The Game Boy is an 8-bit handheld console developed by Nintendo. It was their second handheld console combining the NES home system and Game & Watch hardware.
At the very beginning, the console had this dull green dot-matrix screen, five control buttons, and used cartridges for games. Afterward, we got a color scheme made of two shades of gray, with a bit of black, blue, and magenta.
It wasn’t as popular since it was way behind other 4-gen consoles such as Sega’s Game Gear or Atari’s Lynx, but it did generate some good games. The Game Boy and Game Boy Color have been sold in 118 million copies, so I would say it’s worth a word.
Let’s see what Game Boy’s brightest gaming stars were. In color, of course.
Table of Contents
Game Boy color games
1. Pokemon Gold and Silver
We all know about Pokemon games, right? I mean, Pokemon Go was a huge success itself. However, for Game Boy, we got Pokemon Gold and Silver, and, I have to say, it was a good thing. There were new monsters, new areas to explore, the return of an original Kanto region, and an integrated trainer battle. All this made the game extremely popular. The game was first published in Japan back in 1999 and was nominated for the best game of children’s choice. So, yes, it was a big deal.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle and Seasons and Oracle of Ages
These two games are very similar to each other, yet very different. They have additional items key mechanics to separate them. In my opinion, games are very classic “Zelda,” and the funniest thing – they weren’t even developed by Nintendo. The company Capcom developed Zelda for Game Boy Advance, and this is how we got it in the color version as well.
3. Super Mario Bros Deluxe
What would this list look like if we didn’t include at least one of the Super Mario games? As one of the most popular Nintendo games ever, it indeed fought its way through hundreds of other games and placed here. The game brought us multiplayer mode, a new challenge mode, and some new design.
It’s a remake of the original Super Mario Bros game, but on a much higher level.
- Kirby Tilt ‘N’ Tumble
As you can see, our little pink friend Kirby has to tilt and tumble through different puzzles and sharpen his and your brain. Now, this game is on our list since it was the first with a built-in accelerometer. Instead of moving the D-pad, players were moving the Game Boy itself to navigate the character. Yes, I know it doesn’t sound so big in 2021, but it was an absolute miracle back then.
Based on this model, Nintendo produced Wii many years later. So, even if you don’t like the game, honor the achievement!
- Dragon Warrior Monsters
The game released before the console itself and yet became popular. It was compatible with the original Game Boy and adjusted to the color version once we got the option. There is a whole storyline following two main characters, Terry and Milli, from the time they were children. It’s a family game, so if you enjoy those, you were delighted.
- Tomb Raider – Curse Of The Sword
At the time we got Game Boy Color, we got Lara Croft movies too. So, thanks to their popularity, Nintendo released Tomb Raider as a color game. It’s a side-scrolling game with rich texture and graphics (yes, I know, it doesn’t look that way today, but just remember how it was at the time). It’s a single-player action-adventure game filled with hunting and gun-wielding. And since the character is based on Angelina Jolie, it was an inspiration for girls and an attraction for boys.
- Donkey Kong Country
Another side-scrolling game that was arguably the best game play ever. The game was initially released for SNES but kept most of its uniqueness on Game Boy Color as well. There was a new level, hidden areas, and more, but the thrill of playing stayed the same. Hopefully, you didn’t miss this one.
- Tetris DX
And for the end, a classic of all classics – Tetris DX. One of the best, if not the best, puzzle games of all time. The original Game Boy version was not in color, but it was developed so well, there was not much to change. Add some color and let the audience enjoy. Once you could actually see all the shapes in different colors, the game became way more interesting.
So, here is my list of some of the best Game Boy Color games of all time. Of course, there were plenty more, but these were the most popular and the best-sellers. Hopefully, you enjoyed this throwback.
