Best GBA Games From Each Year Of The Console's Life

Best GBA Games From Each Year Of The Console’s Life

The Game Boy Advance revolutionized handheld gaming in 2001 with impressive 32-bit graphics on the go.
Iconic franchises like Metroid and The Legend of Zelda thrived on GBA.
The handheld’s diverse catalog included RPG gems like Golden Sun and Mario & Luigi, delivering quality experiences.

Nintendo is a company that has always delivered quality handheld consoles that revolutionized the industry. While the original Game Boy was a technological marvel, the company managed to make another huge impact in 2001 when it released the Game Boy Advance. This new console was a big deal because it was capable of generating impressive 32-bit graphics on the go.

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The Game Boy Advance is home to a huge catalog of incredible games of all genres, from its initial release in 2001 up to its discontinuation in 2008. Nintendo and many other companies released countless solid titles for this handheld, even after the more powerful and successful Nintendo DS was already out.

Golden Sun (2001)

Metascore: 91

Golden Sun

Platform(s)Game Boy AdvanceReleasedNovember 12, 2001Developer(s)Camelot Software PlanningGenre(s)JRPG

The launch year of the Game Boy Advance was filled to the brim with the usual suspects of a Nintendo handheld’s catalog, like Super Mario Advance or F-Zero: Maximum Velocity. But one of the most emblematic franchises of this console wouldn’t be released until August 2001, and that was the beloved first entry in the Golden Sun series.

Developed by Camelot, this was a brand-new turn-based JRPG that was clearly inspired by the likes of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest but still had its own unique personality. With its cast of colorful characters, satisfying mechanics, solid pseudo-3D graphics, and beautiful soundtrack, it didn’t take long for Golden Sun to become popular, and it would even see a release for its sequel a year later.

Metroid Fusion (2002)

Metascore: 92

Metroid Fusion

Platform(s)Nintendo Switch, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Game BoyReleasedNovember 17, 2002Developer(s)Nintendo R&D1Genre(s)Action-Adventure, Shooter, Platformer

Many of Nintendo’s most iconic franchises thrived on the Game Boy Advance, and Metroid was definitely one of them. Since Samus Aran had completely skipped the Nintendo 64, many fans were eager to play as her once again. This finally happened in 2002, with the release of Metroid Fusion, which not only was a new entry in the Metroid franchise but was also a continuation of Samus’ story from Super Metroid.

Players had to explore a giant space station while fighting the terrifying X Parasites, which meant that this game even had some horror elements that were quite engaging. While Fusion may be more linear than other games in this franchise, it still had the solid atmosphere, the dynamic combat, and the challenging bosses most fans were expecting. Samus’ iconic comeback paved the way for more solid entries in the franchise during the following years.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003)

Metascore: 90

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Platform(s)Wii U, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 3DSReleasedNovember 17, 2003Developer(s)AlphaDreamGenre(s)Action, JRPG, Adventure

2003 was another great year for RPGs on the Game Boy Advance, with solid releases like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire. But the biggest surprise of the year was undoubtedly Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The Mario franchise was no stranger to the role-playing genre – with Paper Mario releasing on the N64 a few years prior – but this was an entirely different game.

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Superstar Saga finally gave Luigi his rightful place alongside Mario in an RPG. While it had turn-based combat, its gameplay was more involved and depended on perfectly timed button presses, so it was more accessible to a younger audience. It offered gamers a colorful adventure with a lot of humor and funny characters, too. Superstar Saga was both an amazing game and a solid start for the new Mario & Luigi series of handheld RPGs.

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (2004)

Metascore: 80

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

Platform(s)Nintendo Switch, Wii U, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 3DSReleasedApril 15, 2004Developer(s)Flagship, HAL Laboratory, DimpsGenre(s)Shooter, Fighting, Metroidvania

Kirby is one of many Nintendo franchises that were better fitted for handhelds rather than home consoles, and the Game Boy Advance was no exception. While 2002’s Nightmare In Dreamland was a lot of fun, this franchise’s next big evolution arrived in 2004 with the release of The Amazing Mirror.

This Kirby game stood out because, instead of featuring several linear levels, it actually had a huge interconnected layout that was easy to get lost in but satisfying to explore. This was completely new for the franchise, and it was very well received, especially because it also had some really creative new copy abilities, epic bosses, and an innovative multiplayer component. The Amazing Mirror is fondly remembered to this day as one of the most original Kirby titles.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2005)

Metascore: 89

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Platform(s)Game Boy AdvanceReleasedJanuary 10, 2005Developer(s)CapcomGenre(s)Action-Adventure

The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s most important and successful franchises, so every one of their systems has to have at least one or two titles released for it. The GBA already had 2002’s A Link to the Past and Four Swords, but that was mostly a remake. A brand-new Legend of Zelda game wouldn’t grace the handheld until 2004, with the release of The Minish Cap, and it was definitely.

Developed by Capcom and Flagship, The Minish Cap is one of the best 2D games in the Zelda franchise, thriving on handheld systems in which doing 3D wasn’t as easy. This was a colorful adventure that had a lot of personality, especially when Link had to shrink down in order to meet up with the Picori. The items were really creative, the dungeons were a lot of fun, and even the main villain, Vaati, grew to become one of the most beloved antagonists in the franchise. This is a huge adventure in a small package that most Legend of Zelda fans won’t want to miss.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (2006)

Metascore: 67

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team

Platform(s)Game Boy AdvanceReleasedSeptember 18, 2006Developer(s)Spike ChunsoftGenre(s)Roguelike

By 2006, the Nintendo DS had already been out for over a year, so the number of releases on the Game Boy Advance was slowing down. Most of them were ports or licensed games, but there was one truly special project that was launched this year, and it was the brand-new Pokemon spin-off: Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team.

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Pokemon finally delved into the dungeon crawling RPG genre, and it immediately became one of their most successful subseries of games, mainly because it gave longtime players the opportunity to actually play as a Pokemon. This was a fun and colorful adventure with solid mechanics and a cast of memorable characters. It even took perfect advantage of the newer Nintendo handheld, seeing as Blue Rescue Team, the other half of this dual package, was a Nintendo DS exclusive.

Crash Of The Titans (2007)

Metascore: 65

Platforms: Game Boy Advance, PSP, PS2, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS
Released: 2007-10-04
Developer(s): Amaze Entertainment
Genres: Platformer, Action, Adventure

By 2007, game releases on the Game Boy Advance were slowing down even more, but among a sea of cheap licensed games, there was one new game from an iconic IP that would put the handheld back in the spotlight. This was none other than Crash of the Titans, the new entry in the Crash Bandicoot franchise, which used to be one of the biggest icons of Sony’s PlayStation.

In reality, Crash of the Titans was the handheld version of a 3D title for home consoles, but it was still a lot of fun. This was a 2D side scroller with elements of both a beat ’em up and a platformer, and it worked quite well. It even implemented the mechanic of mind jacking enemies, just like its home console version, but with the inclusion of fun new Titans that were exclusive to the GBA port.

Samurai Deeper Kyo

Metascore: N/A

Platforms: Game Boy Advance, PlayStation
Released: 2008-02-12
Developer(s): Natsume
Genre(s): Action, Adventure

The Game Boy Advance would finally be discontinued in 2008, and the last game that was officially released for it in North America was Samurai Deeper Kyo, a licensed title based on a classic manga. This game was published in the West by Destineer in order to coincide with their re-release of the anime series box set.

Despite its extremely late release, Samurai Deeper Kyo was a surprisingly polished title with fast-paced action from an overhead point of view – thanks to its dynamic combat system – that also featured solid graphics and soundtrack. It was not a very long game, but it was a fun adventure while it lasted. Other Nintendo consoles had even worse final games, so the GBA ended on a relatively positive note.

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