Nintendo Game Boy Color/Japan

Game Boy Color

Japan

Homebrew

Japan-only games

This icon indicates a game is backwards-compatible and will run on the original Game Boy (albeith without colors, obviously).

Cover	Title	Genre	Description	Translation	Screenshot
	Balloon Fight GB	Platformer	An update to Balloon Kid for GB. This version is nicely colored and also has SAVING. If you played balloon trip mode from Balloon Fight NES, this plays like that, but with more and better platforming. You'll even have to deflate and re-inflate your balloons, making for an interesting experience. The cart's Japanese, but plays in English.	Link
	Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong / Donkey Kong Land III	Platformer	A remix of DKC3 with all-new level layouts and variations on bosses. If you're desperate for more Kong goodness, it's worth a look. Also available in non-GB Color with the other two games.	Link
	Game Boy Wars 2	Strategy	Not quite Famicom or Advance Wars. This is actually similar to Hudson's Nectaris/Military Madness engine. As a result, it follows a hexagonal arrangement, and uses different unit types and names. However, once you get re-adjusted you'll find a pretty solid game in this. There's no CO's, but there are bases, factories, and water & air units like one would expect from the Wars norm. Japanese only, but easy enough to figure out. Translation Patch HERE, but it doesn't translate the very last secret map (gotten from beating the two sets of stages, which have A LOT of stages).	Link
	Game Boy Wars 3	Strategy	Hudson gave this final entry a crazy/rad update. Curiosities include altered indirect attackers, producing certain units needing "materials", and deployable "construction units" who transfer and build the needed supplies. These units can even cut down trees and make roads. Thankfully, the Beginner Mode, a 16-part tutorial, lets you readjust. There's a Standard Mode with 60 maps to face the CPU or Player 2. Last is Campaign Mode, with over 45 different maps, many of which are determined by your performance and the storyline. A very cool aspect only in Campaign Mode lets you redeploy surviving units from a previous battle into the next one. Units even gain experience points and get promoted with more power from ranks D to A, and then S, which lets them be transformed into a new type of unit (dunno how that works). Sadly, the best patch (that I know of) only translates the menus and beginner mode, but it's a good start.	Link
	Ganbare Goemon: Hoshizorashi Dynamites Arawaru!!	Platformer	A GBC remix of the SNES games. Revolves more around platforming than exploration, but there are still towns to buy goods at. Features the same old goofyness you'd expect from the series, but sadly, only Goemon and Ebisumaru are playable. However, there's still a few Impact battles, so don't get too sad. No translation available, but it's not like this game needs one (nor would it make sense with one).
	Grandia: Parallel Trippers	RPG/Action-Adventure	A love letter to fans of the original Grandia. The game remains flavorful, though in smaller-scale, and the gameplay is well done, keeping core elements of G1, while adding to and remixing them in new ways. The use of skill/magic cards may be off-putting, but it is cleverly well-done, since you can combine attacks into new ones and even some unique Chrono Trigger-like combos, giving a lot of potential versatility with battles. There's action-adventure aspects as well, thanks to new Lufia/Zelda-like exploration/revisiting of areas. There's LOADS of content in this game, which you might miss or skip on accident. As such, use this site for help. It's originally JP-only, but a FULL translation patch has been released for the ROM. Even if you never played G1, you seriously ought to try this out, especially if you're a fan of the GB Zelda, Megaman Battle Network, and/or Evolution (DC/GC/NGPC) series.	Link
	Hunter X Hunter: Kindan no Hihou	Platformer / Action RPG	A Castlevania-esque game with some Metroidvania elements. It controls a lot like the NES titles, with whip-cracking and similar physics, except you use skills and magic, instead of subweapons. Even though the game's in Japanese, and based on an anime/manga, you don't need to know either to enjoy this and complete it. There doesn't seem to be a translation patch or any FAQs on this game, but it doesn't really need one.
	Little Magic	Puzzle	Little Magic borrows some aspects from Sokoban and Lolo in placing certain items in slots. However, you also have a magic bubble which, upon exploding, can push objects around. The first levels are cake, but after that you need mastery of the bubble and careful planning if you even think about getting through stages.	Link
	Magical Chase GB	Shoot 'em Up	A pretty good port of the PCEngine/TurboGrafx-16 Cute'em up. Horizontal, so you'll have a few obstacles outside of enemies to deal with. Features two star-options that can be changed a bit for different firing styles.	Link
	Pocket Puyo Puyo Sun	Puzzle	Sequel to Puyo Puyo 2. Same match 4, aim for high-chain action as you'd expect. But! This now has "Sun Puyo", which when cleared, can cause heavy garbage damage to your opponent. Has an arcade mode with 3 difficulties where you take on computer characters and versus mode to challenge a puyo pal of yours.
	Revelations 2 / Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible II	RPG	This game improves the systems of the first, allows monsters to equip gear as well, and is notably more difficult. Unlike the first, this has a fairly engaging narrative that won't leave you wondering what the hell you just played. The soundtrack, however, went for a more aesthetic take and is far less groovy. Note: Last Bible 3 is on the SNES and was translated by DDS in 2018.	Link
	Samurai Kid	Puzzle/Platformer	Really good game with great looking sprites and good animation. Basically you have three different weapons, a magic gourd wich lets you turn your enemies into blocks, a Katana for destroying enemies and blocks, and a giant fan to lure enemies to certain spots. You will also find special items to solve puzzles too, like helicopter plants, drills, magnets, lasers and bombs. The puzzles are pretty good but none of them are super hard.
	SD Hiryu no Ken EX	Fighting	A fighting game based on the Flying Dragon series. Surprisingly, it controls DAMN GOOD. You'd think you were playing a Neo Geo Pocket Color! But seriously, the controls are responsive, accurate, and great. The music and animations are good too. Japanese only, but who cares, since fighting's about who's KO'd and who's not.
	Star Ocean: Blue Sphere	RPG	Sequel of sorts to Star Ocean: The Second Story. You use teams of 3 to explore the world, with each character having different attributes battle and exploration wise. As such, some of them have different types of actions, such as Ashton shooting fireballs or Precis using a mini-submarine. The battles are real-time, but limited to left and right, akin to early "Tales of" games (except the GBC one, which sucks). Still, there's a lot of exploring, skills, customization and so forth to experience. Oddly enough though, characters have become better or worse since TSS, such as Bowman being nigh-OP and CRAWD being kinda sucky. No English translation yet (official one cancelled due to space constraints, fan one still on hold) but a French fan translation very well exists and could be the next best thing. A shame they didn't just port the cellphone remake to a console and localize it. Fuck you, S-E. Well that mobile port didn't add much besides the flash graphics overhaul, is riddled with DRM, slowdown and cut content, so.. meh.	Link
	Survival Kids 2: Dasshutsu! Futago Shima / Surival Kids 2: Escape The Twins Insland	RPG/ Action-Adventure	Direct sequel of the first game,now we have two protagonist to choose ( two brother,one older than the other ) from the start and they are separated from each other and then exploring in it's own until they find the other one. Has a darker story than the first game,but nothing fround-breaker. Graphics are more or less from the SK1,but the new scenarios aside from the Beach-Jungle-Montain are a fresh view for the eyes.	Link
	Wizardry (series)	RPG	If you say you know hard RPGs and never played or even heard of Wizardry, you don't know SHIT about HARD. Wizardry was first made in the GLORIOUS 80's to digitally capture the feel of Dungeons and Dragons. It's first person, and has NO DUNGEON MAP. There's ALWAYS high odds of death, and no 100% guarantee that you'll revive when killed. If that hasn't scared you off, then there's good news if you beat the first/second. Your saves can transfer to the sequel(s), giving you control of your descendants, who have skills similar to your previous parties. Although these ports are in Japanese, the full English versions are included in them.	W1 W2 W3