Summary

• Game Boy revolutionized portable gaming with classics like Tetris and Zelda.
• Early Game Boy games contributed to the success of spin-off franchises.
• Multiplayer gaming through Game Link Cable expanded the gaming experience on Game Boy.

Nintendo's first handheld gaming console, the Game Boy, changed the way the world was able to play video games by providing means to make popular games such as Tetris and The Legend of Zelda portable. Whether someone wanted to take it on a road trip or enjoy playing games sitting on the sofa, its novelty was only improved upon by the catalog of games it carried. Adding in the Game Link Cable accessory also allowed two players to connect for multiplayer gaming, as long as they remained within the distance the cord allowed.

During the years of the Game Boy's success, many of the games released on it were also at the early stages of their success. Super Mario was still finding its focus and even inspired the Wario Land spin-off. Likewise, the Final Fantasy Adventure spin-off ended up being the creation of a new series that is continuing to release games in 2024. Although in black and white and a very small screen, the Game Boy offered a whole new world for many video games and players.

10 Kirby's Dream Land 2 (1995)

Side-Scrolling Platformer Game

Kirby's Dream Land 2 is the direct sequel to Kirby's Dream Land and is the third game in the Kirby series along with Kirby's Adventure. Kirby's Dream Land 2 adds three new animal friends to Kirby on his quest. With these friends, Rick the hamster, Kine the fish, and Coo the owl, players control Kirby through the seven dangerous Rainbow Islands that have been taken over by evil. The king of the land, King Dedede, has been possessed by this evil Dark Matter, and it is up to Kirby to save the day.

Kirby's Dream Land 2 builds on the foundations of the also popular Kirby's Dream Land by adding new abilities for Kirby and clean graphics for the Game Boy. The game has been re-released three times since its original launch, once in Kirby's Dream Land Collection Special Edition, then on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, and finally as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service.

9 Dr. Mario (1990)

Puzzle Game

Dr. Mario has been touted as one of the best puzzle video games since its initial release on the NES and Game Boy in 1990. The simplicity of the game, mixed with the challenge it presents, is engaging and addictive. Using blocks designed to look like pill capsules being thrown by Doctor Mario, players match up similar styles with viruses in order to make them disappear. While the capsules fall, players can turn the medicine 90 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise and move it left or right. If the stacks of viruses or pills reach the top of the screen, it is game over.

Despite some parents being uncomfortable with medicine featured in a children's game, Dr. Mario has gone on to be either ported or have sequels released on every Nintendo home console and most portable systems, has been included as a minigame in many other titles, and was released in an arcade machine form.

8 Metroid 2: Return Of Samus (1991)

Action-Adventure Game

Metroid 2: Return of Samus introduced the bounty hunter Samus Aran to the handheld video game market and included many features that later became staples of the series. These included the iconic Varia Suit with the large round shoulders as well as many of her abilities and level design. The story of Metroid 2 received many positive reviews and praise, as Samus must exterminate Metroids before Space Pirates can get them.

The popularity of this Game Boy game led to a sequel, Super Metroid, for the SNES in 1994, as well as a remake, Metroid: Samus Returns, on the Nintendo 3DS in 2017. Metroid 2: Samus Returns brilliantly sets up the plot for the future Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion games in the series.

7 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994)

Platforming Game

After Mario's arch-rival, Wario made his debut in Super Mario Land 2 as the villain of the title, the love and excitement that players had for this evil Mario spawned the development of Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, with Wario, starring as the protagonist of the story. Although being created as the third in the Super Mario Land series, it became more of a spin-off and was the first of what would eventually be a series of five Wario Land games.

The game sees Wario traveling through several themed zones to collect coins and purchase items to help move forward through the levels, with the ultimate goal being to steal a valuable statue so that he can purchase a castle like Mario's. Wario Land is similar in many mechanics to Super Mario games, but Wario offers new abilities and attacks, including unique helmets.

6 Final Fantasy Adventure (1991)

RPG Adventure Game

Final Fantasy Adventure was a spin-off title from the Final Fantasy series, despite sharing a name and having many familiar elements, such as the beloved Chocobos. In fact, due to the popularity of the Final Fantasy spin-off, it actually became the first game in the Mana series, with Secret of Mana being released in 1993 as a sequel to Final Fantasy Adventure. It has been said that the action-adventure game is more of a cross between Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda in its gameplay mechanics.

To fit with the new Mana series theme better, a 3D remake of Final Fantasy Adventure was released in 2016 with the title Adventures of Mana. A new game in the Mana series is due to be released later in 2024, titled Visions of Mana.

5 Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992)

Platform Game

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is the seventh game in the Super Mario franchise, and introduced Wario as the now-iconic arch rival to Mario. The game begins with Mario returning home to his personal island, Mario Land, to find that his rival Wario had put an evil spell on the entire island and stolen his castle. Mario travels through various areas of the island to collect six Golden Coins to get access to his castle again and face off against Wario.

Unlike the first Super Mario Land game, in this entry, developers went back to giving players the more familiar gameplay mechanics of the previous Super Mario games. This was met with much praise, and, when combined with its impressively detailed graphics, helped the game quickly rise to be regarded as one of the best games on the Game Boy.

4 Donkey Kong Land 2 (1996)

Platform Game

During the years that the Game Boy reigned as one of the most popular consoles, there were four Donkey Kong games released, three of which comprised the Donkey Kong Land series. Despite the series often being mistaken for being a port of Donkey Kong Country, the storylines in Donkey Kong Land are slightly different and offer unique enemies and bosses.

Of the three Donkey Kong Land games, the second game, Donkey Kong Land 2, has often been regarded as the best in the series. It does have much of the same storyline from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, but includes new level designs and some world themes. Starring both Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong, players must navigate dangers to climb to the top of Crocodile Isle and rescue Donkey Kong from King K. Rool.

3 Pokémon Yellow, Red, And Blue (1996)

RPG Adventure Games

The first Pokémon video games ever released made their debut on the Nintendo Game Boy system. Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue first made their way to the North American markets in 1998, with Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition (commonly referred to as simply Pokémon Yellow) in 1999.

Despite the three different titles and box designs, there are very few differences between the three, mainly being that they each have version-specific Pokémon. Because of the similarities, it can be difficult to separate the three in of which is best, although Pokémon Yellow featured some enhanced changes to the gameplay, as well as provided Pikachu as the game's starter.

These games not only helped to kickstart the popularity of the franchise in the video game market but also spurred the introduction of the new Game Link Cable for the Game Boy. The Link Cable allowed players to trade Pokémon with friends as a way to obtain version-specific creatures, as well as battle another player's Pokémon team.

2 Tetris (1989)

Puzzle Game

There are few who do not know of the iconic puzzle game Tetris. After a legal battle between Nintendo and Atari over who had the rights to the game (which was a very complicated matter), Nintendo released the game on the Game Boy in 1989, with a Nintendo Entertainment System version releasing that same year. For the Game Boy, Tetris was bundled with the Game Boy in North America and Europe and was the first game to be compatible with the Game Link Cable to allow multiplayer play.

The puzzle game, featuring an assortment of falling tetronimoes, sold 2.5 million copies of the game for the Game Boy by early 1990. The Official Nintendo Magazine ranked Tetris as fifth on its 100 Best Nintendo Games list in 2009, where it states, "it was the original Game Boy version that properly kickstarted the Tetris craze."

1 The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993)

Action-Adventure Game

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was a unique entry in the series by abandoning the familiar setting of Hyrule for Koholint Island. After Link is washed ashore on the island, he makes friends with some of the locals and learns that his only hope of returning home is to wake the legendary Wind Fish. To accomplish this, he sets out on quests to collect eight magical instruments.

Since it's original release on the Game Boy, Link's Awakening has continued to be a favorite for many. Through the years, it has received both a Game Boy Color remaster in 1998 and a full HD remake of the game for the Nintendo Switch in 2019. The original 1993 version was where it all started, however, and is the best game to have been released for the Game Boy.