The Game Boy Advance was one of the console greats, and arguably the point where people realised the potential handheld games have. This was a machine with the power of effectively a Super Nintendo that fits snugly in the palm of your hand. The SP edition of the console introduced the now industry standard backlight and bid goodbye to batteries with a default charging option.
It was a game changer, but the games themselves were a collection that rightly put so many at the forefront of their respective genres. Now, as a quick disclaimer, this will not include any ports, because while there were so many greats, we’ll save them for a potential list on the Super Nintendo. So, without further ado, here are our picks for the top games for the Game Boy Advance (GBA).
1. Pokémon Emerald
No, just about enough water thank you. This is the more complete edition of the wildly successful Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, Emerald shines above them both and is comfortably one of the best games to ever grace the GBA. Seriously, it’s a Pokemon game, how could we leave it out of a lineup in a list of best Nintendo games? Oh right, yeah, once we get to the Switch, fair enough.
This was Pokémon and before it got so convoluted with just so many ‘mons. Emerald feels like the last game from the classic era. It had everything, it looked great, the world was vast and had a lot to explore. This was a great game. Early-era Pokémon is revered across the gaming world for a great reason, it might not have Gold & Silver levels of content but it was gorgeous, fun and ultimately simple.
Although not all of the gorgeous games on the GBA had to be simple…
2. Golden Sun & The Lost Age
Maybe a bit unfair to list these as the same game, but they were intended to be and it is quite hard to separate them. Zelda-style puzzles mixed with an innovative take on turn-based RPG combat was a recipe destined for success. This was epic, long and with some great puzzles that could be real headscratchers. Now, after a recent playthrough of The Lost Age, the latter entry is a bit underwhelming if you haven’t played the first one recently. Still, this was a grand story played out on an epic scale and for this writer’s money, it’s the game with the second-best graphics on the console. It would have not been a contest at first, but then another game exists that rather takes the graphical cake.
This writer rather cares about this series so check out their thoughts on the now-dormant franchise’s future.
3. Mario Tennis: Power Tour
Sticking with Camelot, the creators of Golden Sun, we move on to another effort of theirs: Mario Tennis: Power Tour. Perhaps a surprise pick but this is a seriously good game. A tennis RPG that went above and beyond any expectation. For the most part, the story steers clear of Mario elements and is better for it. Do people want a great tennis game? This is it. Persist with the story and of course, you will get all of your Mushroom Kingdom goodness. Mario sports titles are seldom bad, but this was a step above what anyone was realistically expecting and easily deserves to be on this list.
Curiously, Mario didn’t have any fresh platforming experiences on the GBA, with all of the hit outings coming as ports of much older titles.
4. Castlevania Aria Of Sorrow
The DS titles might be better but this is a firm entry into Castlevania at its peak. One of the numerous Metroidvanias that made people realise this genre was going to stick around for a long time. An impressively detailed and rich castle awaits, with countless souls to capture and use as abilities. Creepy boss fights and plenty to explore. It’s also the game that bleeds leads into the brilliant Dawn Of Sorrow on the DS. It’s an easy pick, Castlevania is a franchise that is and should be missed and this is another example of exactly why.
But this writer is sorry, if they’re discussing this game then they’re also including…
5. Metroid Fusion
One of the numerous peaks of the Metroid franchise and the Metroidvania genre as a whole. The game that story-wise precedes 2021’s excellent Metroid Dread is creepy and claustrophobic with an atmosphere that isn’t matched across the rest of the Game Boy Advance lineup. It’s difficult as well, it never lets you know how weak Samus is when she should be and how unsettled she should feel in her circumstances. An excellent game.
Metroid Zero Mission could easily take this spot as it’s an excellent game. In the absence of new Mario platforming games on the GBA the other franchises stepped up, speaking of which…
6. The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap
It might not be as long as the port of A Link To The Past, but The Minish Cap is such an effortlessly charming game. Utilising the same style as The Wind Waker this game is gorgeous and if this was a DS game you wouldn’t be unhappy with the graphics at all. It’s the most beautiful game on the system and the gameplay is excellent. Taking advantage of the titular cap makes for a different way of analysing the same world. Kinstones are a feature that should have been brought back in later games and the dungeons are all great fun.
It isn’t the longest Zelda game, but it’s one of the best but if we’re talking about short games…
7. Warioware Inc.: Minigame Mania
A game that started a long-running franchise and with great reason. This was Nintendo at its silly, innovative best. A game presented in a delightfully quirky manner which itself is a title just compromised of a lot of three-second games thrown at you in quick succession? Yes, this was a recipe for success. It doesn’t have a big story, it doesn’t have the world’s best graphics but Nintendo understood that all of that is superfluous if you make the game fun.
Warioware is great fun.
8. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
It’s easy to forget just how much Square avoided Nintendo after finishing Super Mario RPG and how much of a big deal it was. This was the game that saw them put everything behind them and resume publishing on Nintendo consoles. It’s a curious mix, an inventive and surprisingly deep story with some quirky gameplay mechanics.
It is an excellent title and a solid representation of the Tactics approach on the handheld, it is also a part of the Ivalice Alliance of games which is one best overall worlds Square has produced. Criticisms can fly in the game’s way due to not being anywhere as overtly dark Shakespearean as Final Fantasy Tactics, but it works and shrugs off the shadow of its predecessor.
9. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Is anyone else confused as to why this franchise died? This was the peak of Advance Wars on the Game Boy Advance after the original and this is where the franchise took flight. It was a horrendously complex and challenging game that rewarded you for tight strategy and a rush of endorphins when your plan came together and resulted in victory. This was a huge and well-designed puzzle of a game that was endlessly satisfying and with a smooth learning curve that rarely saw the game become frustrating.
It’s good to see the remake of the first two titles because, while it may share some similarities with Fire Emblem, it deserves its place in the sun. A new title would be thoroughly worthwhile as the franchise never became bad and its demise was confusing, its last new iteration was still a fantastic game.
Honourable Mentions
The Glorious Ports
You can’t ignore how many great ports were on the GBA, this system took full use of the fact it was powerful enough to run Super Nintendo games. The numerous Mario ports, the expanded Final Fantasy ports of IV – VI, Donkey Kong Country… This writer could do a whole list of those alone and the quality wouldn’t be all that different from the games that made it on.
Megaman Battle Network (any of them)
A great series without a doubt but almost every game has a major flaw. Whether it’s the obtuse post-game requirements that can get in the way of getting to the big fights that you want, or the random encounter rate often being far too high to still be fun. It’s a classic series, but not one of the best games.
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy Of Goku 2
This originally made it onto the list, before this writer did more research and realised that no one agreed with him. Still, this was a really solid title that added another huge adventure to the GBA library. Maybe a bit on the easy side, but this was still really great fun with an awful lot of content.
The GBA Games You Wanted To See
There were a lot that we could have included. This console had a lot of really fantastic titles, which for a lot of us will resonate with our childhood. It’s the lovely thing about trying to do a list like this: it truly is a celebration of a glorious era in gaming.