Game Boy is one of our personal favorite gaming consoles of all time.
Brandon gave it the number one spot on his list of the best retro game consoles of all time.
So we put up a post on Twitter asking you to share which Game Boy titles you feel do not get the love and respect they deserve.
Which games did you choose? Well let’s find out!
Here is the RetroDodo (as suggested by you!) list of the 10 most underrated Game Boy games of 2023.
Table of Contents
10. Revenge of the ‘Gator
There were a couple pinball games that were voted by you guys on Twitter.
Pokemon Pinball and Kirby’s Pinball Land are two solid titles that were mentioned.
But it was the 1989 title Revenge of the ‘Gator that got the most mentions and likes.
And we can see why…
This game was developed by HAL Laboratory, who has a very impressive track record for game development.
Besides inventing Kirby, they are also responsible for a TON of classic games on various Nintendo consoles.
To name just a few: EarthBound, Pokémon Stadium, and Super Smash Bros.
I mean, do we need to go on?
But guess what game was their very first for the Game Boy console?
That’s right people.. Revenge of the ‘Gator.
This Game Boy title is exactly what a portable game should be…
An easy pickup and play game, something you just play without having to think too much about it.
This game is a ton of fun, has some awesome variety in the different rooms your pinball may find itself in, and has some pretty awesome sounds as well.
We can see why you guys would vote for this one, and it is a welcome addition to our list of underrated game boy games.
9. Mario’s Picross
I don’t know if this one is underrated… I haven’t heard many people talk about it since I joined the retro gaming community.
I do know that Mario’s Picross was a game that was not on my radar in the original Game Boy days.
For whatever reason, I always thought “Picross” was a slide puzzle game. And that just never interested me.
(There are slide puzzle games on the Game Boy, such as Splitz and Kirby Slide Puzzle.)
It was not until 2021 that I happened to give it a try on my Game Boy using an EZ Flash cart…
And oh my… I had no idea how cool this game was!
Mario’s Picross is a puzzle game unlike any other (that we know of).
It uses a super simple mechanic of numbers running along the top and side indicating how many pixels should be occupied on the board…
And it is your job to locate which pixels should be active to complete a small pixel image.
In a way, it could be thought of as a mashup of Minesweeper and a crossword puzzle.
I don’t know if that sounds fun, but trust me.. it is.
The original 1995 game spawned a sequel (that I felt was too complicated) and started an entire series of titles (that dropped the Mario theme, and got very dry and spiritless).
I’m not personally a fan of the follow-ups.. but the original game is an absolute classic.
One of my favorite Game Boy titles of all time, a must-play, and I’m glad you guys mentioned it, so I wouldn’t have to.
8. Mcdonaldland
This is one of those games that falls under the category of “so bad it’s good”, and we celebrate it.
McDonalds doesn’t exactly have the best track record for their media attempts (and not for lack of effort!).
They had some dud games appearing on the NES, Mega Drive, Genesis and even a VR game and a Flash based game.
Oh, and did you know they also made a laughably bad movie, Mac and Me?
It is their 1992 Game Boy title “McDonaldland” that is a great summation of everything McDonalds attempts to do with their games…
Use a “diverse” cast of child characters, borrow ideas from the current popular games, and then attempt to do everything better by adding their own “special sauce”.
And technically, that isn’t really a bad formula for a game. But it always came across as disingenuous for McDonalds.
But honestly, while the inspirations and exploitations are obvious, the game makes for a quite interesting play.
The game’s developer, Virgin Interactive, does give us some pretty interesting platforming and mechanics that do make this game worth trying out.
We wanted to include this one, not only because you guys voted for it on Twitter, but also because we personally have a special place in our hearts (and in our ROMs folder) for this one.
It’s a crazy game that maybe a lot of people wouldn’t know about, and it is quite entertaining, even just to hear that it exists.
7. Tennis
Sports games are not usually my thing.
So when I purchased a Game Boy Pocket in early 2021 from someone and they threw in Tennis with the console, I didn’t expect much.
But I did give the game a try, and I was VERY pleasantly surprised.
This game is pretty fun!!!
Especially since I played badminton regularly in Thailand, Tennis felt like familiar territory. (I know they are not the same, but close enough, right?)
It’s another super simple game you can just pick up and play, and whether you want to play for one minute or one hour.. it’s still a good time.
We highly recommend you check this one out if you have not before…
An easy addition to our list of the most underrated Game Boy games, and one we would have recommended ourselves if you hadn’t done it for us! Thanks Twitter followers.
6. Resident Evil Gaiden
Resident Evil Gaiden is a super unique top-down game for the Game Boy Color.
And right away, when you hear that crazy music you know you are in for a unique experience.
The game makes use of a combination of top-down exploration and a mini-game style shooting gallery that reminds us of Undertale a bit (we recently make a cool list of Undertale fan games, so it is fresh in our memory).
For a Game Boy game, this one is quite graphically advanced. Some really unique animation effects and really maxing out what the Game Boy Color is capable of handling.
It’s actually kind of a weird game, but I think that is the charm.
It is absolutely something very unique to come to Game Boy, and that is probably why you guys voted for it.
Check it out if you like top-down games, a bit of exploring, something a bit odd, or wanna check out some unique Game Boy graphics.
5. Solomon’s Club
Solomon’s Key is a fairly well known puzzle game developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
But in one of the rare cases where the Game Boy port gives a much more enjoyable experience… we offer you Solomon’s Club.
(Perhaps we need to make a list about games we feel fall into that category too?)
So why do we personally feel it is better than the original NES game?
Well… we think it looks cooler. We think it sounds cooler. And we believe that the smaller game board makes for a more enjoyable experience.
There are just times where less is more.
And in the case of Solomon’s Club, the simpler game presentation, paired with that magic of the original black and white Game Boy console just gives a much better overall experience.
4. Lucky Luke
Game Boy and platforming games go hand in hand (literally and figuratively).
But Lucky Luck is an underrated platforming experience that combines a lot of things we love about other classic platforming games on the console.
A fun soundtrack, cool sound effects, detailed graphics, bouncy platforming mechanics, and some unique stages.
Whether it’s the Aladdin style rooftop stages, the unique stage coach ride, the bottle shooting gallery, or the underground exploration that reminds us a bit of Duck Tales… this game has a lot to offer.
A really fun title, and one we are glad you recommended on Twitter. We had never seen it before, but we are glad to have a new game to play.
3. Mole Mania
Mole Mania is one of those games that is easy to have missed…
But as a title developed by Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto (yes.. the man who brought us Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, should I go on?) this is one that should be on your radar.
The game makes use of a unique top-down mechanic where your mole can dig and resurface to avoid obstacles on the game board.
It has a fun soundtrack that will remind you of other classics from the late 80s Nintendo library…
As it should, as it was created by Taro Bando who brought us a ton of classic Nintendo soundtracks/sound effects.
This is one of those games we want to say a lot more about, but you really need to try it for yourself.
It has a ton of character and heart, and feels right at home with the well known classics like Mario and Zelda.
Severely underrated, forgotten, overlooked, unknown… and we hope to change that just a little bit.
2. Blade
Another really cool game recommended by the Twitter audience, but this one is very different than the other games on this list.
Right off the bat, you get some pretty awesome music and photo realistic images of Blade.
And then the game play itself is a combination of a fast paced shooting gallery and a beat ’em up.
There are even sections that feel like a comic book.
All of the game play styles featured make use of very unique and detailed graphics, unlike any other game I have seen on the Game Boy Color.
I can tell you from personal experience that this game is doing a lot in the graphics that are very difficult to achieve on the Game Boy console. Impressive, so say the least.
One of our favorite recommendations from Twitter, and one we had never seen before.
1. Drill Dozer
This one is another one that I am not sure if it is underrated. I don’t hear many people mention it.
I really do not know how this one is not one of the most popular Game Boy Advance titles.
Drill Dozer is a platforming game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. Yes, that Game Freak.. The same team that brought us Pokémon.
A completely unique and action packed platformer, making clever use of the drill mechanic with the L and R buttons.
For a game I hear almost nothing about, it is ranked quite high on most lists of best platformers, best game boy advance games, and was nominated for GBA Game of the Year by Nintendo Power.
Perhaps one of the most underrated game boy games that is still highly regarded? Meaning… whatever praise it has… it should have more.
If you are one of the lucky ones who have never experienced the joy of Drill Dozer (lucky, because you can experience it for the first time).. we highly recommend looking into it.
If we made our own list of most underrated Game Boy games, this would be on there… but you guys chose it for us.
Thank you Twitter for all of the cool game recommendations. You guys chose well!
