The original Game Boy was one of the most wildly successful portable consoles of all time. It’s multiplayer functionality was not a selling point for it in the beginning. The barrier of entry was too high. You needed two Game Boy systems, a link cable, and two copies of the same cartridge. At the same time home consoles offered this functionality out of the box. Because of this multiplayer was often just an afterthought. It wasn’t until the release of Pokemon (where multiplayer was the main selling point) that I even ever saw two systems linked up. Regardless, there were still many titles that you could play together and I thought it would be interesting to highlight my favorites. So here it is; these are the best Game Boy multiplayer games of all time ranked solely on dual play functionality.
#15. – Radar Mission
Do you like Battleship? Well then you’ll love Radar Mission. It’s a video game take on the classic head-to-head board game and it’s a great one at that. I’d be remiss to leave it out of any list of the best Game Boy multiplayer games. Once linked up you and a buddy take turns arranging your battleship fleet on a grid based board. From here you take turns blindly firing shots on a single grid on the field and are told whether or not you hit an enemy. What makes this better than classic Battleship is the more cinematic approach. You get small little vignettes showing your ships and the damage they’ve taken. It’s a simple touch, but one that’s well appreciated. Radar Mission is very easy to pick up and play, and that makes it a perfect multiplayer game for the Game Boy.
#14. – Tennis
Good old Tennis. You can’t go wrong with the classic title, and this port to the Game Boy is surprisingly competent. Single player is fun, but playing with a friend across two different screens is really what makes this one shine. I absolutely love the fact that the screen is flipped on both screens so you never have to worry about a change in perspective. The action moves very smoothly considering the hardware, and this holds true in this Game Boy port. I was expecting input and display lag to be a problem but it’s not. The developers that coded this software really knew what they were doing. That’s why this is one of the best Game Boy multiplayer games of all time. Even non-gamers will love this one because it’s just a no frills match of Tennis.
#13. – Double Dragon 2
The original Double Dragon port on Game Boy was pretty awful in regards to multiplayer. It’s as if the developers had no idea what made the original so great. Playing with a buddy was relegated to one-on-one matches which made it more like a fighting game. This is a beat ’em up title so that just felt inappropriate and tacked on. In this sequel you can actually play through the main game in co-op mode which is amazing. It runs surprisingly smooth and in some ways plays better than the NES version. That’s saying a lot because not only is the hardware less powerful inputs are being streamed through the link cable at the same time. Double Dragon II is well worth picking up two copies of if you have a friend with the hardware. It’s easily one of the best Game Boy multiplayer games of all time.
#12. – Battle Arena Toshinden
It is my view that this is the single best fighting game on the original Game Boy. It’s also the only decent iteration of Battle Arena Toshinden. That’s a pretty bold statement considering the other titles were fully 3D, but it’s true. Battle Arena Toshinden is a one-on-one fighting game where you duke it out as chibi versions of the main cast. It runs surprisingly smoothly given the hardware, and special moves are easy to pull off. It also has multiplayer which is why it has made this list. I was surprised to discover that the engine runs competently even when duking it out across the link cable. Unfortunately multiplayer is relegated to just one-on-one matches, but that’s par for the course when it comes to fighting titles. It’s definitely one of the best Game Boy multiplayer games.
#11. – Gauntlet II
The Gauntlet games are best known for their arcade prowess. It was a light action RPG with up to four players at once. This is accomplished with an overhead view. You run through dungeons slaying enemies and racking up high scores while gaining levels. Because ports of this title are largely hit or miss I wasn’t expecting much from the Game Boy conversion however it rocks. What’s more is it includes two player support. It’s disappointing the developers didn’t go all out and let four people work together, but it’s understandable given the limited hardware. It’s a lot of fun to play with a friend. The engine is more than capable of supporting two players and the action is surprisingly smooth. This one is a perfect showcase for simultaneous multiplayer on the Game Boy.
#10. – Balloon Kid
Balloon Fight is one of my favorite of Nintendo’s old franchises. It’s sort of a rip-off of the arcade classic Joust only much better. Nintendo decided to take a different approach with their first portable installment in the series. Instead of being a single screen action platformer this is a more traditional approach to the genre. The screen scrolls automatically which adds adventure elements. It’s fun, and criminally underrated. Balloon Kid also happens to have a really awesome multiplayer mode. Basically it’s the main game but you are competing with a friend in real-time. This means that you can attack each other or co-operate. Generally I found myself trying to defeat my partner in crime all sneaky like. It’s addictive, and very fun. Balloon Kid is certainly one of the best Game Boy Multiplayer games.
#9. – Micro Machines
Remember Micro Machines? This was a line of toy cars that were pretty cheap, but very collectible. I was never personally that into them but I did admire them in the stores as a kid. Well this Game Boy game is based off of the premise. You race from an overhead perspective across terrain that makes sense for toy cars. What I mean is that the tracks consist of things like tables, floors, or any other place you might race toy cars. Multiplayer is absolutely the highlight. When linking up both players race against each other in real-time. The course design is excellent, and it’s so much better to play through with a friend. It’s absolutely one of the best Game Boy multiplayer games. I really like racing titles that don’t take themselves too seriously, and this one scratches the itch.
#8. – Double Dragon 3
I already touched upon Double Dragon 2 here. That game was such a huge improvement from the original in terms of multiplayer content. Double Dragon 3 offers largely the same experience, but with better level design and more variety in enemies. You and a friend can work together to fight off an absolute army of incoming foes. The only real issue is that the AI is a little unfair. This is circumvented a bit when playing as a friend because you can cancel out their attacks, but it’s still a pretty major problem to be honest. Regardless the novelty of playing a beat ’em up in portable format with another friend is well worth it. Double Dragon 3 is better than its predecessors, and definitely one of the best Game Boy mulitplayer games of all time.
#7. Wave Race
It’s a little known fact that the Wave Race series actually started on the original Game Boy. Who would have thunk it? This original iteration is an overhead view 2D jet ski racing game. You compete with various opponents to reach the goal first. Thing is there are checkpoints that you have to pass on specific sides or else you face penalty. The physics are surprisingly good and this makes Wave Race unlike every other racer on the platform. We’re here to talk about multiplayer however. Wave Race is one of the few titles for the handheld that supports four players. I’ve only experienced this one but it’s a real treat and everything runs surprisingly smoothly here. Wave Race is fun on it’s own, but it’s a whole new ball game when you’ve got a friend along. Or ‘friends’ in this case.
#6. – Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct was Rareware’s answer to the Mortal Kombat series. In most ways it’s superior even in this Game Boy downport. It’s a one-on-one fighting game with an emphasis on combo attacks. For the limited hardware it runs surprisingly smooth. Killer Instinct GB pales in comparison to it’s console counterpart, but you can’t do much better on the Game Boy. I already said that Battle Arena Toshinden is the best fighting game for the platform, and so why does Killer Instinct rank higher? This is for the simple fact that when playing on a Super Game Boy multiplayer doesn’t require additional hardware. That means you can simply plug it in and play with a buddy. The typical link option is still in place but this is something we didn’t see that often. This is why Killer Instinct ranks so high on my list of the best multiplayer Game Boy games.
#5. – Mole Mania
Mole Mania is one of the few games that have Shigeru Miyamoto’s name attached to it that wasn’t a huge seller. Most gamers have forgotten about Mole Mania. It’s a unique single screen puzzle game where you play as a mole in a garden. The view is from the top down perspective as you avoid the farmer trying to destroy you. Your goal is to move a black ball to the end of the screen, but it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Multiplayer is where Mole Mania really shines however. One player is the mole and the other is the farmer. This creates some truly frantic moments with a lot of curse words thrown out. It’s amazing, and a one of a kind experience. This is absolutely one of the best multiplayer Game Boy games of all time.
#4. – Ninja Boy 2
Most haven’t heard of this series. In Japan these games were called ‘Super Chinese’ and because that’s not politically correct they were translated as the ‘Ninja’ series. This includes Little Ninja Bros, Ninja Boy, etc. Ninja Boy 2 is the second portable installment up to the point in it’s release, and it’s by far the best one. These games are typically multiplayer action RPGs, and that’s the same case here. You and a buddy wander a world map entering towns, purchasing equipment, advancing the story, and grinding levels of course. It’s downright amazing that the developers at Culture Brain were able to re-create the experience (particularly in terms of multiplayer) on the Game Boy. It may not sound like it but having a game like this be co-op over a link cable is a huge endeavor.
#3. – Dragon Warrior Monsters
In terms of Pokemon clones Dragon Warrior Monsters may have been the biggest one. It took the basic trappings of the franchise and threw them into a monster collecting RPG adventure. I absolutely loved collecting classic enemies from this series and battling them against each other, and the design for the main quest is really interesting. Of course any Pokemon clone is only as strong as it’s multiplayer component. Here you can trade monsters and battle them. It’s not particularly original, but it’s more than enough. Dragon Warrior Monsters has tons of replay value due simply to being able to battle and trade, and it’s a big part of what makes this title so amazing. Dragon Warrior Monsters is easily one of the best Game Boy multiplayer games of all time.
#2. – Faceball 2000
A first person shooter on the original Game Boy is a tall order. Almost no developers were up to the task. This is due in large part to the limited hardware and how difficult getting one to run at all would be. Faceball 2000 stands today as the only first person shooter on the platform. You move around maze-like stages shooting at large icons with happy faces. It runs surprisingly well all things considered. Faceball 2000 would already be one of the best Game Boy multiplayer games had it allowed just two players to duke it out at once. Instead the game offers a whopping 16-player mode! Finding that many original Game Boy systems and copies of Faceball 2000 is no easy task, but that’s an absolute landmark achievement. I haven’t been able to test 16-player mode yet but even with less players it’s still amazing.
#1. – Pokemon Red and Blue Versions
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you have a pretty good idea of what Pokemon is. It’s an RPG adventure wherein you capture, collect, and battle cute creatures of varying types with a vast array of abilities. It was a huge achievement on the archaic Game Boy hardware. The main adventure is fun and involving with a large world map and over 150 creatures to capture and battle with. The multiplayer options are where this one really shines though. These are limited to just fighting against another player using the turn based battle system as well as trading Pokemon. I really like that there are two versions of the game and each has a few specific exclusive creatures to collect in them. The amount of strategy and variety here is staggering. Pokemon revolutionized the genre, and it’s all thanks to the multiplayer options.
