TheGame Boy Advancetook the idea of the original Game Boy and ran away with it. With a colored, backlit LCD display, it was a marvel of engineering. The handheld’s library was filled to the brim with games of all kinds from every genre imaginable. And among this hefty library were a bunch of RPGs that defined the genre on this pocket-sized handheld.
6 JRPGs with the Best Stories
These unforgettable JRPGs tell some of the genre’s most powerful stories, from emotional epics to time-twisting journeys and political betrayals.
Some of these RPGs with brand new Ips with unique settings and storylines; others were faithful remakes or reimaginings that made their way onto the bright and colorful screens of the Game Boy Advance. Together, these games ended up being the best RPGs available on the system.
8Lunar Legend
A Classic Tale Gets a New Coat of 32-Bit Paint
Lunar Legend
Released in 2002 as an adaptation of the original Lunar: The Silver Star, this remaster ramped up the visuals of the oldRPG whileretaining the story, which featured Alex, a young adventurer who sets out to become the next Dragonmaster to save the world from growing evil.
Since the GBA lacked the power of the Sega Genesis, the console on which the original game was released, Lunar Legend replaced animated cutscenes and voice acting with static portraits and text-based dialogues. Still, theturn-basedcombat with party mechanics was just as good and a blast to play on-the-go.
7Sword of Mana
A Reimagining With a Lot of Heart (and Mana)
Sword of Mana
The Mana series has had a lot of entries in total, but Sword of Mana was the first game in the franchise. It was intended as a remake of Final Fantasy Adventure, featuring branching narratives based on whether you opted for a male or a female protagonist.
It ditched the turn-based combat of Final Fantasy games and went for a more real-time, action-packed combat with weapons that can be switched mid-combat and spells that can be casted. The gamed looked beautiful, even on the tiny screen of the Game Boy Advance, thanks to the colorful sprite work, with the whimsical soundtrack cementing the game as a must-play experience on the handheld.
6The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Big Adventure, Small Hero, Massive Charm
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Did you know that The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap was developed by none other than Capcom? Under the supervision of Nintendo, Capcom teamed up Link with a magical, talkig cap called Ezlo, and gave him the ability to shrink down to the size of Minish people. This is the core mechanic of the game, with a lot of puzzles and secrets paths making use of Link’s size.
The story is the typical, run-of-the-mill Legend of Zelda story, featuring princess Zelda and battling a major enemy, who is the Sorcerer Vaati in this entry. With RPG-lite elements, item upgrades, heart pieces to collect, dungeons to explore andreal-timecombat to master, The Minish Cap became an instant hit on the Game Boy Advance
5Pokemon Emerald
One Last Trip to Hoenn, and the Best One Yet
Pokemon Emerald
Pokemon Emerald is the definitive way to play Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, the old Game Boy games. The game is set in the Hoenn region and follow the typical Pokemon formula: travel across towns, sail across oceans and battle and capture the 386 Pokemon that are included in the game, from both Gen 1 and Gen 2.
The game also introduced the Battle Frontier, which is an endgame facility that tests team strategy and endurance by adding unique rules. The turn-based combat is just as good, if not better, than it used to be in older titles, this time in a 32-bit colorful world that puts the visuals of all the original Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire to shame.
4Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario RPGs Got Weird and Wonderful
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
This was the first Mario RPG that featured both Mario and Luigi, and acted as a spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario. The game’s story follows the two plumbers as they travel to the Beanbean Kingdom to recover Princess Peach’s stolen voice. The game is packed with humor and slapstick animations, bundled with a strong visual identity with exaggerated sprite work and expressive animations.
The game’s combat is turn-based but also an action-fueled twist: timing button presses enhances attacks and dodges. The game is still considered on of the most innovative RPGs on the Game Boy Advance.
3Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Tactics, Laws, and the Fantasy of Escapism
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Final Fantasy Tactics on the PS1 was a resounding success, so it only made sense that Square attempted to release its spiritual successor on the newest iteration of on of the best-selling handheld consoles of all time. It proved fruitful as Final Fantasy Tactics Advance went on to become one of the best RPGs on the handheld.
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It featured deep tactical RPG gameplay on grid-based maps with height, terrain and troop-positioning playing crucial roles. With over 300 missions to complete, an inclusion of a Law system where each battle has randomly changing rules and dozens of job classes to unlock across multiple races, the game managed to offer a more colorful take on the Tactics formula without compromising on the depth.
2Fire Emblem (2003)
The Game that Finally Brought Permadeath to the West
Even though this is the 7th entry in the franchise, the game was released simply as Fire Emblem in North America, and served as a prequel to Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. The game stars Lun, Elinwood and Hector across three interwoven story arcs.
Similar to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Fire Emblem is a tactical RPG with grid-based combat but with a unique twist: permadeath. The troops that fall during a battle are permanently lost for the rest of the game, which drastically increases the stakes. The game became a cult hit on release and paved the way for Fire Emblem to become one of Nintendo’s staple franchise outside of Japan as well.
1Golden Sun (2001)
A Golden Standard for Handheld RPGs
Golden Sun
Developed by Camelot Software Planning as an entirely original concept, Golden Sun was released on the GBA in 2001, and it completely changed history. The game follows Isaac and his friends as they try to stop the revival of Alchemy that could unbalance the world. It combines turn-based combat with Psynergy (which is the term this game uses for magic), Djinn (which are summonable creatures) and combo summons.
The game’s story is quite mature compared to other GBA games, and told with expressive character portraits and detailed environments that push the tiny handheld to its limit. Often cited as one of the best and most ambitious RPGs ever released, Golden Sun is a must-play title on the GBA.
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It’s time to dig up some lost gems and check out the top RPGs worthy of being remade.
