Switch 2 Retro Games: Exploring Hidden Gems Like Dezaemon, Gumball RPG, and Adventure Canoe

On a Thursday morning, a college student in Manila scrolls through the eShop between classes, thumb hovering over a dozen flashy banners for blockbuster preorders. The same $70 price tags that make you think twice when rent, tuition, or groceries are staring you down. Then these gems drop: pixel tools from ’91, an ’82 river rush, a candy-coated RPG, a moody DLC prologue. Not the future of gaming. Relics, really. Switch 2 Retro Games.

But in a month where wallets are practically empty, do they scratch that itch or just gather digital dust?

Yet for a lot of people juggling budgets, side hustles, and creative dreams, these are the releases that actually fit. 

What do games like these really change about our daily lives, if anything at all?

What These 4 Games Actually Offer

Switch 2 Retro Games is the reality that on one random day, four very different, modestly sized releases land at once and quietly reshape what “gaming” can look like in a normal week.

• You have access to Dezaemon on Switch 2, which functions as a revitalized version of the 1991 game development software that enables users to create their own 8-bit shooters through custom pixel art, music, and enemy design. 
• The 1982 TAITO action game Adventure Canoe exists as an Arcade Archives title, which provides players with modern gaming features such as a rewind function, difficulty levels, and multiple save options to reduce frustration during gameplay. 
• Gumball appears in Trick-or-Treat Land, which is a new Game Boy Color RPG that also exists on Steam, showing an unusual behavior when it treats an old handheld device as a presently usable platform instead of a historical artifact.
• And then there’s Neva: Prologue, an emotionally driven DLC chapter meant to be played after the main game, deepening the relationship between its protagonist, Alba, and a wolf cub by sending them through tougher, more intricate swampland encounters.

It’s not a list of specs so much as a snapshot: creation tool, arcade time capsule, retro handheld RPG, story‑heavy DLC. 

Together, they feel less like “content drops” and more like a small, unexpected tasting menu. 

Feels quaint, right? Yet here they are, $8 downloads mostly, on a console that’s barely broken in. Why now?

Who These Games Are Really For

Students & Casual Gamers

Cash-strapped teens devour Dezaemon. Build a game, share screenshots. It’s freeform joy, fueling Discord mods or TikTok clips. Hardcore players rewind Canoe’s brutal currents, chasing high scores. Streaming surges as Twitch chats explode over pixel wars.

The friction is real, though. Learning a creation suite after a long day of lectures isn’t always appealing, and retro games can feel opaque or punishing compared to modern design. So people end up asking: is this a fun break, or another thing I have to “learn” on top of everything else?

Streamers & YouTube Creators

For YouTube and Twitch creators, these releases are niche gold. 

• Dezaemon invites “I made a terrible shooter in one night” videos.
• Adventure Canoe screams “no‑death run” or “chat chooses my route.” 
• Gumball’s Halloween world can turn into a cozy, themed series that feels different from algorithm‑chasing battle royales.
•  Neva: Prologue offers reaction‑driven story content, ripe for slow, emotional commentary.

The tension is the views. 

Audiences trained on big brands don’t always click on a 1982 canoe game thumbnail. Creators face that uncomfortable calculation: do you stream what you genuinely find interesting, or what the algorithm already understands? How often can they afford to pick hearts over numbers?

Families & Young Professionals

$8 hits differ. Kids bond over Canoe. Gumball’s family-safe Halloween sidesteps gore debates. Switch 2 portability wins car trips. 

Yet storage fills; do they rotate or regret?

Small Businesses Worldwide

For small game shops, cafés, or local stream‑focused businesses in developing economies, these titles can act as low‑overhead draws. 

• A Game Boy Color cartridge on display, still getting used in 2026, becomes a conversation starter. 
• A café can run a weekly “retro challenge” night around Adventure Canoe without needing the newest hardware.

But infrastructure and payment options can block access. If your country’s digital storefront support is patchy or international cards are tricky, even a $10 download becomes a hassle. 

So the potential is huge, yet lopsided, so who actually gets to turn these little games into part of their livelihood, and who only reads about them?

The Hidden Downsides of Impulse Buying

There’s also the quiet pressure of endless availability. 

• Every week’s “menu” like this can trigger a low‑grade FOMO, especially among younger players and creators who already feel behind if they aren’t streaming or tweeting about the latest thing. 
• Wallets bleed on impulse, where $8 x 4 is dinner. Kids mimic creators, pressuring parents. 
• Tiny drops blur together, and attention spans shrink; you try a game for twenty minutes, then move on, never giving it a chance to become meaningful.
• For creators and small businesses, chasing every retro rerelease or DLC can lead to burnout and thin margins, turning passion into a treadmill. 
• Even for players, there’s the risk that the constant drip of “just one more small game” replaces deeper engagement with a few titles you actually love. 

At some point, you have to ask: are these little releases enriching your life, or is it just going to be a worthless investment?

Pricing & Accessibility (USD)

• Dezaemon: $7.99 Switch 2. 
• Canoe is similar to Arcade Archives. 
• Gumball: Steam/digital cart TBD, likely $15ish.
•  Neva Prologue: DLC, $5-10 range.

Will it be worth the investment?

Should You Buy These Games Today?

On paper, today’s little cluster of releases is just another line in a news feed: old canoe, retro maker, candy‑colored RPG, heartfelt DLC. 

The three releases provide different experiences, which allow a child to play games with their siblings, a commuting corporate worker to relax with their handheld device, and a small town YouTube variety streamer to develop their online presence without needing to use popular AAA games

Should you buy it?

Examine your daily activities, your financial situation, and your capacity to generate new ideas. Then pick one thing, like playing, creating, or sharing, because it will help you improve your week and give value to your investment

Start there, see how it fits, and let your own experience decide whether this kind of menu is worth ordering from again.