Five New Sega Genesis Games Added To Nintendo Switch Online, Including Altered Beast, ToeJam & Earl, And More

Nintendo surprise dropped its classic RPG, Paper Mario, onto its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service earlier this month and today, five new games have been surprise added.

This time, though, they aren’t Nintendo 64 games – it’s five Sega Genesis titles. Announced late last night, Altered Beast, ToeJam & Earl, Dynamite Headdy, Sword of Vermilion, and Thunder Force II are now available to play on the Switch for any NSO + Expansion Pack subscribers. 

Altered Beast was first released in 1988 and it’s a 2D beat ‘em up arcade-style game that debuted on the Sega Genesis, of course. Set in Ancient Greece, you play as an undead wolf-man character revived by Zeus to rescue his daughter from Athena. You can listen to some of Game Informer’s editors talk about it and its reboot, Project Altered Beast on this episode of Replay. 

In ToeJam & Earl, you control the alien rappers who crash-land on Earth. This game launched on the Sega Genesis in 1991 and spawned multiple sequels, including ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove, which was released just two years ago. You can check out our thoughts on it in Game Informer’s ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove review.

Thunder Force II is a 1988 scrolling shoot ‘em up first released in 1988 on the Sharp X6800 computer. However, it was ported to the Sega Genesis a year later and was one of the original launch titles for the Genesis in the United States. As you can see in the trailer, each stage starts with a top-down view. After destroying enough bases, you can further encroach on enemy territory and at that point, the game becomes a 2D scrolling shooter. It was last seen on the Genesis Mini. Oh, and its music absolutely rips, too. 

The fourth game released to NSO is Dynamite Headdy, perhaps one of the most odd releases this drop. It’s a 2D platformer where you play as Headdy, a puppet who must take down an evil puppet king named Dark Demon. Its art style is quite unique and it features some fun combat thanks to its use of over a dozen different power ups. Similar to Thunder Force II, Dynamite Headdy was last seen on the Genesis Mini. 

The fifth and final game dropped onto NSO is Sword of Vermillion, an interesting DnD-like RPG. In one part of the screen, your character and their movement can be seen on an overworld map. Beside that on the screen is a first-person perspective that shows your character moving through wherever you are. It also features 2D combat and a striking artstyle. It was first released in 1989 before making its way to the U.S. two years later in 1991. 

For more, check out the full list of Sega Genesis games available on the subscription service.

Are you excited about these five Sega Genesis games? Let us know in the comments below!