Long before consoles like the Nintendo Switch allowed people to resume their quests at a moment’s notice in a waiting room or airport terminal, gamers were introduced to the concept of portable gaming through the Game Boy, Nintendo’s 8-bit handheld console, first released in 1989. Though many subsequent additions followed, including the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Pocket, kids of a certain generation have strong associations with that first unit and the memorable loading screen that appeared when the system was turned on.
Some titles and accessories for the Game Boy have held up better than others (it’s unlikely too many people are still using the Game Boy Camera these days), and the black-and-white graphics seem archaic by today’s standards. However, there are a few games that can still get players excited.
These ten titles are fun to play despite their limitations and are worthy of any Nintendo fan’s library. Reading about them may be enough to inspire nostalgic gamers to dig out their old Game Boys and spend an afternoon lost in the past, as these games are still as addictive as ever.
10 Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
A huge step up from its predecessor, the second Super Mario Land game stood out by introducing enemies and mechanics that hadn’t been seen in other Mario titles, including the first appearance of Wario.
One thing players today will appreciate about 6 Golden Coins is its sheer number of levels and a map that allows for different routes through the game. That ensures replay value, as even those who’ve defeated the final boss may not have uncovered every level.
9 The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
This 1993 installment of the Zelda franchise has had real staying power. In addition to the original, there was also a rerelease for the Game Boy Color that featured a new dungeon, and an HD remake for the Nintendo Switch in 2019.
Beyond the story and classic overhead perspective, Link’s Awakening introduced quite a few things to the series, including jumping, fishing, and the ocarina. The side quests, trading, and pairing of items and weapons ensure that there are many ways to play, providing many reasons to keep coming back.
8 Pokemon Red & Blue
Released in North America in 1998, the first titles in the Pokemon franchise caused a sensation. Players who had moved on to the Game Gear or abandoned the idea of portable gaming altogether came flocking back to track down the 151 species of monsters, capture them all, and engage in battle.
What makes this one worth coming back to is the ability to make choices regarding training and battle, ensuring no two collections are exactly the same. It’s true that there may not be as many people to trade with as there used to be now that most have moved on to other titles in the series, but there’s a reason these games spawned a franchise that’s a household name: they’re detailed, complex, and fun.
7 Tetris
Some may have forgotten that Tetris was released for the original handheld console in 1989. As one of the most recognizable and best-selling games of all time, it’s has had so many versions on so many systems that it isn’t defined by a single variant.
As the game came bundled with the Game Boy in the United States and was the first to allow for two-player competition via the Game Link Cable, Tetris‘s success will be forever linked to that first 8-bit portable system. It isn’t just a video game; it’s Tetris, and all it takes is one round to get hooked all over again.
6 Super R.C. Pro-Am
It’s true that you’re not likely to be wowed by the graphics or sound of this 1991 release, and fans used to the Mario Kart series may find the perspective to be a little confusing, but the simplicity of Super R.C. Pro-Am is also its strong suit. The gameplay is not complicated and easy to pick up, but nearly impossible to completely master.
With 24 tracks and a wealth of obstacles to avoid and items to grab, players can always find ways to improve their times, making this one fun and challenging even if someone doesn’t have a friend to face off against.
5 Kirby’s Pinball Land
Due to his rotund appearance, thrusting Kirby into a pinball landscape was a natural fit. This 1993 spin-off may look at first glance like an array of puzzle titles featuring popular characters, such as Yoshi and Yoshi’s Cookie, but Kirby’s Pinball Land has a lot more going for it. With three tables, each with multiple levels, there is a progression that gives players something to shoot for beyond a high score.
Of course, it’s the score that keeps gamers coming back. Mastering the A presses required to maximize each Kirby can prolong the experience and produce both frustration and exhilaration, making this one as good for a long car trip in 2021 as it was back in the day.
4 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Building off the success of 6 Golden Coins, in 1994 Nintendo thrust Wario into the spotlight with Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, giving him his own game and proving he could be more than a one-dimensional villain.
The gameplay differs greatly from standard Mario fare. Wario is able to knock over and pick up his enemies, and coins are used to gain in-level items rather than to earn extra lives. There are also special treasure rooms that change the game’s ending, giving players an incentive to keep at it until they’ve gotten them all.
3 Metroid II: Return Of Samus
Unfortunately, many titles for the Game Boy ended up being low-quality knockoffs of NES or SNES games, featuring the same level design but worse graphics and shoddier controls. That’s not the case with Metroid II: Return of Samus, which is a continuation of the original game and an integral part of the overall Metroid story that continued with Super Metroid three years later.
Players bored of simply moving left-to-right will appreciate a title that was ahead of its time in how much it allowed them to explore, along with new power-ups that would be seen in future installments. The game was remade for the 3Ds as Metroid: Samus Returns, allowing players to discover it all over again, this time with better graphics.
2 Kirby’s Dream Land
Though the character has since become infamous as an infuriating opponent in the Super Smash Bros. series, there was a time when Kirby was absolutely everywhere, with multiple titles on the NES and SNES. Kirby’s Dream Land introduced the world to the puffy hero and his array of cute enemies.
A relatively short adventure with just five levels, it was nonetheless novel due to the floating and spitting mechanics that differentiated it from other platformers. However, the real draw of Kirby’s Dream Land is the music. Those catchy tunes live on with the rotund protagonist as indelible parts of Nintendo’s extended universe.
1 The Final Fantasy Legend
The first role-playing game for the Game Boy system to sell more than one million units, The Final Fantasy Legend inspired two sequels and created the “SaGa” series. A must-have for Final Fantasy completists, Legend‘s replay value comes from both the game’s legendary difficulty, particularly in the form of its final boss and customization options.
After reaching the ending with a human character, players can repeat the entire thing with a monster or mutant and recruit different party members, which is why gamers are still trying to master this title more than 30 years later.
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