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Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition review

July 17, 2024

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Nintendo has a storied history when it comes to competitive gaming, dating back to the iconic Nintendo World Championships events of the late 80s and early 90s. Now, Nintendo is bringing that spirit of competition to the modern era with Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition on Nintendo Switch.

This unique game compilation for Nintendo Switch focuses on speed-running challenges across 13 classic NES titles, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and more. With over 150 individual challenges to master, you’ll need to be at the top of your game to achieve the fastest times possible. Here’s my review.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition details

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch
Developer(s): Nintendo
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Genre: Action, Platformer, Party, Racing
Modes: Single-player, multiplayer (local 1-8 players) (online 1 player)
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Bite-sized speedrunning challenges

The core gameplay of Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition lies in the over 150 unique challenges. These challenges are spread across 13 classic NES titles. The bite-sized tests of speed and skill put your reflexes to the ultimate test. You are challenged to complete specific objectives as quickly as possible. The challenges cover a wide range of scenarios. Some challenges involve simply grabbing a mushroom in the first few seconds of Super Mario Bros. Others require speedrunning through entire levels or even entire games. The initial challenges for each game act as introductions, teaching you the basic mechanics before ramping up the difficulty. And, in no time, you’ll be memorizing level layouts, executing perfect jumps to shave milliseconds off your time to be the best.

What I really liked and found that makes the gameplay so engaging is the constant drive to improve. Replaying challenges allows you to analyze your performance, see where you can improve and chase that elusive top ‘S’ rank. The game’s “ghost” feature, which displays your previous run alongside your current attempt, is an invaluable tool for perfecting your strategy.

And, in true Nintendo fashion, they have ensured that Nintendo World Championships: NES can be enjoyed by just about everyone and not just hardcore gamers. In addition to the wide variety of bite-sized challenges that are easy to jump into, there are also helpful tutorial videos. These guide you through the objectives, giving you hints and tips. You can rewatch them as many times as you like. Trust me on this, I know! The end result is a game that is approachable for those new to these classic NES titles or speedrunning in general.

Competitive options galore

Beyond the core speedrunning challenges, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition has a variety of modes and features that kept me coming back time and time again. The World Championships mode provides a rotating weekly selection of challenges, with players competing against each other on the global leaderboards to achieve the fastest times. This mode adds an element of ongoing competition, as you can return week after week to improve your previous records and climb the rankings.

The Survival mode takes things a step further, pitting you against the ghost data of seven other players in a series of three random challenges. As the rounds progress, the field is whittled down, with only the top players advancing until there is only one person left. This mode includes Silver and more demanding Gold challenges, catering to players of different skill levels. It’s this weekly rotating challenges in World Championships with its elimination-style Survival mode that provides a constant stream of new content and will keep you coming back for more.

Speedrunning with friends has never been so much fun

If you’re looking for speedrunning action with friends, the game’s Party mode really shines. Up to eight players can compete locally on the same screen, tackling individual challenges or themed challenge packs. The fast-paced, high-stakes nature of these gaming sessions make them a lot of fun, with everyone scrambling to get the quickest times. It can be absolute chaos in the most enjoyable and fun way possible.

And, you also have the ability to customize the challenge selection. This means you can tailor the challenges to your group’s preferences. For example, you could focus on easier, shorter challenges for a more casual group, or select harder, longer challenges for a group of speedrunning enthusiasts.

Plus, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition offers themed bundles that cater to different tastes of your group. This means you can choose a bundle focused on Mario games, Zelda games, or even a mix of various NES classics. In addition to the core gameplay, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition has a lot of collectibles to unlock. Coins earned through play can be spent on unlocking new challenges, as well as a variety of profile icons and pins from your favourite NES games. These icons and pins serve as visual markers of your accomplishments, allowing you to boast your accomplishments to others online.

Is Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition worth the price of admission?

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a nostalgic speedrunning addiction experience that is not to be missed. If you are a fan of classic Nintendo games or are a speedrunning and competetive enthusiast, or just curious, then it’s a must-have.

I think it’s a superbly put-together package. It offers a unique and addictive take on classic NES games. I found the core gameplay loop of speedrunning through bite-sized challenges to be incredibly satisfying. The game does an excellent job of gradually increasing the difficulty and complexity as you progress. The variety of games included is equally impressive, covering many of the NES’s most iconic titles. Some games like Ice Climber and Excitebike have not aged as gracefully. Though, the time of the challenges and the addictive nature of chasing high scores help to keep them engaging. The Legendary challenges in particular provide a true test of skill for speedrunning enthusiasts.

The game’s online modes, such as the weekly World Championships and the competitive Survival mode, add a compelling layer of replayability. Being able to compete against players worldwide and climb the leaderboards provides a genuine sense of accomplishment. The local multiplayer party mode is also a highlight. It offers frantic and entertaining sessions for groups of up to 8 players. The only real downside is that the NES games themselves still have some of the original’s technical limitations. This means that there is occasional slowdown and flickering during busy moments. While this preserves the authentic retro experience, it can be frustrating at times.

The Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition Deluxe Set comes with:

A physical version of the Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition game
A set of 5 collectible pins
13 art cards commemorating each of the featured NES classics
A replica of the fabled gold-coloured NES Game Pak (for display only, stand included) to commemorate the original 1990 Nintendo World Championships event