Wolfgang Ziegler

For Christmas 2024, I got myself an Analogue Pocket (I blogged about it here).

So far, I have finished 53 Game Boy titles with the help of this device. Most of these games I had played as a kid, some of them I actually played for the first time.

I created this list to keep track of this old, new passion of mine and to see how many games will end up on my "I mastered it" list.

Addams Family

I vaguely remember having played this game for a short spell.

I'm pretty sure I found it way too difficult, and quite difficult it still is. It's not a great game, the handling is clunky, and the difficulty level is ridiculous.

Without the save and reload feature of the Analogue Pocket, I would have given up on this game immediately.

I played this game (or one of its many clones) on a lot of different systems, including the Game Boy. However, I don't think I ever finished it back then. It's good fun though and has a good replay-factor.

Animaniacs

I never played this game as a kid but I think I would have liked it a lot, since I really liked the TV show.

The game play, graphics and animations are all quite good and I had a lot of fun playing this.

Asterix & Obelix

This is a fun game I discovered only recently. The artwork is quite nice and I also enjoyed the game play. I would have liked this as a kid as well.

Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly

I definitely played this game for a while back in the nineties. I never completed it though as it was rather difficult. Being able to do so right now felt good. It's a decent game and I quite enjoyed picking it up again.

Bart vs. The Juggernauts

I remember playing this as a kid but I found it way too hard and did not especially enjoy it.

Having finished it now, I can say that it was still hard and it's still not a great game.

It is very repetitive and the controls are not very responsive.

Batman

My cousins owned this game back in the early 90s and we spent many hours together playing it. I think they mastered it at some point.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Game Boy Adventure: A Bogus Journey!

Even though it does not have a lot in common with the movie, it's a nice little game.

It features 50 single-screen levels, where you have to collect items and avoid enemies in a given time limit.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Game Boy Adventure: A Bogus Journey! screenshot

Bubble Bobble

One of my all-time favorite games. First in the arcades, later on the PC and the Game Boy. It belonged to a friend of mine and due to level codes we easily mastered this back in the day.

Burai Fighter

Another iconic title. I borrowed it from a friend and vividly remember finishing it only to be met by this message: 'An ace would see a graphic ending'. So I finished what I started 30 years ago and got my graphic ending.

Choplifter II

A friend of mine owned this game which means I also played it a lot back then. I don't think I ever finished it back then though. It's still a joy to play today and definitely one of the best Game Boy titles ever.

Donkey Kong

This game is an absolute gem which I did not even know existed back then.

It starts out with the classic arcade levels but then turns into a puzzle game with lots(!) of clever and challenging levels.

I had the best time playing this and it kept me occupied for a long time.

Donkey Kong Land

I don't think I was aware of this game back in the days.

Initially, I was not really impressed by it. However, I must say that it grew on me and it's a nice solid platformer.

Double Dragon

I owned this game and spent countless hours on it. However, I remember that I was never able to master it back then on the original Game Boy. Stage 4 was simply too hard.

Double Dragon 2

I never played this game as kid and I don't think I would have enjoyed it that much (especially compared with the first part). It's rather repetitive and unreasonably hard involving way too many boss fights. The artwork and animations are nice though.

Double Dragon 3

Only recently I found out that a third part of this saga existed for the Game Boy ... and frankly, I wish I hadn't. This game is unbelievably bad. The controls are extremely clunky and the difficulty level is absurd, making every opponent feel like a boss fight.

Duck Tales

I never played this game back in the day. But I enjoyed this one quite a lot. It's not too hard and has nice artwork and animations.

Dynablaster

This game is definitely among my favorite titles. What makes it even better is the fact that it's actually 2 games in one - there's the story mode and the arcade mode. I finally finished both of those.

Fortified Zone

I'm sure I played this game for a little bit back then but not extensively.

Playing it through now, I really enjoyed it. The graphics are a bit weird with the comically large sprites but the game play is solid and fun.

I must say I also liked the soundtrack a lot. It has a very 'arcade' feel to it.

Fortress of Fear

This game is so ridiculously and frustratingly hard that I can't even begin to imagine how anyone could have mastered that back in the day. I did not even enjoy playing it through now as it was nothing more than a 'save, die, retry' orgy.

Godzilla

I must say I expected something completely different when I bought this game a few weeks ago. A 2D puzzle/maze game would have been my last guess but I must say, I enjoyed the hell out of it! The puzzles are really cleverly designed and the time limit adds additional pressure. A definite recommendation with a high replay factor.

Gremlins 2

This is one of the hardest (and frankly most unfair) games I ever played.

Level 4 is straight out of hell.

Even with the Analogue Pocket and the ability to save game state, this was a complete nightmare.

Home Alone

I remember having played this game for a few days but not really liking it. I think I found it too hard and admittedly it is. With the ability to load and save game state however, I must say I quite enjoyed this game now.

Hook

I think I knew about this game back in the days but I don't think I ever played it.

Playing it now, I was not overly impressed. The handling is rather clunky which makes it quite hard and the game play is rather repetitive.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

I think I played this game for a bit around 1995 when I was not too interested in the Game Boy anymore. Playing it now on the Analogue Pocket, I only recognized and remembered the first level.

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters

This game is a real gem!

I have no idea why I never played this as a kid - I probably did not consider it 'cool' enough.

However, playing it now, I enjoyed the heck out of it. Rightfully, this is considered one of the best titles for the Game Boy.

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters screenshot

Kirby's Dreamland

I must admit that I have never played any Kirby game so far. However I had big expectations for this title and it did not disappoint. This is definitely in my all-time top 10 and an absolute must-have for the Game Boy.

Kung Fu Master

This is the first Game Boy game (beside Tetris, of course) that I got. It's also the game that I played through the most times. And that's its biggest problem: it is far too easy. Even today on my first attempt I finished it in about 15 minutes.

Mega Man

Even back in the day this game had an almost iconic reputation which I could not understand. And I understand it even less today. The controls are frustratingly clunky which makes this hard game even harder and I did not care for the soundtrack. Maybe the sequels are better?

Metroid 2

This game is still my absolute favorite on the Game Boy. I did not own it personally back then but my cousins did and we spent countless hours hunting down those Metroids. Great memories!

Navy Seals

A friend at school had this game and we played this a lot for a while. I recognized most of the levels but I don't think we ever reached the end back then. It gets really tough.

Nemesis

This is another all-time favorite of mine.

It's a tight scrolling horizontal shooter with great graphics and fast-paced action.

I remember having played this as a kid but I don't think I ever managed to finish it.

Parodius

This game definitely ranks among my all-time favorites.

First, because horizontal shooters are among my favorite game genres.

Second, because the artwork of this game is fantastic and hilarious.

Popeye 2

I never played this as a kid but I think I would have liked it a lot. I still enjoyed it very much today but it's such an apparent 'Super Mario Land' rip-off that I'm not exactly sure how to feel about this game.

Probotector

This was the European version of Contra for the Game Boy. Do I have to say more? The artwork is fantastic and the fast-paced action is something else. I owned this title and spent countless hours playing it. Also, I definitely recognized all levels but not the end graphics, so I guess I never finished it.

R-Type

I definitely played this for a bit back then, it was probably owned by a friend. But even more definitely, I never finished it. It's quite hard. However, the artwork of this game is fantastic! I had a great time playing this again.

Robocop

I vividly remember my frustration with this game and its brutal difficulty. Even with the possibility of saving game state, the tough time limit still made it quite hard to master today.

Shadow Warriors

As a kid, I had no idea that this game existed. However, it would have been right up my alley featuring Ninjas and stuff. Even now, I really enjoyed this game. It's one of my new favorites.

Snoopy's Magic Show

This is a nice little puzzle game where you have to clear obstacles and avoid enemies to find the exit in mazes of increasing difficulty. However, it has nothing to do with Snoopy or the Peanuts really - it could be any character you are controlling here.

Solar Striker

I did not own or play this game as a kid, but it's definitely among my favorite games now!

The artwork is not quite as detailed and beautiful as in other shooters like R-Type or Nemesis, but the fast-paced action and tight controls make up for it.

Also, the vertical scrolling makes it stand out from the crowd of horizontal shooters.

Star Wars

I vaguely remember having heard or read about this game. However, neither I nor anyone among my friends owned it. Looking at it today, this was probably for the best. Despite the nice artwork and graphics, it is not a good game. The controls are quite fiddly and it's way too hard.

Super Mario Land

This is another game that I finished countless times. If you wake me up in the middle of the night and put a Game Boy with Super Mario Land in my hand, I'd play it through without so much as batting an eyelash.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

This is another absolute classic, of course. I had not owned this game as a kid but I remember having borrowed it a couple of times from a friend.

Embarrassingly, I never finished it back then - so I had to make up for this now.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins screenshot

Taz-Mania

This is a decent jump and run but nothing special.

I found it quite repetitive and actually quite hard at times, which resulted in a load-save-orgy on the Analogue Pocket.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewer

Same as the other Turtles title, I played this one a lot. I don't think I owned it back then, but a close friend definitely did.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan

In the early 90s, TMNT was everything to me! So was this game. Revisiting it brought up so many great memories.

Terminator 2

I remember having borrowed this game from a friend and spending quite some time on it. I think I got quite far despite the brutal difficulty. Never mastered it though.