My Top 25 Game Boy / GameBoy Color Games That Are Still Fun PLAYING NOW + 25 MORE GEMS + “HIGH 54” YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
As I mentioned in my other ‘top retro video games’ lists, 2020 was the year I got back into playing video games from my youth. This was heavily influenced by me ordering a Sega Mini to hook up to the tv I won at a Super Bowl party right before the world went on a long-running lockdown quarantine, but the thing that really kicked the new hobby up a notch was realizing that my Sega Mini could be ‘hacked’ to add ANY old retro video game from any old retro video game console. And once one goes down that online retro video game rabbit hole, one eventually realizes that one could have been playing any old retro video game right on one’s old iMac the whole time.
I guess that’s why they say hindsight is 2020.
And after blahg’n about some of my Sega Mini adventures, I started noticing that my most visited website pages, month after month, were my blog posts about retro video gaming (even though I am a ‘not a music blog, not not a music blog’), and most of those visits were coming from Google’rs.
So, since I also did a lot of searching for “best Game Boy / Game Boy Color games” or “most underrated Game Boy / Game Boy Color games” or “best Game Boy / Game Boy Color games that are still worth playing today” after I was done googling the same kind of “how to hack a sega mini” queries that have been directing people to my blog on a regular basis, I figured I should put together some console specific content for the Google search algorithms. Because SEO, innit?
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Please keep in mind that this list is not in a strict ranking order and it is definitely not an attempt at creating a “best Game Boy / Game Boy Color games ever” list (so prepare to adjust your “how could you not include ___?!” outrage appropriately). This is just a list of games that I have personally found the most enjoyable to play as an elder millennial in the 2020s + it should also be noted that I don’t really care much for fighting games or button-mashing or turn-based strategy RPGs (no matter how ‘critically acclaimed’ on the Youtubes & Reddits).
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AND NOW THAT WE’VE GOT ALL THE EXPLAINERS & DISCLAIMERS OUT OF THE WAY… HERE’S MY subjective LIST OF 25 GAME BOY / GAME BOY COLOR GAMES THAT ARE STILL FUN PLAYing:
#1 - Super Mario Land 2
Since I never had a Game Boy growing up, I never knew too much about the catalogue (I had a Game Gear as a kid, so I didn’t pay much mind to Game Boy stuff). So I was pleased to see that there was a healthy helping of new/unique Super Mario games. Are these new Super Mario games as good as Super Mario World on the SNES or even Super Mario 2 or 3 on the NES? Probably NO, but, those games are CLASSICS. And all 3 Super Mario Land games on the Game Boy are quite good (and each one quite different from the others) — but I think Super Mario Land 2 is the one that really stands out.
*****
#2 - Wendy Every Witch Way
Sometimes you just want to pick up an old skool platformer that you can jump in and out of without needing to spend a bunch of time re-remembering how to play or where you need to go / what to do, and Wendy Every Witch Way is one of those games. Throw in the added gameplay twist that you can change the rules of gravity to either have you walking on the floor or on the roof, and this is nice little game with pleasant enough 8-bit era graphics (and maybe not quite as pleasant 8-bit era music). But, all-in-all, it’s a surprisingly enjoyable game that I like every which way.
*****
#3 -
Batman
When you first turn this game on, you really notice “ok, we’re playing a Game Boy game here” with the presentation — but once you start playing, this is a really great platformer here. It’s probably my favourite Batman game from the retro era — but I’m also not really big on beat em’ ups, which is probably why I have no problem with this being a Batman game where you go around shooting people with different guns. Is that what the real Batman does? Who cares, Batman isn’t real (but this game is & it handles nice). Also, the music is pretty sweet for a Game Boy game. I’m some times surprised by how much I enjoy this one.
*****
#4 - The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (and Seasons)
In general, you can’t really go wrong with any Zelda game from back in the day (although, the NES ones don’t quite grab me, personally), SO, even though I got the best first impression with Oracle of Ages (as that’s the one I’ve played more of), if you like one Game Boy Zelda, you’ll also like the others (and I can see how different people have different favourites, as the same Zelda quality is there in all the Game Boy offerings). The hardest part with Zelda games is not finding which one is the good one to invest time in to, it’s finding the time to try taking on such an involved game in the first place, especially when you’re not a kid anymore (not that you need to be a kid to enjoy games like these, it’s more a ‘no time + other responsibilities’ thing). So, consider this a cheating way for me to recommend both Oracle of Ages AND Seasons in the same spot.
*****
#5 - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
Normally, when I am making my subjective video game lists, I tend to only pick one title out of a series, and, if/when the other games are also quite good, I say something like “but also consider this a recommendation for the other games in the series”, much like I just did with the ‘oracle zeldas’. But it feels like it would be too inaccurate to not include Links Awakening as it’s own entry on this list (especially since it had an original and excellent Game Boy release, which then got an enhanced version on the Game Boy Color). And now, one of these days, I’m going to get around to actually trying to finish one of these lovely Zelda games :)
*****
#6 - Tetris DX
Speaking of a classic video game series that released a classic version on the original Game Boy and than released an enhanced & even slightly better version on the Game Boy Color… it’s only Tetris DX. Tetris never fails to be an enjoyable game to just pick up and play whenever you’re looking to get your mind off whatever, no matter which version you can get your hands on. I guess Tetris is like elder millennial sudoku (ie. it’s an engaging and mentally rewarding time filler) and this GBC version is a great way to play it.
*****
#7 - Super Mario Bros Deluxe
And while we’re on the topic of classic games getting their own Game Boy Color’d version that brings enough to the table to be worth playing instead of the originals sometimes, well, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is kinda just a port of the original NES classic, but it also looks and moves a bit different (some of that down to GB screen dimensions) + it also has some new features (like special challenges that can be unlocked), which makes it a fun and slightly new way to re-experience an old game (which is sometimes the best way because it’s a mix of nostalgia AND discovery).
*****
#8 - Super Mario Land
My first reaction to trying this game out was “oh this is just like a scaled down Game Boy version of the first Super Mario on the NES” and I was a little underwhelmed. But once I realized “oh wait, this is actually it’s own little thing and it does things it’s own little way” that’s when I started having an appreciation for getting a whole new Super Mario world (ok, Land) to explore & experience. And this game is just too different from the other Super Mario Land games (#2 already listed at #1 in this list, and #3 basically being the first Wario game), so I felt it needed it’s own separate mention on the list.
*****
#9 - Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong is another game where your first impressions can lead you into wrongly thinking that you’re just getting another ‘gameboy version’ of an old classic. But if you stick around and battle the big ape for a little bit, you’ll start noticing some new game mechanics & level layouts, turning this one into a fun new puzzler (laying out the framework for the excellent Game Boy Advance version of the old Donkey Kong arcade classic — which I included in my GBA Top 25, so it was nice finding out that this ‘94 version was already heading that direction).
*****
#10 - Balloon Kid
In Balloon Kid You play as a kid that holds onto balloons (hence the name) as you try to collect other balloons while trying to avoid things that will pop your balloons. Handles a bit like those old Joust games on the Atari and it’s another one of those simple, but kind of addictive, games that you can just jump in and out of whenever your looking for something to play for a short while. And sometimes that’s all I’m really looking for.
*****
#11 - Metal Gear Solid
I’ve been underwhelmed by almost all the pre-PS1 Metal Gear Solid games (ie. like the one on the NES), so I went into trying out the Game Boy Color attempt with low expectations (especially since I’m emulating on a much bigger screen than an old GBC) — but — this game actually does a pretty good job capturing what made the PS1 Metal Gear Solid so good, while also working within the limitations of what a GBC could handle.
*****
#12 - Catrap
This is a nice little puzzle game that quickly teaches you the basics of how to play as you play (and you can even rewind the action if you realize you went a move too far, which feels a bit like cheating, but is also a nice feature for games like this). Basically, you play as an… anamorphic cat child (?) who has to get next to the baddies so you can punch them off screen (and since you can’t jump you have to figure out how to get to all the baddies without getting yourself stuck somewhere). Pleasantly addictive.
*****
#13 - Pocket Bomberman
It’s Bomberman… but different. You’re still dropping bombs (and you’ll still be accidentally blowing yourself up), but, instead of being in puzzle like levels like tin he usual Bomberman style, now you’re moving around more like you’re in a platformer. And it’s a nice change-up from the usual ‘same old Bomberman style’ gameplay that you often find across the different retro consoles. I mean, the Game Boy also has Bomberman games that play like Bomberman, and those are fine enough because they’re Bomberman, but this one really adds a new experience to a proven good game concept & I quite enjoy it.
*****
#14 - Mario Tennis
I find the key to a good tennis game is: just let me feel like I can get a good rally going and — and this is the most important part — don’t make it so that when I swing the racket in a position that looks like it should be good for hitting the ball, I totally whiff and just end up swinging my racket randomly as the ball slowly stops bouncing. AND… Mario Tennis is great for getting a rally going. And when you can get a rally going during video game tennis, that's when video game tennis becomes fun (which, not a lot of retro tennis games got right, so, the ones that do, really stand out). Throw in some RPG elements and now you’re really getting into a way to kill some boredom.
*****
#15 - Mole Mania
Mole Mania is an addictive little puzzler that sees you playing as an a mole that can dig underground to find other ways to get around to where you need to get around to on the above-ground world. And you do all that so you can save your little mole family. It’s a nice, original twist on the kind of gameplay elements that make puzzlers so fun to continue digging back in to.
*****
#16 - Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers
This is one of those games where the character just handles well in a way that makes it enjoyable to progress along. It’s got all your typical finding secret areas, collecting things, jumping on top of things that you’ll find in any platformer, but it just does a good job with the simplicity of basically only having a jump or double jump to accomplish anything (+ special power-ups that let you break through stuff). Pleasant to play in a way that is reminiscent of the Sega Genesis Mickey Mouse games.
*****
#17 - Rayman
You can take everything I said that I enjoy about Donald Duck Goin’ Quakers and apply it to Rayman (and Rayman 2, which is equally good). It’s clear the same people made the games as they’ve kind of just re-skinned and made some changes to character sprites and level layouts and… I’m not even mad because I quite enjoy playing them both (ie. the things I like are the same, but there’s also enough differences where they feel like different games). I also had Rayman on the PS1 as one of my Top 25 games, so this is nice 8-bit rendition of that (and unlike with Donald, who can only jump, Rayman has a punch he can throw — and in Rayman 2 you can do that helicopter thing and jump further).
*****
#18 - BurgerTime Deluxe
BurgerTime Deluxe is a game that could have benefited from a ‘DX’ Game Boy Color upgrade, but, even with the black and white lofi graphics, I enjoy playing this version of BurgerTime more than the more colourful version that’s on the NES, as I find this one handles better (which makes it funner to play). As for the gameplay itself, you run across burger layers as you try to avoid the murderous vegetables (which you can also kill by dropping burger layers on them). All in all, it’s an addictive one to jump into whenever you’re looking to occupy your eyes while you listen to a podcast/audiobook.
*****
#19 - Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break
Much like how the NES Tiny Toon’s game was a nice little platformer, so too is the Game Boy Tiny Toon’s game. Unlike the NES version, the Game Boy version is not quite as colourful, and the gameplay is a little more ‘game boy floaty’ — but once your brain adjusts to the changes, it’s the same characters and good gameplay and that catchy little tune that you’d think would become more annoying than it actually ever does.
*****
#20 - Bugs Bunny: Crazy Castle 3
Crazy Castle on the NES is a favourite of mine to jump into, and Crazy Castle 3 is basically just a slightly different Game Boy Color version of an already solid concept of running around collecting things (keys behind doors this time) while avoiding bumping into different Looney Toon characters. It doesn’t really add anything too different to what I enjoy about the NES version, but, call me crazy, sometimes just enjoying playing the game is good enough for me.
*****
#21 - Wario Land 2 (and both 3’s)
I feel like the Wario series really nailed the vibe/gameplay on part 4 on the Game Boy Advance, but there’s no denying that the Game Boy Color versions of Wario Land are well-made platformers, even when taken out of the context of being built for 90s handhelds (and the same is true for the first Wario game, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3). I prefer the mechanics of a Super Mario game (ie. jumping on heads) more than the Wario mechanics (ie. shoulder charging), but once you stop trying to play Wario like a Mario game, the less bizarro it feels.
*****
#22 - LOCK N’ CHASE
This game is basically Pac-Man, except instead of ghosts chasing you around, it’s cops. Because you’re the thief. Some say Lock N’ Chase walked so that Grand Theft Auto could run (key word being “some”). Anyways, in much the same ways that you can find turning on a game of Pac-Man becoming slightly addicting, the same is true for Lock N’ Chase (but there’s enough differences to make this a game you’ll some times reach for instead of your trusty Ms. Pacman on the Sega Genesis game).
*****
#23 - Operation C
Not being much of a fan “run n’ gun” games (much like with most vertical/horizontal shooter, I just find I’m not good / all that interested in hectic way-too-much-action-on-screen games), I find Operation C brings a pace to the genre that is a lot closer to what I find enjoyable to stick with long enough to beat a level or 2 (which is good for me). Definitely not the prettiest Contra game to look at, but, at least according to my subjective Top 25 lists, this is the only Contra version to make a list — which I guess makes Operation C my favourite Contra game (oh go “boo!” yourself).
*****
#24 - Kirby’s Dream Land 2
Like with Super Mario and Wario, both Kirby ‘Land games’ are of the same high & consistent quality, but if I had to pick just one, I’d go with Dream Land 2 (but,if you like the Kirby style of play, you’ll like both games). It’s a Kirby game after all, so you kinda know what you’re getting into here (ie. cute game play that can sometimes feel a bit too easy… yet, also, that’s what can make it feel so enjoyable to progress through & explore).
*****
#25 - Shantae
Shantae is a side-scrolling platform that sees you playing as a hair-whipping genie. It’s a well-made game (one of the better looking ones on the Game Boy / Game Boy Color) that’ll have you feeling like you’re playing a long-lost NES game (this is especially true if you also play your GBC games on a bigger screen than how things were first intended).
*****
Ok, that’s it for my personal ‘Top 25 Gameboy / Gameboy Color Games That Are Still Fun To Play Now’ list. I know that there are some classic titles that seem crazy not to have included, BUT, again, this is not meant to be a ‘Top 25 All-Time Best Ever’ list and it’s also not meant to be your list. Besides, reading another list that just confirms what’s on every other ‘best of’ list is a bit boring and pointless, especially if you’re looking for games that might not be top of mind (and especially when you consider how all this stuff is individually subjective & doesn’t really matter beyond the enjoyment that comes from thinking/talking about your own experience & finding temporary moments of connection/agreement/discovery with others).
So, on that note, here’s TWENTY-FIVE more GB/GBC games that are of the kind of quality that has them constantly circling outside my TOP 25 list — so let’s just call it a TOP 50 list now (and you can click the cover art below to watch gameplay over on the Youtubes or you can scroll further down for a “HIGH 54” gameplay playlist):
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And since I’ve already found Youtube videos for my ‘FAVE 50’ GB/GBC games, and since I also have a thing about the number 54, I decided to put all the gameplay videos into one big-ass "High 54" Youtube playlist in case anyone wants to watch one HI54LOFI-ly recommended GB/GBC game being played by strangers on the internet after another (I’ve also added 4 more games to make the total 54):\\
And while we’re listing things, here’s my other lists of retro video games that are still fun playing today… if you happen to be looking for more than just GB/GBC games to check out (and if you think you might have some crossover tastes in retro games with me):
Finally, please feel warmly encouraged to hit up the comment section below if there’s any games that I left off that would definitely be on your ‘Fave Gameboy / Gameboy Color Games’ list (whatever number you’d cap your list off at), as I’ve been known to make tweaks to my lists when a new ‘old game’ starts making a stronger case for more of my limited attention span.
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JEREMY / @HI54LOFI
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