What games would we like to see on a Game Boy Classic Edition?

Mario’s first Game Boy adventure is a bit strange, but it still has its place in the history of the series. It bears all the markings of a classic Gunpei Yokoi game, the designer who also helmed the Game Boy, and because of that, it is the most unique among the series’ entries, free from the influence of Nintendo’s core development team. It has a much more arcadey feel to it than its NES brethren, and yet, fans still hold it in a high regard for these charming and subtle differences.

Super Mario Land 2 is a much more fleshed out game than its predecessor, rocking a world map that is clearly inspired by Super Mario World. However, this handheld gem still feels weird compared to the rest of the Mario universe. Its physics are off, its setting is strange, and Mario has this really weird superiority complex in this game, in which he even constructs his own castle. You can just feel the not-so-subtle jabs that the Game Boy division was taking at Nintendo’s core team in this nice gem of a Mario game.

After being forced to work with Mario for three games, Nintendo’s Game Boy squad finally took off the gloves and demanded to use their own character in this excellent and vastly underrated platformer. Wario is everything that Mario is not, and the Game Boy proved essential to securing him a mainstay in Nintendo lore. This game kicked off a series of platformers which remains a gathering of Nintendo’s most underrated titles. The first four Wario Land games are truly special, and it all started here.

While originally intended to be a port of the arcade classic, Nintendo sent this game’s development into overdrive, making it another one of its most underrated platformers of all time. Fans have taken to calling this one Donkey Kong ’94 over the years since it needs its own title to remind everyone it’s its own entity. This is a masterclass in minimalist game design and a must for the Nintendo faithful.

If ever there was a game that demanded attention on the Game Boy, this would be it. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was the first powerhouse on the console that showed its true potential, and it also happens to be one of the best games in its own franchise. I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve beaten it, and I’ll always go back to the black-and-white original. The DX version is fine, but for all that it gained with the addition of color, it also lost something in the process.

Everyone is in a rush to remake this game, mostly because the gaming world considers it a flawed classic. Metroid II is essential to the evolution of the series, but it took the open-ended nature of Metroid just a little too far. Online maps make the original release a whole lot better though, and the atmosphere that oozes from the black and white is unmatched by either of the fan remakes. If you can stomach some subpar design, it’s still a solid game.

Like Wario, the Game Boy was just as essential to establishing Kirby as a reliable franchise. We’ll get this out of the way though… it’s no Kirby’s Adventure, that’s for sure. Still, the first Kirby game is a charming, simplistic platformer, and you don’t have to be a loyal fan to enjoy it.

 

Still not reaching the peaks of Kirby’s Adventure, but not a failure of a game in the least either. Kirby’s new animal friends are a lot of fun, and they lead to a fun new arsenal of abilities that even Kirby hadn’t reached before this release.

Moreso than Wario Land, more than Donkey Kong ’94, this will forever be my quintessential underrated Nintendo platformer. Not only is it overshadowed by its peers on the Game Boy, it’s also overshadowed by its predecessor on the NES. In fact, those who demanded a Kid Icarus sequel for all those years never even realized they had one. They never realized that it’s also a vastly superior game too! I’ll go back and play this one forever, and I never tire of pulling it out here and there for a quick playthrough.

Perhaps you’ve heard of it. I only wonder if a Game Boy Classic would support the necessary multiplayer functions.

I’ve never been a fan, but I would be hard-pressed to find an argument against this game’s inclusion. Before Link’s Awakening gave the Game Boy a second win and Pokemon gave it a third wind, this was the main reason to own a Game Boy. It is an essential entry in any homage to the platform.

For years, this appeared on lists of Nintendo’s most underrated games, and now that it’s more widely available through Virtual Console, I can see why. It’s a smartly designed puzzle game that features fun art with Nintendo’s popular characters. Nothing else required. Fun little gem.

Another gem of a puzzle game that seems to finally be getting some long overdue love. Mole Mania comes to us from the same director as Donkey Kong ’94, and it uses inspirations clearly taken from Link’s Awakening. I’ve often ranted about this game, and it would be criminal for Nintendo to ignore it on a Game Boy Classic Edition now that fans are finally catching on.

Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2017/11/19/what-games-would-we-like-to-see-on-a-game-boy-classic-edition/