid Icarus, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Bros.
  • Coins in Speedrun let you go through the challenges in your own way.
  • Game settings – hype tag, favorite NES game, Speedrun mode split-screen mode on/off, gameplay instructions, online features, and birth year rankings.
  • Weekly challenges that allow you to replay them as much as you want.
  • Survival mode is where you play against ghost data records of players from online, you play in an elimination style round Robin. You have Silver and Gold divisions.
  • Every mode has an initial mode description pop-up.
  • It’s so addictive and fun to play.
  • The controls for the game show on the screen before you start.
  • In any game you can rewatch your best run replay, it shows your profile data, etc, and looks excellent.
  • Earn a rank based on your speedrun performance.
  • The pin art looks awesome and you can look at them in 3D and flip them around.
  • This is a game that also serves as an excellent trainer for speed running not only in these games but speed running in general.
  • World Championships let you pick and choose in which order and indeed which challenges you want to do.
  • The world championships are only one screen, you still get the video demo and controls. You get shown your best time and how many players have taken the challenge.
  • The last challenge of each game is to beat the full game! You do get an optional manual-like guide to help with tips and shortcuts.
  • If you die the game automatically rewinds time a few seconds and you carry on.
  • There are 501 player icons to collect.
  • Party mode supports up to 8 players on one console.
  • When the online championship ends you get a cool breakdown of your performance from leaderboard to data on the game.
  • You can watch the number 1 position run on the world championships once it ends.

Nintendo World Championships NES Edition Review Cons:

  • Initially, all you can do is play the Speedrun mode, it acts as an introduction but some people like me, want to go straight into settings.
  • Cannot remap the controls at all.
  • You only get a brief description of the game and no manuals or anything.
  • The game doesn’t have a museum-style menu showing off the history of the championships with images, text, and videos.
  • No way to save or share your best run replays.
  • I wish you could load in the top or any other player’s ghost/replay so you can see what they did and also compete in the speedrun mode.
  • More an FYI but you don’t get the actual full games to play.
  • Would be great to see more games added.
  • Feels criminal that you cannot have a friends-only leaderboard or be able to see your friend’s best times.
  • Cannot download ghosts of other players.
  • The only real reward systems it has are pins and profile icons.
  • You have to wait until the survival mode has populated players before you can quit.
  • I wish you can get some idea on to what the times are you should be going for.
  • The championships don’t give any idea of how you are performing.
  • You cannot pause the game, it’s short but still.
  • Had the game showing a connecting timer on screen that was random and so was the amount of time.

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Nintendo World Championships NES Edition:

Official website.

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

Store Links –

Nintendo

  • 8/10
    Graphics - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Sound - 8/10
  • 9/10
    Accessibility - 9/10
  • 8/10
    Length - 8/10
  • 9/10
    Fun Factor - 9/10
8.4/10

Summary

The Nintendo World Championships NES Edition offers a nostalgic trip back to the 8-bit era with its impressive graphics and a manageable 424MB download size. The game features an in-game achievement system where players can earn pin badges, adding a layer of accomplishment. There are two main play modes: One Player and Party Mode, the latter supporting up to eight players on one console. The game begins with an introduction to the championships, providing context on their history. Players can choose a profile icon, with several available initially and more purchasable with in-game coins. The “Hype Tag” feature adds a fun touch, allowing players to display tags like “I wrote my name on my games” or “first time playing a NES game.” Players can also set their preference for NES or Famicom and select their favorite game from an extensive list.

The game includes optional online features, enabling players to compete in world championships and survival mode. There are three main game modes: Speedrun, World Championships, and Survival. In Speedrun mode, players’ fastest clear times are saved, and they can earn coins to unlock more challenges. Each challenge comes with a demo video, showing the objective, game info, personal best time, and highest rank. The challenges have a star rating for difficulty, and the split-screen style in Speedrun mode allows players to see their best run on the right and their current attempt on the left. The presentation is excellent, with a traditional speed run timer and button inputs displayed. Restarting or replaying challenges is instant, making the game highly addictive as players strive to beat their own scores.

The game features 13 classic NES titles, including Kirby Adventure, Mario Bros 2 Lost Levels, The Adventures of Link, and more. Coins earned in Speedrun mode allow players to tackle challenges in their preferred order. The game settings include options for hype tags, favorite NES game, split-screen mode, gameplay instructions, online features, and birth year rankings. Weekly challenges provide endless replayability. In Survival mode, players compete against ghost data records in an elimination-style round robin, with Silver and Gold divisions. Each mode has an initial description pop-up, and the controls are displayed on the screen before starting.

One of the standout features is the ability to rewatch best run replays, showcasing profile data and looking visually appealing. Players earn ranks based on their Speedrun performance, and the pin art is impressive, and viewable in 3D. The game also serves as an excellent trainer for speedrunning, not just for the included games but for speedrunning in general. The World Championships mode allows players to pick and choose challenges, with the final challenge being to beat the full game. An optional manual-like guide provides tips and shortcuts. If a player dies, the game rewinds a few seconds, allowing them to continue. There are 501 player icons to collect, and when the online championship ends, players receive a detailed breakdown of their performance, including leaderboard data. Watching the top player’s run is also possible once the championship concludes.

However, the game has some drawbacks. Initially, only Speedrun mode is available, which may frustrate players who want to dive straight into settings. The controls cannot be remapped, and the game only provides brief descriptions without detailed manuals. There is no museum-style menu to showcase the history of the championships with images, text, and videos. Additionally, there is no way to save or share best run replays, and players cannot load other players’ ghost data or replays to see their strategies.

In summary, the Nintendo World Championships NES Edition is a highly addictive and fun game that offers a nostalgic experience with its 8-bit graphics and classic NES titles. The game modes and features provide endless replayability, and the presentation is top-notch. However, the inability to remap controls, lack of detailed game descriptions, and absence of a museum-style menu are notable drawbacks. Despite these issues, the game serves as an excellent trainer for speedrunning and offers a comprehensive and enjoyable experience for both new and veteran players. This is the true definition of a game you never knew you wanted but now cannot stop playing.

Jim Smale

Gaming since the Atari 2600, I enjoy the weirdness in games counting Densha De Go and RC De Go as my favourite titles of all time. I prefer gaming of old where buying games from a shop was a thing, Being social in person was a thing. Join me as I attempt to adapt to this new digital age!