Top 15 Best Game Boy Color Hidden Gems of All Time

The Game Boy Color was the first big hardware boost Nintendo gave their handheld line. It was released in the late 90s mostly at the request of third party developers. There was no other viable handheld for them to release their games. Considering the original Game Boy suffered from a downright archaic processor developers wanted a little more to work with. Unfortunately for them Pokemon absolutely dominated the handheld market. This left a lot of their best offerings to be hidden gems as we now know them. If you had a Game Boy Color odds are you had Pokemon and little else. That’s why I’m here. Today I’m going to highlight the top 15 best Game Boy Color hidden gems.

Before we start let’s go over some rules I’ve put in place for this list.

• I’m not going to include import only titles. I’ll focus on those for a different list.
• Some titles at the time of release were obscure but have since found their following. You can find those in any other list, and so I’m going to focus on titles that are still relatively unknown.
• This list includes titles playable on both the original Game Boy and the Color iteration. Every game here however was released with the new hardware iteration in mind.

With that out of the way let’s jump in and get started.

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare

Yes, the Game Boy Color actually had a survival horror title. Most ignored this one because it’s a downport from the home console iterations. By previous standards you might expect something more simple like a side scroller, but that’s not the case here. Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare uses pre-rendered backgrounds (that look amazing given the hardware) and plays like a typical survival horror title. That’s a tall order for a handheld game of this era, but the developers more than met the challenges they were faced with. This is one of the few titles on the platform that looks significantly better than anything on other 8-bit hardware. It’s not as good as the 32-bit version, but those looking for survival horror on the go had no other choice. Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare is a surprisingly deep and enjoyable title.

Azure Dreams

At best Azure Dreams made mild waves when it released on the Sony PlayStation. The Game Boy Color iteration went almost completely ignored at the time of release. This RPG is sort of a rogue-lite with simple dungeons requiring resource management and some planning. The battle system is turn based, but battles occur like they do in your typical rogue-like. What’s interesting is the fact that you can collect monsters, known as ‘familiars’, to do battle for you. There’s a single dungeon which you start from the beginning at each time you try to tackle it, but you retain your levels so progression becomes significantly easier. This Game Boy Color iteration is a remake of the original of sorts, but with some key missing features. Because of the gameplay style it’s a perfect handheld title to play in short bursts. It’s a definite Game Boy Color Hidden Gem.

Daikatana

I’m cheating a bit here by including this one. It wasn’t released in North America, but did however see a PAL localization. Due to the region free nature of the system I found this one worth including here. Daikatana was a big blunder from FPS legend John Romero on PC. The developers here took an entirely different approach with an action adventure title, and honestly, it’s one of the best available for the platform. Here you play from a top down perspective as you defeat foes using different weapons while solving Zelda style puzzles. It’s extremely well designed, has a good story, and fun gameplay. It’s not often that the Game Boy Color can claim to have the best version of a title released on console or PC. Almost no one has heard of this one relegating it to being one of the best Game Boy Color hidden gems.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

No, this isn’t a joke inclusion. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was an absolute monster in the box office, and the games based on it had huge sales. The Game Boy Color iteration however has largely been forgotten. This is likely because downports to handheld hardware were often different and very limited. In this case it’s a good thing. The developers played on the strengths of the hardware and instead of an action adventure title this is a turn based traditional RPG. With how well this one plays it becomes immediately clear that this is the genre the console iterations should have also been. The battle system is fantastic, and plays well with the property’s strengths. Exploring Hogwarts is significantly more interesting in this portable edition which is saying quite a lot. I don’t even like Harry Potter but I enjoyed this title.

Legend of the River King

Kawa No Nushi Tsuri is a long running franchise in Japan and this was the first iteration of it to be localized into English. In my opinion this series represents some of the most enjoyable fishing elements in any title, anywhere. Legend of the River King on the Game Boy Color is a JRPG based around fishing. You walk around and get in turn based battles. While fighting enemies, gaining experience points, collecting money are all big parts of the game this is a fishing title at heart. Your goal is to catch as many fish as possible, and the system for this is surprisingly detailed. You have to plan with selecting rods, baits, and more. The different fish respond to equipment differently which is pretty neat to be honest. It’s easily one of the best Game Boy Color hidden gems.

Legend of the River King 2

Legend of the River King 2 is more of the same only more polished and with more content. It’s often compared to Harvest Moon but that’s selling it short. This is a traditional RPG in which you wander across the world fighting animals, gaining experience and money, and becoming stronger. Oh, and like in the original there’s fishing and it’s actually the focus on the story here. The mechanics based around it are addicting and a lot of fun. You have to plan ahead based on what species you’re going to reel in. Different fish respond to tactics and items you’re using. It’s a surprisingly deep system for a handheld title, and in this respect Legend of the River King 2 outperforms many console fishing titles of this generation. This is clearly one of the best games for the Game Boy Color.

Lufia: The Legend Returns

The Lufia franchise has a decent following on the Super Nintendo. Unfortunately this Game Boy Color iteration went largely ignored. Lufia: The Legend Returns is based mostly on the mechanics introduced in Rise of the Sinistrals. You have items you can use outside of battle to solve basic puzzles, and can see enemies outside of battle before encountering them. The Legend Returns’ biggest weakness is that the dungeons are randomly generated. This makes the experience less focused. The puzzles are never particularly in depth as they were in Lufia II which is a major bummer. Still, the battle system is super involved, and highly strategic. I love this title and am disappointed that the Legend Returns is barely referenced these days.

Monster Rancher Explorer

Monster Rancher has all been forgotten about. On the PS1 these titles were monster raising simulations where you train creatures for battle. This Game Boy Color iteration is very different. It’s actually based on Solomon’s Key for the NES. This is a side scrolling action game where you have to solve puzzles within a time limit while dodging spawning enemies and other hazards. It’s interesting that the developers chose to implement the Monster Rancher franchise here. This is because the developers didn’t bother to make this look or feel like a title in the franchise. It’s clear that Monster Rancher Explorer is Solomon’s Key from start to finish, which isn’t a bad thing, but they could have put in more effort to reflect the series. With that said it’s a fun game and surprisingly well suited on a handheld.

Project S-11

The Game Boy had many shooters, but almost none of them were any good. It’s surprising considering the fact that the genre was so popular in the system’s heyday. It wasn’t until Project S-11 launched on the Game Boy Color that we had a viable option on handheld hardware. Project S-11 looks absolutely incredible for the hardware. It features smooth scrolling, and a color palette that goes beyond almost all titles for the platform. This looks like a home console game to put it bluntly. Where this one excels is in its arsenal. You have five different options at your disposal and they all reflect different playstyles. The boss encounters however are on a whole other level. These are incredible and almost seem like something Treasure would have made. Project S-11 is pretty simplistic by most standards, but the stage design is seriously on point.

Quest: Brian’s Journey

For the longest time I assumed Quest 64 was a one-off. I know that a sequel was in development at some point, but I always thought that everything involving this Nintendo 64 title was long forgotten. Then I discovered that the developers actually released a Game Boy Color title based on the property. Quest: Brian’s Journey is significantly better than it’s console counterpart despite largely playing in the same fashion. This is a top down RPG and is all the more stronger for it. It’s fair to consider this a remake of sorts. The story is pretty much the same, and you wander the world collecting elements to beef up your magic for battle. Inside of battle you have an area in which you can freely move. Magic is your main means of attack. I enjoyed this iteration quite a bit more than it’s N64 counterpart.

Return of the Ninja

Return of the Ninja is a spiritual successor to Shadow of the Ninja on the NES. That’s not a bad thing in my book. This game reminds me quite a lot of Ninja Gaiden but without the insane difficulty and cheap deaths. It’s a side scrolling action game where you slash with your sword or unleash a variety of different ninjutsu to defeat foes. The game also has a rockin soundtrack that will stick with you long after you’ve stopped playing. Graphics are absolutely on point and even without a backlight you can easily tell where enemies are placed. I love that you can select to play as two different characters and the changes between them keep you on your toes. Honestly Return of the Ninja feels like a better Ninja Gaiden, and that alone makes it one of the best Game Boy Color hidden gems.

Revelations: The Demon Slayer

Atlus as it seems was almost allergic to releasing installments in the Shin Megami Tensei series in the West. Obviously this had a lot to do with the subject material. Revelations in Japan was known as Shin Megami Tensei Gaiden. It has the basic gameplay of the series; it’s a turn based Japanese style RPG where you try to recruit demons into your party. You level up when you defeat enemies, and can choose to negotiate with enemies. When you do there’s a chance that they join your effort, but the system largely is pretty random. Unsuccessful negotiations result in longer battles which can cause major problems when you’re low on resources. This is basically Shin Megami Tensei lite but that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s a great game and one of the best Game Boy Color hidden gems.

Survival Kids

Open ended simulations were a rarity regardless of platform in this time. Survival Kids was truly unique and unlike anything else on the Game Boy Color. There are a ton of survival elements to deal with. You have to monitor your characters’ hunger, thirst, etc. You really have to think outside of the box. This is a top down adventure title with little to no action. You simply have to survive. This involves collecting a lot of different items and even crafting. You’ll find yourself experimenting a lot which is a lot of fun. This is decades before Minecraft became a thing. These elements combine to make on of the best Game Boy Color hidden gems. Survival Kids was way ahead of its time and gamers couldn’t appreciate all that it had to offer back at the time of release.

Warlocked

Real time strategy games were huge hits on PC. These never really found a foothold on consoles which makes it all the more surprising that a developer tried their hand at it on the Game Boy Color. Warlocked features two different campaigns which play fairly differently from one another. You have limited resources and have to, in real time, dispatch them to deal with many opponents. The framerate has some issues but that’s to be expected with a title this ambitious. Honestly it’s downright impressive that you can issue commands on the fly and everything occurs with no pauses. It’s not the best real time strategy game, but to be honest, it’s probably the best portable iterations even today. This is especially surprising considering the fact that Nintendo published Warlocked.

Wendy: Every Witch Way

Now we’re talking. 8-bit hardware was based around side scrolling platformers, and this is one of the best on the system. It really pushes the hardware to the limits, and unlike something like Shantae, almost no one has heard of it. This title has four different worlds each of which has incredible level designs within. Pair that with the amazing animations and you have a fantastic looking title on the Game Boy Color. The most innovative feature of the game is the ability to reverse gravity and walk on the ceilings. You can activate this at will and it makes for some great puzzles and gameplay. Wendy Every Witch Way could have had significantly more exposure had it not been released around Shantae. As such it’s left as a Game Boy Color hidden gem.