Iconic Games on the Game Boy
Even though it's been three decades since its 1989 release, Nintendo's Game Boy remains a beloved piece of memorabilia. And when the Game Boy Color came out nearly 10 years later, in 1998, this handheld console only became more revolutionary. Do you remember the iconic games you played on these devices? From Tetris to The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, here are 20 all-time classics you've likely played on the Game Boy.
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan
Even if you weren't a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or didn't know much about the show at all, Fall of the Foot Clan was a classic on the Game Boy. Gameplay was simple, where you chose which Turtle you wanted to be as you took on different enemies and obstacles at every level.
Paramount Pictures on Wikimedia
2. Motocross Maniacs
Motocross Maniacs was a racing game similar to Excitebike, with various courses that increased in difficulty as you kept playing. Since controls were finicky, it often took a few tries before you got the full hang of it. (Which, honestly, made it more fun.)
3. Tetris
Who could forget Tetris, an absolute Game Boy classic? The objective of the game was to arrange the falling puzzle blocks of different shapes and sizes into horizontal lines to clear them off the board. Not only was the gameplay addictive, but the theme song was also catchy.
4. Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario featured germs on the game board, which multiplied every level, and the goal was to throw colored pills to clear the bacteria. Misplace the pills or colors, and your screen filled up quickly. Like Tetris, Dr. Mario's gameplay and theme song were addictive.
5. Super Mario Land
If you played Super Mario on other consoles, like the Nintendo DS, the Game Boy version would likely seem jarring. Graphics aside, there were unexpected obstacles you probably wouldn't come across in later releases, not to mention characters you might be unfamiliar with. Even then, it remains an all-time classic worth playing.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
Zelda had many games in the series developed for the Game Boy, and most will remember the Oracle of Ages. Tasked with saving the land of Labrynna and Naryu, the Oracle of Ages, Link traveled through time to battle nine different dungeons to ultimately defeat Veran, the sorceress of evil.
7. Donkey Kong Land 2
Despite the name, Donkey Kong hardly appeared at all in this game. Instead, the playable characters were Diddy and Dixie. Though the blurry graphics meant it was often hard to tell apart enemies or background elements, it still made for a fun game to play.
8. Bust-A-Move Millennium
Known as Puzzle Bobble Millennium in Japan, Bust-A-Move was a similar game. All you had to do was shoot (accurately) the colored bubbles at the board to clear them. However, with the finicky controls, it often required players to carefully adjust the pointer before blasting.
9. Kirby's Dream Land
Similar to other action-adventure platformer games, the objective in Kirby's Dream Land was to defeat enemies and collect items and rewards along the way. Kirby was also able to fly, which made gameplay more fun. He could also inhale his enemies and then spit them back out as projectiles.
10. Pokemon Red & Blue
Pokemon, alongside Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, was considered one of Nintendo's most iconic franchises. Gameplay on the Red and Blue versions were similar, where as a trainer, your goal was to catch all the Pokemon and become the champion. The only difference was the Pokemon characters available to be caught.
11. Wario Land 2
Though the gameplay in Wario Land 2 is vastly different from the first one (Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3), it's no less entertaining. Plus, Wario was invincible in this version—nothing could kill him. The only thing that he lost were coins when touched.
12. Mario Golf
Why play real golf when you could play it as Mario? Featuring four courses, five play modes, 12 practice ranges, and plenty of variety games, Mario Golf was a game you could spend hours playing—whether or not you even liked golf.
13. Mole Mania
Mole Mania is another timeless classic on the Game Boy. Similar to the Zelda and Mario series, the objective was to successfully complete the mazes in each of the eight worlds to save Muddy's (the main character) family from an evil farmer. This beloved puzzle game was one you weren't able to put down once you started.
14. Game Boy Camera
Though mini-games like Space Fever were installed on the cartridge, the Game Boy Camera was mainly a nifty accessory that players could attach to their console to take pictures, edit them, and print them out with a Game Boy Printer. At the time, it was revolutionary, and it's easy to see why.
15. Mario's Picross
Mario's Picross was a logic puzzle game consisting of 192 nonograms. Each puzzle contained a hidden picture that was slowly revealed by scraping the squares and could either depict food, animals, or other items, along with the occasional Mario reference.
16. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Perhaps the most legendary of all Zelda games in the series was Link's Awakening. Though it was the fourth instalment, it was the only title available on the original Game Boy, with a colorized one released in 1998 on the Game Boy Color. The game took place on Koholint Island as Link explored the different dungeons and defeated enemies.
Francisco Gonzalez Romanelli on Unsplash
17. The Final Fantasy Legend
Originally marketed as Hell Tower Warrior SaGa, it was later renamed to The Final Fantasy Legend despite having no connection to the Final Fantasy series. Players were to choose their race—humans, mutants/espers, or monsters—at the beginning of the game, and the rest of the gameplay followed a Dungeons & Dragons format.
18. Mario Tennis
Boasting three modes and a variety of mini-games, the goal of Mario Tennis was simple: defeat Mario and become the best tennis player. The main mode was Mario Tour, or story mode, where players controlled Alex or Nina to climb up the ranks at the Royal Academy.
19. Kirby's Pinball Land
A spin-off game from the Kirby series, Kirby's Pinball Land was made up of three themed pinball tables, where the end objective was to defeat the boss—without losing all your lives—in each land by batting Kirby around. To complete the game, players had to obtain a record-high score.
20. Harvest Moon
The gameplay of Harvest Moon was simple: you were tasked to oversee and renovate your grandfather's farm. To cultivate the land, you were to remove weeds, chop tree stumps, sow seeds, and sell crops. If you weren't able to meet your grandfather's expectations, it was game over.
