« Games Forum

Cool, Weird or Obscure GBA games? [closed]

Posted by Squid Died

posted
updated

Forum: Games

I wanna go through and play a bunch of GBA games that i missed out on, I'd love any suggestions you have! Tell me about your favorites, I'd love to hear about the more obscure ones if you've got them but really anything goes!

My list so far
  • Dogz: You look after a dog for 2 in game weeks, its not  super cool gameplay but its a chill little time waster.
  • Drill Dozer: A fun little platformer where you control a drill mech, cute graphics too. A non-Pokemon Gamefreak Title.
  • Klonoa - Empire of Dreams: Not yet played. I liked the PS1 game so i figured why not get it lol.
  • TLoZ - The Minish Cap: The only Zelda game iv ever actually 100%. Its a Zelda game, very cool, nuff said.
  • Mario & Luigi - Superstar Saga: I always thought this looked cool but never got around to it, still need to play lol
  • Metroid Fusion: I like this Metroid title, i think thats an unpopular opinion (?) idc tho its cool and fun and I like the story.
  • Sonic Battle: Whenever I bring this up no one has heard of it lol, I like the character customization and graphics mostly.

  • Madagascar: I'll make a blog or somthing when i play this ^^ Thanks for the suggest robin!
  • Harry Potter Quiddich World Cup: Not yet played but thanks for the suggestion electroslag!
  • Castlevania:Aria of Sorrow: Not yet played but thankyou Zauberer for the suggestion!
  • Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team: Not yet played
  • HamTaro Ham-Ham Heartbreak: Not yet played
  • Final Fantasy Tactics: Not yet played
  • Sword of Mana: Not yet played. Thanks to KittenRabies for the preceding suggestions! and good luck at the elite four XD
  • Megeman Battle Network [series]: thanks eva for the suggestion! ill keep Partners in Time if i ever do DS games too!
  • DBZ Buu’s Fury: Not yet Played, im not rlly a DBZ fan but could this change?? I’ll see! Thanks Chen for the suggestion!
  • Wario Land 4: Not yet played. Thanks Peter Gambino for the suggestion, if its good ill check out the others!
  • Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones: Not yet played! Ty Kimera Royal for the suggest! I'v never actually played a fire emblem game !


Report Topic

69 Replies

Sort Replies:

Reply by Firefa

posted

I've been a real fan of the gameplay of egg mania. really fun and fast paced!


Report Reply

Reply by Uneuclid

posted

yoooo hi squid its me cam yooo


Report Reply

Mother 3, it's a really good game. But really really sad, it's good quality and sort of ahead of it's time for being from 2008. The story is really good and if you like RPGs it's great. And for GBA, but it can only be emulated very sadly. It's because it's such an unknown game series it didn't even get released in America and there's only the fan translation you have to play on an emulator.


Report Reply

Reply by VKNIGHT

posted

The most interesting ones are console games that were ported onto GBA with a legitimate attempt to give you a console experience on the go. Monkey Ball Junior, and Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride are good examples of this. Could've easily made 'em top down racers, but they went the extra mile to make 3D experiences.


Report Reply

Reply by polychrome

posted

Blender Bros. maybe? A GBA game not many people talk about.


Report Reply

Reply by Hank Egol

posted
updated

rhythm tengoku/rhythm heaven silver is one of my favorites. it's not talked about too much, sadly.

I saw someone else say alien hominid and i totally agree. give ol' tom fulp some love


Report Reply

Reply by Hank Egol

posted

rhythm tengoku/rhythm heaven silver is one of my favorites. it's not talked about too much, sadly


Report Reply

Reply by taotm07

posted

Rhythm Heaven, also Doom 2, an impressive feat for the gba, nearly identical to the PC version (except for the graphics and controls obviously lol)


Report Reply

Reply by Beast

posted

Have you ever heard of Urban Yeti? It's made by the same company that almost made Duelin' Firemen.


Report Reply

Reply by cheese

posted

sims 2 gba! it had a really interesting little story in each episode and the entire concept of it was really neat. i loved just how wacky it was, fitting for strangetown i guess lmaoo 
something about spraying giant rats with a water gun and finding a mole king living in the old mine in the same episode just has a lot of charm


Report Reply

Reply by layla

posted

from what i remember, barnyard on the gba was very strangely competent and a lot of fun. weirdly dark too, but i suppose the same could be said about the much less great film lol


Report Reply

Reply by .:crunkz:.

posted

I ain't see anyone mentioning it buuttt Chicken Shoot was what I played as a kid LMAO that's as weird and obscure as you can get


Report Reply

Reply by s0ybean

posted

dude i was literally about to recommend dogz on this thread, you have great taste!!


Report Reply

Reply by just_a_motherfkers.

posted

Im not into jurassic park in any specific way but i had this gba game as a child which i think has "sequels" or "ports" on various platforms but it's called Jurassic Park Park Builder and i wouldn't say it's a good game but definitely has its charm. It's brutally difficult btw i never managed to get too far in it and i havent found anyone online who's actually beaten/completed it.

basically what u do in the game is you manage jurassic park and if you get too much debt you lose the game. i feel like it has a lot of potential for someone who likes figuring out how games work and strategizing stuff. i will probably do it myself some day if nobody gets to it.


Report Reply

Reply by 𝘣𝘹_𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘺18

posted

Currently playing SpongeBob SquarePants the movie and Pokemon emerald on my classic GBA. Those are dope games.


Report Reply

Reply by ThatLionLoser

posted

This is a Gameboy Color game, if that matters, but I recommend Croc.

It's a watered-down version of the Croc Playstation game, which many people remember fondly. I was surprised to learn that the GBC version did not receive good reviews. I really like it, though. It can be wonky at times, and there's a horrendous "mine cart" level in the first world (at least, it's horrendous if you're trying to 100% the game), but no game is perfect, y'know?

The 8-bit soundtrack is just so charming and sweet. The "main" level track is my favourite. Not to mention, the sprite for Croc himself is the cutest thing ever. It's just a good time all-around. Here's a link to some gameplay footage!


Report Reply

Reply by Mav/Mavrick

posted

This one isnt rlly obscure but its funny to play bc of how bad it is. the batman begins game on gba its just actual trash but its fun to joke about it


Report Reply

Reply by cerise

posted

donde podria conseguir el primer juego, Dogz?


Report Reply

Reply by calicoloaf<33

posted

i had a really sweet little hello kitty ds game i think it might be broken but it was like party games, i was the type of kid with a pink ds if you cant tell


Report Reply

Reply by melonsoda

posted

mobile suit gundam : seed battle assault  its a fun fighting game with sick mechas


Report Reply

Reply by SHOW PONY ♡

posted

magical vacation, a japan-exclusive prequel to my favorite ds game, magical starsign!! its a super cute rpg and i love it so much <3 thankfully theres a fanmade english patch for it too!!


Report Reply

Reply by MaterialFuture

posted
updated

I'll list a couple I've played and liked over the years that people might not remember.

  • Mother 3 - w/ English fan translation patch for it
  • The Sims 2 - An interesting port
  • Doom - Bad port but cool history
  • Metroid Fusion
  • DBZ Buu's Fury - Great DBZ RPG
  • Keitai Denjū Telefang 2 - You might have seen it as pokemon Jade online
  • Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (my personal favorite)
Homebrew Games
  • Celeste Classic GBA
  • Pokemon Flora Sky
  • TouhouMon Purple
  • Powder
  • Anguna
  • Graveblood
If you find a ROM or a physical copy of the GameBoy Advance Video titles I'd highly recommend giving those a view, they were very unique to the time. It's weird how varied the releases were but cool (at the time) to be able to watch stuff on the go. I owned some pokemon and Cartoon Network episodes, not sure if I still have them.


Report Reply

Reply by Juno

posted

If I'd have to pick I think that aleins homonid

Or those weird movies in gba games I think they were called gba video I have 1 with like 4 cartoon episodes 2 being SpongeBob


Report Reply

Reply by Juno

posted

If I'd have to pick I think that aleins homonid

Or those weird movies in gba games I think they were called gba video I have 1 with like 4 cartoon episodes 2 being SpongeBob


Report Reply

Reply by Angela AnaconDope

posted
updated

i vaguely remember playing this jimmy neutron game as a kid, never got past the ice planet level with the evil pet things. sprites were 2D images of 3D renders like in donkey kong country


Report Reply

Reply by Lexicon

posted

 Wario ware is such a fun game fore the gba, if your using an emulator you should not try Wario ware: Twisted because of the need for motion controls to play


Report Reply

Reply by Vih

posted

I believe this qualifies as obscure: Yu Yu Hakusho Tournament Tactics. It's a solid Strategy RPG that covers the entirety of the tournament arc for Yu Yu Hakusho. Its separated into Disgaea-esque stages and when you defeat an enemy character you can add them to your roster. You get a LOT of characters. If we are speaking of the truly obscure Back to Stone is a very uncommon title. Its graphics are interesting, at least to me. However, the lack of a save feature and difficult puzzles and wonky physics can be very frustrating, even infuriating. It'd say check it out if only for the novelty.


Report Reply

Reply by xckxy

posted

the only gba game i have is this super random konmai knock-off of mario kart called krazy racers lol


Report Reply

Reply by Kat

posted

Sim City 2000, I just think its interesting that they fit simcity on a gba cart.


Report Reply

Reply by 77razr

posted

Jet Set Radio, not many people know of this port, but it's not bad.


Report Reply

Reply by brutot08

posted

may i break the GBA rule and recommend contact for the ds? it's such a weird but cool game


Report Reply

Reply by Frost Ace

posted

A pretty weird one I played years ago was Jet Set Radio for the GBA. Never have I ever expected for JSR to be isometric. The music got a massive downgrade.


Report Reply

Reply by oiwa

posted

my fav gba games are hamtaro ham-ham games, harvest moon friends of mineral town, kirby amazing mirror & the urbz sims in the city
idk how obscure these are but an obsure one i have & liked was  monster rancher advance


Report Reply

Reply by mac

posted

gta advance goat game


Report Reply

Reply by VGFN

posted

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows DS.

A Spider-Man 2D Metroidvania. I'm still impressed by that damn thing.


Report Reply

Reply by DEEP OPAL

posted
updated

the two Summon Night games (Swordcraft Story and Swordcraft Story 2) that actually got localized in english-speaking regions are worth playing. weird mix of crafting stuff, JRPG overworld navigation, and 2d almost fighting game-ish?? combat. also there are some light dating sim elements thrown in there, just because. very odd pair of games but pretty good from what i recall (it has admittedly been quite a long time since i actually played them)


far over on the "weird" end is the Love Hina GBA game, which i think is mostly notable for being the rare dating sim visual novel thing to get an official english release in that time period.


Report Reply

Reply by ♥ Raymond ♥

posted

Shrek 2 is probably my favorite licensed game on the GBA!


Report Reply

Reply by sl0mad

posted
updated

If you're into side-scrolling action games, check out 'Ninja
Five-O' for the GBA. I don't know how easy it is to get carts of it
these days but I guess most people emulate? Or actually, I have an Everdrive
for my GBA. It's not the cheapest flashcart but it doesn't use a ton of
battery and is mega compatible and nice, that's what I've been using to
play Ninja Five-O.
Other than that, checkout /v/'s
recommended GBA games here:
https://vsrecommendedgames.fandom.com/wiki/Game_Boy_Advance  - mostly
/v/ has terrible opinions on videogames, but I find this wiki to be
useful in separating the shit from the good for platforms with a ton of
titles


Report Reply

Reply by PRINCE

posted

i know its mentioned in the OP but superstar saga is SO GOOD!!! The characters and music and spritework are so unique for a mario game, the whole game is STUNNING and wonderful <3 my favourite of all time


Report Reply

Reply by Buraiden Gai

posted

I collect roms for GBA Mahjong games, usually not too strange but pretty obscure.


Report Reply

Reply by eight

posted

Shrek: Fairytale Freakdown

not a good game btw but definitely weird

Summon Night: Swordcraft Story
i rly feel like this game is simple n not as long or difficult as u want but its got rly good characters and fun gameplay mechanics

The Sims Bustin' Out
the GBA version is wild. i love it to bits. also see GBA Urbz


Report Reply

Reply by Junky Punky Patrick

posted

Mr. Nutz is a wacky little platformer


Report Reply

Reply by Leo

posted

cry of fear

I found this game about a year ago it is most likely made by one guy in his basement but I have grown a dear attachment to it wonderful and goes into depth about many mental illnesses and how dealing with those can affect one’s mind
if you ever have time try it


Report Reply

Reply by Salesman1997

posted

Shin Megami Tensei and SMT2 


Kinda runs like a DOOM-esq dungeon crawl but it’s the roots for persona if you’ve ever been interested in those 

They also have a pokemon-like version called DemiKids

Also a good Pokémon rom hack is Unbound, it brings in all the mons from every installment into a fire red patch and I’ve only gotten to the third gym but it’s filled with fun. There’s missions to kill your time with while also giving you fun ways to get new mons. Plus there’s a difficulty choice AND if you choose it, your “grittier” pokemon experience starts with some guy getting burnt to ashes with a houndoom :^)


Report Reply

Reply by Spoofer45100

posted

Urban Yeti, the game is very bad in every way and is clunky as all hell, but the devs put a lot of effort and passion into the insane strangeness of it all. 

It's a trip to play and well worth it.


Report Reply

Reply by Yonny

posted

i fr be black



Report Reply

Reply by albo

posted

its probably pretty similar to dogz but growing up i had a dogz fashion one that was mostly played on a game board? like for walks and stuff


Report Reply

Reply by gH6@

posted

I have one which may or may not be obscure, but it's definetly a good one: Ninja Five-O


Ninja Five-O may be one of the few games that makes you feel like a ninja! The grapple mechanic is SUPER satisfying to use, music is banging despide the GBA's notorious sound capabilities, and it's fast paced, just like it should be.

My only theory as to why this game has gone unnoticed on its heyday is because of the blurry GBA screen. Yeah I played on an emulator and there it ROCKS! Just a word of advice: Playing on easy locks you out of half of the game so...yeah just go on normal.


Report Reply

Reply by Schmidi✿t

posted

sims2. Just the weirdest game that resembled NOTHING like the og pc games. Strange story. Strange characters. oddly difficult. I need to play it again


Report Reply

Reply by Shaun

posted

I really loved the game Tactics Ogre. It's similar to Final Fantasy Tactics but its from the Ogre Battle Franchise... which if you don't know what that is, that's fine, it's just a really solid RPG Tactics game!


Report Reply