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Iñaki

@gameboy_ips

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Reviewing my Game Boy (GBx) original cartridges collection, and related goodies. Hope you enjoy it!
Progress to next milestone 70% Milestone 1: 💯%

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Mario’s Picross 2

🗓️ Launch date: 1995 (Japan 🇯🇵 exclusive)
👨‍💻 Developer: Jupiter
🎮 Genre: Puzzle

One of the great Japan-exclusive Game Boy titles, and thankfully, almost completely language-independent. If you enjoyed the original, this sequel is an easy recommendation. 👀

Mario’s Picross 2 takes everything that worked in the first game and builds on it with clever new mechanics, including multi-colored Picross puzzles that add a fresh layer of strategy without losing the series’ elegant simplicity.

Like its predecessor, it’s all about pure logic. Every puzzle can be solved through deduction alone, making each completed image feel genuinely earned. It’s relaxing, challenging, and incredibly satisfying.

The Game Boy is the perfect home for Picross. Short sessions work beautifully, whether you have five minutes or an hour, making it one of the system’s most timeless puzzle experiences.

Overall, Mario’s Picross 2 is a fantastic sequel that refines an already brilliant formula. It’s a shame it never officially left Japan, because it’s easily among the best puzzle games on the handheld.

💡 Did you know that Mario’s Picross 2 introduced Color Picross (with Super Game Boy), a mechanic that would become a staple of later entries in the series?! by @gameboy_ips

Mario’s Picross

🗓️ Launch date: 1995
👨‍💻 Developer: Jupiter
🎮 Genre: Puzzle

The kind of game with a clear advantage in 🇯🇵 (this puzzle genre was already popular there). Nevertheless, worth exploring.👀

Mario’s Picross takes a deceptively simple concept, revealing pictures by solving number clues, and turns it into a deeply satisfying, almost meditative experience. No flashy presentation, no narrative hooks. Just pure logic.

At its core, it’s all about deduction. Numbers on the sides of the grid tell you exactly how many blocks to fill, and every correct decision brings you closer to uncovering a hidden image. It’s clean, fair, and ruthlessly logical. When you make a mistake, the game doesn’t scream at you, it just quietly penalizes you and moves on.

The pacing is perfect for handheld play. Short puzzles, instant restarts, and a difficulty curve that gently teaches you how to think like the game wants you to think. By the time the puzzles get tough, you’ve already internalized the logic.

Mario’s presence is mostly thematic, but it works. Familiar Mushroom Kingdom images give the puzzles personality, and Mario himself acts as a friendly guide rather than the star. It’s Nintendo restraint at its finest.

Visually, it’s minimal but crystal clear. High-contrast grids, readable numbers, and zero distractions, exactly what a puzzle game needs on the Game Boy’s screen.

Overall, it’s not loud, fast, or flashy, but it’s brilliant. A timeless logic game that rewards patience, attention, and clear thinking. One of the purest puzzle experiences on the system.

💡 Did you know that Jupiter, the studio behind the game, would later become the main Picross specialist developer, essentially owning the franchise’s identity?! Imagine specializing in… Picross!! 😅🤣 by @gameboy_ips

Pop’n TwinBee

🗓️ Launch date: 1994
👨‍💻 Developer: Konami
🎮 Genre: Shoot ’em Up

I’m starting the year with one of the most charming “cute ’em ups” ever to land on the Game Boy.

Pop’n TwinBee, Twin be da in JP, is a handheld adaptation of Konami’s long-running TwinBee series, and it does an impressive job of translating fast, colorful arcade shooting to monochrome hardware.

At its core, it’s simple and approachable. You fly vertically through compact stages, blasting whimsical enemies and dodging bullets that feel fair rather than overwhelming. The pacing is perfect for the Game Boy: short stages, quick restarts, and no unnecessary filler.

The real heart of the game is the bell system. Shooting bells to change their color (unfortunately a feature hugely diminished bu the GB limitations but playing with contrasts does a good job!) determines your power-ups and managing them becomes a mini-game in itself. It’s elegant, intuitive, and surprisingly strategic for such a cute presentation.

Compared to its arcade and console siblings, this version is obviously simplified. Enemy patterns are toned down, and the screen size limits how much chaos can happen at once. But instead of feeling compromised, it feels tailored to the handheld experience.

Visually, Pop’n TwinBee squeezes a lot of personality out of the Game Boy. Expressive sprites, playful enemy designs, and a lighthearted tone make it stand out among the usually more aggressive shooters on the platform.

The soundtrack, while limited by the hardware, keeps the upbeat, cheerful vibe that defines the series. It’s one of those games that just feels… happy to play.

Overall, it’s not the most intense shoot ’em up, nor the deepest , but it’s endlessly charming, accessible, and very “Game Boy”. A perfect example of how strong design can outshine technical limits.

💡 Did you know that internally, Konami often used TwinBee as a “training ground” franchise for younger designers before moving them to Gradius or Parodius?! by @gameboy_ips

Sword of Mana

🗓️ Launch date: 2003
👨‍💻 Developer: Square
🎮 Genre: Action Adventure

I’m starting the year with a remake of one of my all-time favorite Game Boy games.

Sword of Mana is not just a remake of Final Fantasy Adventure (aka Mystic Quest on Game Boy): it’s a reinterpretation that modernizes the experience while still respecting its roots.

Where the original was simple and straightforward, Sword of Mana adds layers. Some work beautifully… others less so.

The magic system is rebuilt around elemental spirits instead of MP-based spells. It’s thematically stronger, but also more complex, especially early on, where the game explains very little.

The leveling and class system is a big upgrade. Stats and class evolution genuinely shape your character, adding depth and replayability. However, it’s very unguided: knowing the class trees beforehand helps a lot, as it’s easy to lock yourself into a path without realizing it.

The weapon forging system is ambitious and very “Mana” in spirit, but often feels tedious and unclear. Materials, tempering, and growth paths offer power, but not much clarity unless you experiment (or use a guide).

One of the best narrative changes is being able to play as either the boy or the girl, each with a different point of view. This makes the game feel more personal and replayable, even if the core story remains familiar. Many story elements have been changed, discovering them is part of the charm.

Visually, the upgrade is obvious: fully colored, detailed sprites, expressive portraits, and lush environments that finally do justice to the Mana world.

And a small but huge quality-of-life improvement:
In the original, you talked to NPCs just by touching them. In Sword of Mana, you press a button. No more accidental conversations or repeated dialogue loops. 😅

Overall, I recommend playing it, just be ready to use a guide to get the most out of it.

💡 Did you know that several weapon tempering materials have hidden negative modifiers? That’s why some forged weapons can feel “wrong” despite looking stronger on paper. Full of surprises 😅 by @gameboy_ips

Mortal Kombat II

🗓️ Launch date: 1994
👨‍💻 Developer: Probe Entertainment
🎮 Genre: Fighting

Mortal Kombat II on Game Boy is one of those ports that feels almost impossible on paper and yet, it exists (in my opinion the best one in the system). Somehow, the ultra-violent arcade fighter made its way onto Nintendo’s tiny handheld, squeezing digitized fighters, special moves, and fatalities into a monochrome cartridge. 🥋⚡️

Compromises were inevitable. The roster is trimmed down, animations are simplified, and the overall speed is slower than its arcade and console counterparts. But despite all that, the core of Mortal Kombat II is still there: iconic characters, signature moves, and that unmistakable MK atmosphere.

What really stands out is the ambition. The developers pushed the Game Boy hardware hard, delivering detailed sprites and recognizable fighters that feel surprisingly authentic for such a limited system. It’s not the definitive way to play MKII, but it’s a fascinating snapshot of ’90s handheld ingenuity.

💡 Did you know that some finishing moves are internally flagged as “unsafe”, meaning they can fail even with correct inputs if the opponent’s position isn’t pixel-perfect?! It’s not you, it’s “poor” programming😅 by @gameboy_ips

Sumo Fighter

🗓️ Launch date: 1993
👨‍💻 Developer: Human Entertainment
🎮 Genre: Action Platformer

Sumo Fighter is one of those wonderfully weird Game Boy games that could only exist in the early ’90s: a side-scrolling action platformer where you play as a chibi sumo wrestler on a quest to prove his worth. And yes, everything revolves around sumo moves. 🥋💥

Instead of swords or fireballs, your main weapons are classic sumo techniques: belly bumps, shoves, throws, and well-timed jumps that send enemies flying. The controls are simple, but the combat has a nice physical feel, especially when you’re knocking opponents off platforms or into hazards.

Visually, it’s full of personality. Chunky sprites, expressive animations, and enemy designs that lean hard into Japanese folklore give the game a very distinct charm. It’s not brutally hard, but it’s constantly entertaining, with varied stages and boss fights that keep things fresh.

A short, quirky, and very “Game Boy” experience, Sumo Fighter is pure handheld-era creativity packed into a tiny cartridge.

💡 Did you know that the game’s heavy knockback physics were intentionally designed to compensate for the lack of screen space, pushing enemies away instead of crowding the player—something many early GB action games struggled with?! by @gameboy_ips

Spanky’s Quest

🗓️ Launch date: 1991
👨‍💻 Developer: Natsume
🎮 Genre: Puzzle / Platformer

Spanky’s Quest is one of those late-night Game Boy surprises: you boot it up expecting a cute platformer… and suddenly you’re playing a clever physics-based puzzle game disguised as one. 🐒🟣

Instead of jumping on enemies, Spanky uses bouncing balls as his main tool. You toss them, let them ricochet off walls, power them up through color changes, and then line up the perfect hit. It’s slow, thoughtful, and surprisingly strategic for an early GB title.

The game rewards patience and planning rather than reflexes, which makes it feel very different from most platformers of the era. Add charming visuals, expressive animations, and some genuinely tricky level design, and you’ve got a game that quietly stands out in the Game Boy library.

💡 Did you know that Spanky’s Quest was described im some Natse documents as “thinking action”, long before “puzzle-platformer” was even a thing?! by @gameboy_ips

Chalvo 55

🗓️ Launch date: 1997
👨‍💻 Developer: Japan System Supply
🎮 Genre: Action Puzzle

Released very late in the Game Boy’s life, Chalvo 55 is a quietly clever Japan-exclusive that takes an unusual idea and makes it work surprisingly well. The game is built around a bouncing-ball movement concept originally planned for the canceled Virtual Boy title Bound High, reworked here into a fully 2D puzzle experience. 🇯🇵🟩

You progress through eight stages, each tasking you with collecting five gems while navigating interconnected rooms, pushing blocks, bouncing across gaps, and using teleporters. It’s a game that actively encourages planning over reflexes: you die in one hit, and you’re expected to stop, observe, and think before making a move. When everything clicks, the level design feels smart and rewarding. 🧠✨

That said, it’s not flawless. Some sections feel under-tested, the boss fights are extremely basic, and the final stage can be frustratingly cryptic without outside help. Visually, it’s solid but unremarkable for a 1997 release, and the music, while catchy, can get repetitive over longer sessions. 🎵

Still, Chalvo 55 remains a charming and inventive little Game Boy title with more depth than it first appears. Far from perfect, but absolutely worth discovering if you enjoy thoughtful puzzle-driven games from the system’s overlooked corners.

💡 Did you know that Chalvo 55 is often referred to by Japanese collectors as a “ghost title”?! a fully released Game Boy game that feels almost undocumented. Despite being an official 1997 release, it rarely appeared in magazines or early databases, which is why many collectors still stumble upon it by pure chance today. A true hidden gem!💎 by @gameboy_ips

La lellenda de la Cerda

(The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening Romhack)

🗓️ Launch date: 1999
👨‍💻 Developer: Charnego Translations
🎮 Genre: Aventura / Parodia

(Hope you all understand this post has to be in Spanish!😃🤣)

Después de haber jugado (y rejugado) The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, no me pude resistir a este romhack tan absurdo como brillante traducido por Charnego Translations: La lellenda de la Cerda. Lo que empieza como una broma termina siendo una experiencia sorprendentemente bien trabajada, que demuestra cuánto cariño se le puede poner incluso a una parodia. 😄

Todo es familiar… pero completamente pasado de rosca. El mundo, los diálogos y los personajes han sido reimaginados con humor muy castizo, referencias culturales y un tono gamberro que te saca la carcajada más de una vez. Aun así, debajo del chiste sigue estando el juegazo de Game Boy que todos conocemos: mazmorras sólidas, puzzles bien medidos y esa sensación constante de aventura portátil perfecta. 🗺️🗡️

Un perfecto equilibrio entre cachondeo y respeto a la obra original. No es solo “cambiar textos”: hay intención, timing cómico y muchísimo amor por el original. Es de esos hacks que te hacen pensar: vale, esto lo ha hecho alguien que entiende Zelda… y el meme. 😂

💡 ¡¿Sabías que si quieres saber más de Charnego Translations puedes dirigirte a su propia página web?! Tienen muchas más traducciones como: Tecmo Atleti⚽️, Street Fighter II Charnego Edition y más joyitas que os dejo que descubráis! by @gameboy_ips

Gradius: Interstellar Assault

🗓️ Launch date: 1992
👨‍💻 Developer: Konami
🎮 Genre: Shoot ’em Up

After revisiting the first Gradius on Game Boy, it felt only right to slide in the sequel, Gradius: Interstellar Assault (aka Gradius II, aka Nemesis II 🎌), a game that somehow manages to be familiar and surprising at the same time. Konami didn’t just copy-paste the formula; they refined it, tightened it, and injected a bit more chaos in all the right places. 🚀🔥

You’re once again piloting the legendary Vic Viper, but this time the whole experience feels sharper. The enemy patterns are trickier, the level themes more ambitious, and the pacing hits that sweet spot between “fair challenge” and “I swear the game is reading my inputs.”

And of course… the power-up bar. Still brilliant. Still cruel. Still making you decide whether you gamble on a late shield or panic-activate the laser because something ugly just came onscreen. 😂

My personal style? Speed → Double → Laser → Options → Shield.

What about you? Drop your route in the comments, I’m genuinely curious! 💬

💡 Did you know that the Vic Viper sprite is actually smaller in Gradius II than in the first Game Boy Gradius?! Konami subtly reduced its width to give players a fairer chance against the denser enemy waves. It’s a hidden difficulty-balancing trick almost nobody notices. by @gameboy_ips

Gradius

🗓️ Launch date: 1990
👨‍💻 Developer: Konami
🎮 Genre: Shoot ’em Up

Gradius on the Game Boy is one of those games that instantly reminds me why Konami dominated the golden age of shooters. Even squeezed into the tiny green screen, the essence of Gradius (Nemesis as it was originally called in the Japanese version), the precise movement, the iconic power-up bar, the feeling of going from “naked” to fully-loaded god of destruction, is still intact. 🚀✨

You play as the Vic Viper (one of gaming’s most stylish ships, fight me), dodging waves of bullets and bizarre bio-mechanical enemies that feel straight out of an HR Giger fever dream. What still amazes me is how well the Game Boy handles the classic Gradius rhythm: slow build-up, skill-based upgrades, intense mid-boss pressure, and that moment when a single mistake strips away your hard-earned power-ups and suddenly everything feels dangerous again.

Worth mentioning the outstanding power up system, it always makes you to tale thoughtful decisions! Should I take the laser now or should I wait for the shield?? What was your preferred power up path? Tell me in the comments 💬. The pacing is tight, the challenge is real, and it captures that unmistakable Konami magic of the late ’80s and early ’90s. On a system full of quick, simple titles, Gradius demanded attention and rewarded mastery.

It’s one of those cartridges that makes you go, “Yep… this is why I love this Konami era.”

💡Did you know that It has two exclusive bosses you won’t find in any arcade Gradius?! The “Crystal Core” variant and the “Bubble Eye” boss are unique to the Game Boy interpretation. by @gameboy_ips

Adventures of the Star Saver

🗓️ Launch date: 1992
👨‍💻 Developer: A-Wave
🎮 Genre: Action Platformer

Star Saver (as we all know it!) is one of those Game Boy games that instantly transports me back to that era when anything could be a video game plot, including piloting a transforming mech after being abducted by aliens. And honestly? That’s exactly why I love it. 🛸✨

You play as Kevin. teaming up with your mech-buddy to punch and beam-blast your way across planets full of strange, slightly off-kilter enemies. There’s something oddly charming about how rough-yet-endearing everything feels: the punchy sprites, the surreal level themes, the soundtrack that feels like it came straight from someone’s fever dream.

What hooked me is the mech mechanic, that moment when you’re cruising along in full power-armour mode, only to get knocked out of it and suddenly find yourself tiny, squishy, and panicking as you try to survive until you reunite with your robot (seriously, how can Kevin survive with no space suit in the outer space😅!). It’s chaotic, it’s funny, and it gives the game this incredible tension spike you don’t quite expect from an early-era handheld title.

What makes it special is its personality. It’s weird, playful, a little clunky in the most lovable way, and filled with that unmistakable “only-on-Game-Boy” charm. It’s the kind of oddball cartridge that ends up sticking with you long after you put it back on the shelf.

💡 Did you know that the Japanese version starred a girl named Connie?! For the Western release they swapped her for a boy named Kevin and changed cutscenes and text to match 🤷‍♂️. The 90’s were an interesting decade undeniably. by @gameboy_ips