When the Gameboy Advance was announced I was more excited for ports of 16-bit titles than I was original games. I know, that sounds weird, but it’s true. The idea of playing my favorite SNES and Genesis software on the go was super compelling at the time. In the end I was a little disappointed that more games weren’t ported over. Among the titles that were we have some truly great ones that feature fantastic enhancements. Today I thought it would be fun to take a look at the best SNES to GBA ports. I do have some rules for this list however, and we’ll go over those below.
- I won’t be including any ports that were, themselves, remakes when they came out on the SNES. This means that half of the Super Mario Advance titles are ineligible for placement here.
- This list is based on a few different factors. One of them is how fun the GBA port is, as well as enhancements too. That’s how I determined the order. Obviously the hardware is different so some of the ports are worse than they were on the SNES.
Without further adieu here are the top 10 best SNES to GBA ports.
#10. – Phalanx
Everyone remembers this game on the Super Nintendo as ‘the one with the guy playing the banjo on the cover.’ Don’t ask me why they went with such a weird concept to advertise it because frankly I don’t know. What I do know however is that Phalanx was a super interesting shmup on the SNES. I absolutely loved how it bucked conventions of the time by allowing your ship to take multiple hits before exploding. This was a pretty rare feature at the time. Meanwhile the weaponry and stages full of enemies were quite well done. Phalanx was one of my favorite shooters on the Super Nintendo. The biggest change here is the graphics. While details are lost on the small screen it makes up for it with the bright new colors. It looks better than it did on the SNES in my opinion.
#9. – Final Fight One
The original Final Fight was kind of a travesty on the Super Nintendo. It was missing a few key features from the arcade edition. Long gone was the multiplayer mode, one of the levels, and they even cut an entire playable character from the roster. Final Fight One restores both of these features. You can link up two GBA systems together for some simultaneous beat ’em up action. You can even play as Guy now too which is always a plus. For the first time both players can select the same character to play as. The game also features new dialogue based cut-scenes introducing each new boss character. You just gotta love how darn cheesy the concept is, and this GBA port really hits the point home.
#8. – Final Fantasy IV
Okay so I have some explaining to do. While the Super Nintendo version of Final Fantasy IV is my favorite video game of all time this GBA port had some problems. The ATB system was botched in translation leading to some glitches here and there. That’s why this version isn’t ranked higher on this list. Once you look past this issue you’ll find that it’s still an absolutely amazing RPG. The story is just as good here with an improved translation, and none of the content was cut. It even has a few new features. Final Fantasy IV Advance is the only version of this title where you can select your party from almost all of the playable characters. You even have new dungeons in which you find the previously forgotten characters’ new final weapons. This is an absolute treat in my opinion and makes this version stand out.
#7. – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
A Link to the Past might just be my favorite Zelda game of all time. This GBA edition introduced some quality of life changes with the inventory. Things like being able to more easily switch between the four bottles you have, and having better indicators when your arrows/bombs are maxed out is nice. There’s also a new multiplayer game mode called Four Swords. It’s more puzzle based, but stands out as a great addition. Personally I would rather have had a new dungeon, but that’s just me. What I don’t like is that Nintendo included Link’s voice samples from Ocarina of Time here. That means every time Link slashes his sword you hear his trademark battle cry. I could have done without this personally.
#6. – Breath of Fire
In my opinion the Breath of Fire series is largely underrated by the RPG community. I was surprised that the first two titles were chosen to be ported to the GBA. While the experience is largely the same there are a few changes that make this Advance version worth playing. The first of these is that you have a dash button. This makes a world of difference. Outside of battle you would originally move at a snail’s pace, but here you can actually run. I’m not as fond of the fact that you get significantly more money and experience points per battle in this edition. It makes the game easier which I’m rarely a fan of, but I suppose it does make it more accessible. The changes to the translation are for the better. The graphics and audio are a bit worse, but it’s a fair trade-off.
#5. – Super Mario World
Super Mario World was nearly perfect on the Super Nintendo. The GBA release isn’t necessarily better, but it’s different in some ways I really appreciated. First and foremost Luigi is no longer a mere palette swap of Mario. He is taller, and has more distinct handling. The green plumber is also floatier in both jumps and running. He can fly higher, and his fireballs bounce more. These changes may seem small but in some levels they altered the way I played which I found to be neat. This game also has the classic Mario Bros multiplayer mode but it’s largely the same as it was in the first Advance title. This is another case where Nintendo brought over voice samples unnecessarily. They’re kind of annoying but I didn’t mind that much. They were pretty impressive back in the day.
#4. – Breath of Fire II
Breath of Fire II improved upon the original in almost every way imaginable. It was a fantastic RPG when released on the Super Nintendo, and it’s even better on the GBA. First of all the soundtrack has taken less of a hit here than in the original game’s conversion. That’s a huge plus in my opinion. The translation has also been fixed up a bit more here. It suffers less from the limited number of characters each item uses. The experience points/money from battle have been increased, but I have mixed feelings on that. There’s a new link option but this just gives you brand new items locked behind it. The big reason this game scores so high on the list is because it too introduces a dash button for outside of battle. Breath of Fire II is so much better when you’re not moving like a snail.
#3. – Final Fantasy VI
Most people who love classic Final Fantasy cite this one as their favorite entry. It’s not hard to see why. This game had some pretty big new additions in the GBA port. For starters it has an entirely new translation which works better in my opinion with less censorship. You no longer need to equip the sprint shoes to dash outside of battle. Furthermore, four new espers were added to the game. That’s absolutely huge for me. You also have new dungeons which introduce additional boss encounters (some of which are incredibly challenging and rewarding). Each character has new final weapons too. The only downsides are some graphical changes and a worse soundtrack. It’s worth looking past the aesthetics because the bonuses here are amazing.
#2. – Mega Man & Bass
This port has the fewest number of changes in its transition to the GBA. It made this list for the simple fact that this was the first time Mega Man & Bass was available outside of Japan. It’s one of the most different of the original Mega Man titles. It wasn’t localized for the simple fact that it was released so late. Here you can play as both characters which have fundamental differences in how they play. It features the classic Mega Man premise of defeating bosses and gaining their primary weapon, but with some amazing stage design and some hard as nails gameplay scenarios. Yes you could also play the Super Famicom import, but this is the only way to play it in English. I’m a huge fan of the franchise, and it was amazing to finally be able to get my hands on this one.
#1. – Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy V is not my favorite game in the franchise. It’s not even the best one on this list. It does however have numerous things going for it. For example, the soundtrack and graphics have for the most part been reproduced amazingly here. The Super Famicom version was never released outside of Japan. Sure, it was included in a compilation for the PS1 but that had load times and random issues. The GBA version was (and still is) where it’s at. Square-Enix also included a lot of fantastic new bonuses. You have an Advance exclusive dungeon, a new translation (and frankly it’s the best one so far), altered graphics, a dash button, etc. The best new addition however is four new jobs to choose from. That’s absolutely huge for a game like this. Final Fantasy V Advance is still the best way to play this classic adventure.
