So, I’ve been getting into GBA and want some recommendations. I’ve been playing advance wars and really like it, anyone know any similar games? (Not fire emblem because permadeath is an annoying mechanic?
And justgoogd GBA games in general
Most similar to Advance Wars:
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Tactics Ogre: Knight of Lodis
Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation
Shining Force:Resurrection of the Dark Dragon
Just in general:
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 1 and 2
Drill Dozer
Golden Sun 1 and 2
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Guru Logic Champ
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Zero Mission
Medabots RPG
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams
- Boktai series: Hideo Kojima’s most unusual work, and I mean that in the best way. These games were so near and dear to my childhood, especially 2. Really though you want the Solar Sensor hardware for the full experience, but I love these games too much not to plug them anyway. Emulating them is worth it over not playing them at all. And for the third game, you’d have to pick between original hardware or the translation patch anyway.
- Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow: It’s Castlevania. It’s good. Also check out Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Dissonance, but AoS was by far the best of the GBA entries.
- Golden Sun 1/2: These games were way ahead of their time for how they designed a combat system that encourages you to use all of your tools and not just click basic Attack as if you gotta hoard your MP for a rainy day. Fantastic puzzles too.
- Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga: If you’ve played any of the other Mario RPGs, this one’s great too. Has a 3DS remake but I haven’t played that version so I can’t tell you how it compares.
- Metroid: Zero Mission: The original Metroid has aged rather poorly if you ask me, but this remake does a perfect job modernizing it into one of the best games in the series. Fusion is good too, but some fans have opinions on that one.
- Mother 3: Surely you have already heard of this game and do not need me to tell you to go play it. Have you not played it by now? Why not? Well, okay, if you haven’t played Earthbound first, go do so, then play this.
- Rhythm Tengoku: A wonderful game about pressing the A button. Sometimes you press the d-pad too. Translation patch.
- Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 1/2: If you’ve ever played the classic 2D Tales games, these are excellent spiritual successors to those. There’s a third game that’s JP-only, translation patch is being worked on but it’s been stuck in development hell for years…
- The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap: Zelda.
Thanks for the list
Holy shit boktai was kojima?! Only reason i about this series was the crossover chips and and endgame quest in MMBN4 and on. Super cool and unique concept with the solar panel stuff.
Here’s my top 8 in no particular order
- Golden Sun / The Lost Age
- Drill Dozer
- Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland
- Summon Night Swordcraft Story 1/2
- Mega Man Battle Network 3, 5, and 6 (either flavor of each is good)
- Mother 3
- Astro Boy Omega Factor
- Sonic Battle
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
I’m weird and I have a real soft spot for the original PlayStation 1 Final Fantasy Tactics as well. Both solid games, imho.
Weird? Isn’t FFT widely considered one of the best games of all time?
I honestly only ever see people talking about FFTA, I almost never see people mention FFT for playstation.
Could just be me, but I don’t exactly run into lots of folks who are even aware it exists.
The lack of a modern port makes availability an issue, so it’s definitely more in cult classic territory, but it is definitely a critics’ darling and is often thrown around among the group of best games of all time. It’s not uncommon for it to rank nr. 1 on “Best Final Fantasy Games” lists either.
I have never read much of game reviews and game news nor “top” listicles, so maybe that’s why I’m less aware of the critical acclaim.
EDIT: and to be clear, it’s nice to know my opinion is in good company and not weird.
This is the correct answer.
mega man battle network 1-6
Came to the comments to say this. Love that series. Wish they hadn’t moved to that follow-up series Star Force. Wasn’t as good, imo.
Wasn’t as good, imo.
The first one was maybe weird because it was still setting itself up. The second one was indeed a filler and the worst of the series (but nowhere near MMBN4-level bad). The third one on the other hand is easily a masterpiece beating MMBN6.
Jeez… I want to play them, but I am foreseeing hundreds of hours in those games lol… Also I didn’t know there was a sixth game for GBA.
they’re great for short bursts of gameplay, each dungeon takes like an hour on average. if it helps your decision, the first game is the shortest at 10-25 hrs but is also the hardest. the hd collection has an easy mode that lets you kill most weak enemies in a few shots. the DS port of 1 is the definitive version & has maps to make the dungeons easier (there’s an English patch)
Wario Land 4 was probably my fave
Core memory right here.
I love the Wario games because they were so chill. You were a invincible protagonist whose goal was solving puzzles and getting money.
I don’t remember 4 being that chill, when you press the frog button and have to leg it back to the start for fear of losing your loot it gets pretty intense!
Red rescue team, if you haven’t played a pokemon mystery dungeon game before. I played the DS version (blue rescue team) and loved it.
I play that :3
It’s so cute, I love their cute little facial expressions :)
Yea :3
I really like the GBA pokemon stuff. Looks a lot better than the 3d games
I agree!
Yea, gen 7 looks kinda ugly. Even tho I like gen 7
Zelda: Minish Cap, and Castlevania are my favorites
Minish Cap is just absolutely amazing. The world is small, but very well made and fun to explore. It has aged very well (I imagine most GBA games have?) so I would recommend everyone to give it a go if they like that sort of game!
I’ve never tried any Castlevania games, maybe it’s time.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is one of my favorite games of all time. It’s the last isometric Zelda game, and they made it a swan song. The main quest it pretty short, but it’s the sort of cozy game where doing the sidequests just feels right.
In the game, you shrink down to the size of a mouse to traverse rafters and explore tiny temples and float on lillypads. It’s the sort of thing that would be no big deal in a 3D game, but is wildly ambitious in 2D. Not only do they pull it off, but they fill the environments with lush, lived-in detail that springs to life when you shrink down and look at it up close. The art style still sticks with me after 20 years.
Also, forget all the “hey, listen” stuff, your sidekick Ezlo just sasses you the entire time. It’s great.
Metroid Fusion and Metroid Zero Mission
Yoshi’s Island!
If you want the worst, it’s Medal of Honor Underground.
I mean, fair play for trying to get a cutting edge PS1 game onto the GBA, but why would you persist if that’s all you could do with it?
Those were the GBA games I played and liked.
- TMNT (from the movie)
- Shining Soul I & II
- Castlevania - Aria of Sorrow
- Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
- Pokemon LeafGreen and FireRed
- Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
- Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
- Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages (initially released for Game Boy Color, but it works just the same on the Advanced)
Might sound odd, but I loved Dark Arena. Basically a Quake-esque FPS but for the GBA.
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis is one of the best tactical rpgs I’ve ever played. I was shocked how short it was when I finished only to find I had been playing for over 40 hours.
