The Game Boy was successful out of the gate thanks toTetris. It was the perfect game for portability as the puzzle nature ofTetrisallowed for infinite replay value. Puzzle games work well on portables, but so do RPGs.
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Players can pop on a movie, or something to lessen the repetitiveness of grinding levels. Unfortunately, the RPG library on theGame Boywas lacking for the first few years. The biggest RPG series on the handheld was thePokemongames which didn’t get to the West until 1998. So, what were people playing before those juggernauts arrived?
8Dragon Warrior 1 & 2
Dragon Warrior 1 & 2is a collection for the Game Boy Color, remaking the NES originals. This was done previously in Japan only on the SNES which are graphically better. This collection remixes those SNES ideas and provides new ones too.
The third game also got a GBC remake after hitting up the SNES first. It’s worth noting that at this time theDragon Questserieswas still calledDragon Warriorin the West. It would remain under that banner until 2005 viaDragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King.
7Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsreceived a series of platformers on the console side of things just like its predecessor. However, the Game Boy Color game was more unique. Harry traversed the world in a top-down manner and solved puzzles similar toThe Legend of Zeldaseries.
Combat was solved via turn-based battles though. This would happen again withHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanon the Game Boy Advance. Even hardcore fans don’t know there were RPGsbeforeHogwarts Legacy.
6The Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls, orKaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru, is a Japan-only Game Boy title that is important in the portable’s history. It was made by Nintendo, making it one of the few instances of an internally developed Nintendo game that never left Japan.
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Thankfully, fans have taken it upon themselves to translate it into English via fan patches. It is not out of the realm of possibility that thisZelda-infused RPG will get anofficial port or remakeone day. If it can happen toFamicom Detective Club, it can happen toThe Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls.
5Lufia: The Legend Returns
Lufiais an RPG series that never got its proper day in the sun despite numerous sequels. TheRPG began on the SNESin 1993 viaLufia & the Fortress of Doomwhich would get a prequel in 1996.
Then, things grew quiet again untilLufia: The Legend Returnshit the GBC in 2001. It is a fairly standard turn-based RPG with a plot involving saving the world and the like. It’s nothing new but the music and bright aesthetics of the game help it stand above other GBC games of the time.
4Metal Walker
The gameplay is unique for an RPG wherein players control a ball-shaped robot during turn-based combat. Players can choose its direction and it will ricochet off of opponents and walls like ina pinball game.
3Pokemon Trading Card Game
As the intro stated, the biggest RPGs for the Game Boy were the core games of this series likePokemon Red. Not a lot of players got into the digital version of thePokemon Trading Card Gameon Game Boy but they should have. The gameplay involves going around different gyms to collect badges to then take on a series of tournament fighters.
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It’s just like the mainline games except without the catching or exploration mechanics. It did get a sequel on GBC,Pokemon Card GB2: Great Rocket-Dan Sanjo, which never left Japan but it has since been supported by fans with an English patch.
2Revelations: The Demon Slayer
Revelations: The Demon Slayeris the first game in theLast Bibleseries of spinoffs from theShin Megami Tenseifranchise. This was a GBC port of the original which was on the Game Boy first.
There are six games in all, but this is the only one that the West ever got. Players who are experienced withShin Megami TenseiorPersonagamesshould feel at home with this one. Explore a world, fight demons, recruit demons, and then attempt to stop gods from destroying the world.
1Super Robot Taisen
This list is full of Japanese exclusives already and this game is perfect to end things on. It needs to be highlighted for cultural significance as this is the first one.Super Robot Taisenis a series of tactical RPGs that cross over game and anime series likeGundam.
Most of these games have stayed hidden in Japan, along with this one, but recently the newer games have been coming to PC at least likeSuper Robot Wars 30. Anime and tactical RPG fans alike should check that game out officially, but unofficially they should also look for a fan-patched version ofSuper Robot Taisen.
