Classic Arcade Game Coming to Nintendo Switch Thursday

Thanks to the Arcade Archives line, the Nintendo Switch has been blessed with some truly beloved arcade titles. Titles such as Donkey Kong, Frogger, Excitebike, and Double Dragon have all found new life on the eShop, and this week another classic will grace the system. Detana!! TwinBee might not have the same recognition of those other titles, but the game certainly deserves to be remembered as fondly. Developed by Konami, gamers outside Japan might remember it by its alternate title, Bells and Whistles. Released in 1991, the game was considered one of the best shooters of the time, and has since been ported to a plethora of consoles, including Wii and Xbox 360.

The Twinbee franchise features vertical scrolling, shoot-em-up action. While the series might not be well known to many gamers in North America, it’s quite big in Japan; Detana!! TwinBee is actually the fifth entry in the franchise! It also happens to be the most popular. The game’s release inspired a radio drama, an anime, and a manga adaptation. Despite this, the game has not seen a new release since 2013’s Line GoGo! TwinBee. However, players that find themselves enjoying Detana!! TwinBee will be happy to know that the first entry in the series is also available on Switch as part of the Arcade Archives line.

The Arcade Archives series has been one of the best additions to the Switch eShop. Published by Hamster Corporation, the series has brought some of the best arcade options available to Switch owners, in a format that’s faithful to the original. With Nintendo dropping the Virtual Console in favor of NES and SNES libraries that can only be accessed through a subscription model, the Arcade Archives series has been the only way for players to legitimately purchase some of Nintendo’s oldest games, including Punch-Out!! and Mario Bros. In an era where more companies are pushing subscription models as the future, it’s nice to see these games made available in this format.

Arcade Archives Detana!! TwinBee will release on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on January 16th. Like other games in the series, it’s expected to retail for $7.99.

Do you plan on checking out Detana!! TwinBee? Have you played other entries in the TwinBee franchise? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!