Top 15 Best GBA Hidden Gems

While many tried to dethrone the original Game Boy (as well as its upgraded color variant) no one succeeded. That is, until Nintendo themselves did it. The Game Boy Advance was a huge hit out of the gates. This handheld took the world by storm with its 16-bit graphics and huge library of games. Due to the low cost of development for this platform developers absolutely flooded it with software. Some of it’s good, but most is bad. With that said there are a ton of GBA hidden gems. Naturally it comes with the territory. Today I thought it would be a good idea to highlight some of these underrated GBA games. I established a few rules while filtering out which titles to include. Let’s dive right into those now.

• Import games specifically have not been included on our list. We’ll do a separate article highlight the best GBA imports at a later date so stay tuned if you’re looking for some good Japanese games for the platform.
• We’ve really tried to avoid including games that are obscure now, but were big back when first released. The same goes for those that were ignored at launch but now get a ton of coverage. Of course there are some cases where this was unavoidable, but for the most part we were able to stick to this rule.
• This entire list is an opinion piece, and for just one person. People are welcome to agree or disagree. By no means is this definitive by any means.

With that out of the way let’s get started. These are the top 25 best GBA hidden gems in alphabetical order!

Astro Boy: The Omega Factor

It’s fair to say that a video game based on Astro Boy was not expected in the early 2000s. The franchise began with a manga/anime series developed in the 50s/60s. It centers around a sentient robot designed by a grieving father who has lost his son. Oddly enough, rather than simply making a little boy he instead designs Astro Boy as a weapon with a ton of different abilities. This is important because that comes in to play in some significant ways in the video game. Astro Boy Omega Factor is a side scrolling beat ’em up with some clear run and gun inspiration. You move from left to right blasting foes with your arm cannon, shooting missiles out of your back, and generally punching and kicking everything that moves. Your arsenal is over the top with a ton of options. It’s a ton of fun.

Bomberman Tournament

The ‘tournament’ moniker is kind of misleading here. This is not your typical Bomberman game by any means, and that’s probably why it was so widely overlooked. Instead of being a traditional experience for the franchise Bomberman Tournament instead plays like a typical Zelda game mixed with some Pokemon elements. This means it’s more of an overhead action adventure title than action/puzzle game than it’s contemporaries. It’s also a ton of fun with an interesting world to explore and great gameplay mechanics. If you’re seeking a more traditional experience you can link multiple Game Boy Advance systems together and play typical Bomberman battles with your friends. It’s kind of the best of both worlds in my opinion. This is absolutely one of the best GBA hidden gems of all time.

Car Battler Joe

Developers were all too eager to show off the GBA’s mode 7 graphics engine. That’s because it looked absolutely amazing on the small screen. Car Battler Joe makes heavy use of this, but it’s not just a gimmick here. In this RPG/vehicular combat/action title you play as a kid tasked with designing various vehicles. The customization is fairly deep, and you get new parts through the RPG/adventure mode. The action sequences have you piloting these vehicles through treacherous 3D areas collecting items and blasting away foes. It’s very ambitious, but everything comes together in a very fluid way that’s highly addictive. I enjoyed both the adventure and action sequences a great deal. Progression is a ton of fun as you upgrade your weaponry and other stats to make blowing things up even easier. Car Battler Joe is definitely underrated and deserved better reception than what it got.

Drill Dozer

Game Freak was, and still is, almost exclusively known for their mega popular Pokemon franchise. It’s one of the biggest names in video games. Because of this almost everything else they make is quickly overshadowed. Drill Dozer is one of these such games. It came out near the end of the GBA’s lifespan and is a side scrolling action platformer. It’s far from typical however. You play as a girl named Jill riding on top of a mechanized drill robot. The entire game is based on this tool; you can drill both left and right by holding the corresponding shoulder button. It’s how you defeat enemies, and you’re also required to constantly cut through elements of the environment to move forward in each stage. As she progresses the Drill Dozer robot gains new abilities or ‘gears’ that allow you new abilities. It’s an amazing game.

Karnaaj Rally

Sometimes I have no idea why a game didn’t sell better. Other times the answer is absolutely obvious. This is a case of the latter. Just look at the boxart and you’ll see what I mean. It’s easily one of the ugliest covers I’ve ever seen and makes almost no sense. Once you get past that you’ll find one of the best GBA games overall. Karnaaj Rally is an overhead racing game with an emphasis on combat. You compete with various AI controlled racers to reach the finish line first. The thing is you can blast at your foes and try to blow them up along the way. One thing that should be pointed out is the amazing graphics. This is one of the few GBA titles to use some polygonal elements and they look absolutely amazing on the small screen.

Klonoa: Empire of Dreams

Honestly I thought by now Klonoa would be a bigger deal than it is. This Namco developed platforming series made a few waves on the PS1 and PS2, but the platform that saw the most releases was actually the Game Boy Advance. Empire of Dreams was the first of these released, and takes a slightly different approach. Gone are the 2.5D elements and instead this is a more traditional 2D side scroller. There’s also less emphasis on combat here. Some fans don’t like that, but I enjoyed the focus on puzzle elements. These are a nice change of pace from typical fare on the platform. It’s slower paced and much more methodical. Honestly Klonoa deserved better, but the best I can do is include it here on my list of the best GBA hidden gems. It certainly earned this spot.

Lady Sia

This is one of the most obscure titles included on this list. It seems like almost no one has ever heard of Lady Sia. It’s a crying shame because it’s amazing. This is a side scrolling action platformer set in a strange medieval style cartoon world. It almost looks like something you would see on Cartoon Network. That’s not a good thing in my opinion, but the graphics don’t matter much. Gameplay is where it’s at. Lady Sia plays like a mix between a platformer and beat em up. Your main weapon is a sword and you can chain together strikes for a very basic combo. The level designs are really nice with a lot of variety. Lady Sia is a little different but a whole lot of fun. You just have to look past the strange graphics and bad soundtrack.

Ninja Five-O

Most gamers consider Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi to be the best action Ninja based games of all time. Personally I like Ninja Five-O more than both of them. It’s downright disappointing that this one didn’t sell well enough to get any sequels, and it’s still stuck on the GBA. The strength of this 2D side scrolling action game is in the level designs and large number of abilities your character has. He can slash with a sword, throw fireballs, cling to walls, and even use a grappling hook to reach higher areas and swing around. It may not sound like much but you’ll need to use all of these to be successful. Your goal is generally to defeat all of the enemies to move forward but rescuing hostages is a nice change of pace. The level designs are absolutely bonkers and amazing.

Onimusha Tactics

The Onimusha franchise was a fairly big hit on the PS2. These action adventure samurai based games sold relatively well and were very well received critically. Capcom is not one to shy away from shrinking down their big games on to the small screen. In this case they played on the GBA’s strengths and strangely enough went the route of a strategy RPG. It looks like a basic Tactics Ogre clone, and the colorful anime trappings are hardly reminiscent of the main franchise. I’m happy to report that it can hang with the bigger SRPG franchises. Onimusha Tactics doesn’t have a lot of unique features but the core gameplay is solid. I also really like the storyline and how it ties into the series. The graphics are a high point with colorful sprites and great animations. Onimusha Tactics is certainly one of the best GBA hidden gems.

Shining Soul II

The Shining series has long been a mainstay on Sega platforms. They continued the tradition on the GBA with Shining Soul which was a little underwhelming to be honest. It wasn’t until the sequel hit that Sega/Atlus got it right. This is an action RPG with an emphasis on dungeon crawling and loot. What’s interesting is the fact that you can highly customize your character. There are eight different classes and each plays quite differently from one another. What’s interesting is you can equip three different weapons at once and cycle between them. The high point however is that you can link together with other players to play the main quest start to finish. Given the large number of classes and multiplayer emphasis it makes this one feel kind of like an MMORPG.

Sigma Star Saga

If you know me then you know I love oddball RPGs. I also love shmups. So what do you get when you combine the two? Sigma Star Saga, and believe you me when I say that this one is strange. This is an action RPG played from a semi-overhead view. You have a gun you blast foes with as you collect items and unlock the way forward. During the adventure mode you encounter enemies normally, but there are separate random encounters as well. During these you play from a side view in your ship like in your typical shmup. You defeat foes here for experience points with a variety of different weapons. It’s really interesting that there are two separate combat modes in gameplay, and that they are so different from one another. It’s a unique novelty, but the game itself is a lot of fun.

Summon Night: Swordcraft Story

This game had the unfortunate fate of being a late release for the platform. Had it come out sooner I think it would have been more successful. Summon Night: Swordcraft Story is a top down RPG with a lot of traditional trappings. It looks like it could be a typical 16-bit role playing game outside of battle. What’s interesting is that there’s only one town, and a single dungeon. The story takes place over ten days with new floors of the dungeon becoming available at the onset of each morning. You upgrade your weapons entirely through crafting which is really cool. The battle system is the most unique part of the game. It’s action based and looks like a classic Tales of title. You can move left/right freely and attack foes in real-time. This may sound derivative, but the experience as a whole is pretty unique.

Tactics Ogre: Knight of Lodis

One thing I was most excited for with the release of the GBA was for SNES style RPGs. Developer Quest did not let me down in this regard. Their game, Tactics Ogre: Knight of Lodis is a spin-off to their main franchise but it plays very similarly to all of the others. This is a grid based strategy RPG where you customize your force by adding throwaway characters and making them stronger through battle. The game makes some great changes to the class system including a bunch of monsters that you can recruit, and some of the jobs are divided by gender. The interface is absolutely amazing and easy to navigate despite the more technical aspects of gameplay. The soundtrack and graphics are absolutely incredible for the platform. This one hasn’t been released anywhere else, and if you’re a fan of the franchise you need to check it out.

Top Gear Rally

The Gameboy Advance was not a powerhouse when it came to 3D gaming. This was a device designed with sprites in mind, and despite the 32-bit processor it really struggled with polygons. That’s why when developers really pushed it the results were impressive. Top Gear Rally is a prime example. This title looks like an early PS1 game. Given the hardware that in and of itself is impressive especially when played on the small-screen. Gameplay is also no slouch with your typical rally based off-road racing. It’s a little clunky but as far as racers for the platform go this is easily the most impressive one. Most gamers weren’t interested in the genre for this platform so it’s easy to see why this one was passed up. Top Gear Rally however is one of the best GBA hidden gems in my opinion.

Zone of the Enders: Fist of Mars

Hideo Kojima is one of the most influential video game designers of all time. This is because of how far he pushed the medium, and also how he challenged the boundaries of so many genres. Zone of the Enders is one of the most underrated titles he was responsible for. This PS2 release was a strange action mecha game that was far from traditional. It wasn’t a huge hit, but sold well enough. Konami decided to release a spin-off for the Game Boy Advance with Zone of the Enders: Fist of Mars. This one focuses more on storyline and changes genres as well. This one is a turn based strategy game where you move characters on a grid and do battles with enemies. Action sequences are handled from a first person view where you guide a reticule around to defeat a singular foe.