Nintendo surprised subscribers to its Nintendo Switch Online service today by adding a fourth NES game to the service. We already knew that NES Open Tournament Golf, Solomon’s Key, and Super Dodge Ball would become playable. We didn’t know that we’d be able to play a version of The Legend of Zelda with tweaked difficulty. Serving as basically an official Zelda ROM Hack, The Legend of Zelda Living the life of luxury! gives players a ton of items as they start their adventure.
Nintendo refers to these tweaked versions of games as “special save data.” New Zelda players will start with a healthy wallet full of rupees. They’ll also have access to all their equipment right from the beginning, including the White Sword, Magical Shield, and Power Bracelet. Once you beat Ganon, this hack also supports the Second Quest. Explore all those remixed dungeons at your leisure with the help of every item in the game.
Besides this Zelda ROM hack, it seems we’ll be getting other remixed versions of NES classics. Nintendo promises that these special save points will offer “fun new entry points into fan-favorite games.” Eagled-eyed enthusiasts over at ResetERA dug into the Japanese Nintendo site and unearthed a list of other games labeled with “SP.” It is assumed that these are the games that will get this SPecial treatment.
- Dr. Mario
- Metroid
- Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Bros. 3
- Double Dragon
- Gradius
It’s unclear if these games will also just feature an easy mode or other unique gameplay tweaks. However, this isn’t the first time that Nintendo has delved into ROM hacking. Back on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, you could purchase two distinct volumes of NES Remix. This was a collection of bite-sized challenges that sometimes featured altered graphics or gameplay styles. No matter what they do, it’s nice to see Nintendo breathing life into their classic titles.
