By today's lofty standards, the original Game Boy may appear to be an ugly, grey relic of the past - a fossil in comparison to the flashy Nintendo Switch. But in truth, Nintendo's very first handheld console was a game changer - and we probably wouldn’t be enjoying the Switch without it.
Not only will older Nintendo fans remember the impressive slew of games that graced the system, but the Game Boy paved the way for Nintendo's dominance of the handheld gaming market for the past 30 years. You only need to look at the success of the Switch (over 103 million units sold to date) to understand just how well the Kyoto-based company have cornered this market.
But we don't think that the original Game Boy receives as much love as it should these days, so we're here to remind you why it’s so special. You never know - you may even be tempted to dig out the old system for a quick game...
Top Nintendo Game Boy games
A system is truly defined by its games. And luckily for the Game Boy, it had loads of reaaaally good ones.
Did you even have a Game Boy if you didn’t play Tetris? Not only was the iconic puzzle game the pack-in title for the original Game Boy, but (for a game about placing blocks), it’s crazy addictive. There’s even an updated version for the Switch - Tetris 99.
Anyway, Tetris helped to push sales for the Game Boy and make the system a household name - with approximately 35 million copies of the game sold. Phew.
Nintendo = Pokémon, right? So it makes sense that another huge success for Nintendo was Pokémon Red and Blue. In fact, the franchise is so successful these days that it's difficult to imagine a time when people wrote it off as a temporary fad. But lurking underneath that kid-friendly veneer was a robust RPG that let players battle and trade with friends via a link cable. It was one of the few handheld games at the time that provided both a single-player and social experience, and it was super cool.
Today, we’ve got Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon Legends: Arceus and a slew of other modernised Pokémon games. But it all started with Red and Blue. In fact, Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee! and Let’s Go Pikachu! are Nintendo Switch remakes of those first two iconic games. Cue the nostalgia.
But no Nintendo console line-up is complete without a flagship Mario title! And Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins was arguably the best Mario game on the Game Boy.
This game was the follow-up to Super Mario Land, and it ditched the strange creatures and vehicle sections of the original in favour of a world map, some amazingly creative levels, and fan-favourite power-ups like the bunny ears. Six Golden Coins also marked the first appearance of new antagonist: Wario.
Obviously, this article isn’t long enough to mention every single great game that appeared on the Game Boy. But Nintendo fans will fondly recall games like The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, Metroid II: Return of Samus, and Mega Man V.
Game Boy Color
Sure, there were some awesome games for the Game Boy - but by the time the late 90s came around, the system needed a refresh. With the 32-bit generation of consoles growing in popularity (including Nintendo's very own Super Nintendo), the original Game Boy was out. New tech was in.
But Nintendo wasn’t ready to give up on their handheld prodigy. Instead, they decided to alleviate the biggest complaint levelled against the Game Boy - it’s lack of colour. So in 1998, the Game Boy Color hit the shelves.
The Game Boy Color handheld re-energised the market for 8-bit systems. Third-party developers like WayForward began to create strong reputations for themselves with games like Shantae. Other titles, including Metal Gear Solid and Wario Land 3, thrived on the Game Boy Color.
But despite these successes, the Game Boy Color was replaced in 2001 by the 32-bit Game Boy Advance. Not only was the Advance a relatively supercharged handheld console, but it ditched the old rectangular design in favour of something far more comfortable.
Unfortunately, with the popularity of the Advance, the 8-bit Game Boy and Game Boy Color were forced to retire. But it was a mighty fun journey while it lasted. We can even trace the beginnings of several classic Nintendo franchises like Pokémon, Kirby, Wave Race, and Wario to the original Game Boy. Although these games may not be able to compete with their modern day counterparts, these titles proved to be the modest beginnings for several game series that would last for years.
Enjoy this trip down memory lane for a bit longer and remember the famous 80s Donkey Kong with us!
