Can you believe it? 25 years since the Game Boy was launched! That’s 1989. Now, this may either seem like an ancient technological era or an era where technology was magic, depending on your age, but nonetheless, the Game Boy made its mark as a significant milestone in gaming history.
With that said, we take a look at some awesome facts about the Game Boy and then take a look at the best 25 Game Boy Games of all time. This includes only the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Not the Advance, or the DS etc.
Amazing Facts
- The handheld ran at 4.19MHz..yes MHz..and still managed to churn out close to 60 FPS…oh and it had 8KB of RAM.
- 716 games were released in total
- It out sold every color handheld during it’s time – Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear
- 118 million Game Boy/Color sold
- It has bad ass accessories – Camera, Sonar(WTF!), Super Game Boy connector to play on your TV
Our Best 25 Game Boy Games of All Time
#25. Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario was one of those games, that wasn’t as addictive as Tetris, but still – it had Mario! and it was still fun matching pills and killing those viruses.
#24. Kirby’s Block Ball
When you take a game like Breakout, it’s fairly simple to port it or replicate it. But to be really successful, like what Nintendo did, they threw in Kirby and his awesome powers! It was certainly a fun way to play an old game.
#23. Pokémon Pinball
Now this game could have either been garbage or really cool! But, thankfully, it turned out to be awesome! The depth of the game was incredible and not ‘just another pinball game’. You pretty much had to ‘catch them all’ and scores? oh you!! scores were legendary!
#22. Gargoyle’s Quest
If you loved Ghosts n Goblins, there’s no way, you wouldn’t have loved this.The only difference is, you play as Firebrand, the antagonist in Ghosts n Goblins.
#21. Mega Man V
Equipped with a new “Mega Arm” and saddled with a robo-assistant named Tango, Mega Man was sent on an entirely original adventure for the Game Boy – 5th time even! and it was still awesome!
#20. Bionic Commando: Elite Forces
Bionic arm that does crazy things, but mostly makes you swing about, was awesome. The fun part was not just the swinging, but realizing how smooth it was and addictive.
#19. Super Mario Land
You knew this was going to be here somewhere – but yes, this was Mario’s first fray onto handheld gaming. Old timers remember this fondly, and why not? It’s Mario! Later iterations evolved well, but this is what set off the chain reaction.
#18. Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge
This was the improved version over the original Castlevania for the Game Boy. Faster, better, kickass soundtrack and some clever level design, makes it one of the best Castlevania games for the handheld.
#17. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
Nintendo did a super job of, not just bringing the NES classic to the Game Boy Color, but added some new levels as well. It’s well worth replaying this game over and over. Brilliant!
#16. Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble
One of the first GBC games to feature an accelerometer! How wicked was that! Not to mention the gameplay was smooth, fluid and immensely fun!
#15. Donkey Kong Land 3
What was awesome about this game was that it came in a banana yellow cartridge! Sold! But yes, the game itself was a nice take on the Donkey Kong Country 3 universe. With all new unique levels, this was a game to remember.
#14. Wario Land 3
Similar to other Wario games, but when you bring it down to gameplay, graphics and music, Wario Land 3, claims the title as the best!
#13. Shantae
Pirates and a genie who uses her hair as a whip!! Could you ask for more!! well, don’t miss on Shantae.
#12. Metal Gear Solid
Not exactly a tie-in to the original story line, but yes, it does feature Soild Snake and a 4 story robot! Go figure! Brilliant gameplay nonetheless.
#11. Final Fantasy Adventure
This wasn’t an actual ‘Final Fantasy’ game, however it was originally meant to be an entry into the ‘Secret of Mana’ series, but it was rebranded. The game’s graphics and sound were way ahead of its time, and was pretty kick-ass for the Game Boy.
#10. Metroid 2: Return of Samus
This was legendary, because it actually introduced us to the suit and set us up for the biggest and baddest Metroid game of all time – Super Metroid
#09. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages
This game matched Link’s Awakening on every account. There’s a whole other reason why they released both games on the same day – but yes, they are two different games and they actually form a larger coherent tale at the end of it all.
#08. Mario Tennis
Mix tennis with some RPG elements and throw in Mario for good measure, and you’ve got a brilliant Mario sports game.
#07. Dragon Warrior III
Tell me, who didn’t love Dragon Warrior III? This game was at the pinnacle of handheld RPGs. Boasting over 150 hours of gameplay, Dragon Warrior III was brilliant!
#06. Pokémon series
Whether you started with the original Red and Blue release, or later with Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, or the myriad other additions to the series, at some point in your life you’ve likely felt the urge to catch them all.
#05. Mario Picros
By cleverly throwing Mario’s face on the cover, Nintendo slyly introduced us to the nonogram logic puzzle. We loved it. Using math to knock out blocks aligned on a grid and create pictures has never been more fun.
#04. Kirby’s Dreamland 2
The bigger badder version of Dreamland that debuted in 1992, well..not badder, because, damn! Kirby was the cutest!! A great platformer nonetheless, which had crossplay with the NES itself. Now that’s awesome!
#03. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
This is one of those few games for the Game Boy that really stood out and instantly became a classic for Nintendo. It’s one of those few Zelda games that doesn’t feature Princess Zelda or the Triforce, but that doesn’t detract from the game’s overall quality…and EPICNESS!
#02. Donkey Kong
The expression ‘Get it on, like Donkey Kong’ – well, it didn’t come from here. But this version of the original classic was released in 1994, with some new twists and turns, that made the game pretty much a must have.
#01. Tetris
Well, that’s our number 1 pick. There’s no denying how addictive Tetris was for the Game Boy. This in essence was the ‘perfect game’. – Easy to learn and hard to master. A Nintendo executive said, “If you want to sell this to boys, pack in Mario. If you want to sell it to everyone, pack in Tetris.”
Well, that’s our list folks, hope you had a great time reading this list, and do comment/share your thoughts below!
