Imagine grinding through hours of Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, carefully snagging and purifying Shadow Pokémon, only for the game to crash and take your save data with it. That was the reality for some Switch Online subscribers after the title landed in the GameCube library last month. Nintendo has now moved to fix it.
Version 1.6.1 of the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube app is out now, and the headline change is a bug fix targeting exactly those crashes in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. The crashes were serious enough to cause save data loss, which is about as bad as it gets for an RPG where progress takes real time to build.
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What the 1.6.1 patch actually addresses
The fix is specific and targeted. The update resolves the crash issue tied to Pokémon XD that emerged after the game's addition to the GameCube library. So far, this appears to be the only notable change in version 1.6.1, though Nintendo has not published detailed patch notes beyond acknowledging the fix.
Here's the thing: for a game like Pokémon XD, save data is everything. The entire loop revolves around capturing Shadow Pokémon, purifying them through the Purify Chamber, and building a team across a fairly lengthy story. Losing progress to a crash is not a minor inconvenience.
Pokémon XD's arrival and what's still coming
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness joined the Switch Online GameCube library last month, making it one of the more notable additions to the service in recent memory. The game puts players in control of a protagonist using a device called the Snag Machine to steal Shadow Pokémon from Cipher operatives, with Eevee as a starting companion.
The GameCube library still has more on the way. Both Pokémon Colosseum (the predecessor to XD) and Super Mario Sunshine are listed among the titles still scheduled to arrive. Pokémon Colosseum in particular would pair well with XD, since several Shadow Pokémon storylines connect across the two games.
For players who have been holding off on Pokémon XD because of the crash reports, version 1.6.1 should clear the way. Check our latest gaming news for more on what's hitting Nintendo Switch Online, and keep an eye on the GameCube library as those remaining titles get confirmed release windows.
