Best RPGs Only Available On The Game Boy Advance, Ranked

Summary

TheGame Boy Advancehad a shorter life than the original Game Boy but it truly had some bangers on the handheld. Their legacy has not been forgotten too as many have been ported to other consoles with enhanced editions or even remakes. There are also the various digital stores that Nintendo has set up on their consoles from the 3DS to the Switch.

The Switch’s GBA selection is modest but mighty and there are even some great RPGs in the mix likeGolden SunandMother 3, but only in Japan for that one. These other GBA RPGs have never left the system though.

Most games based on theHarry Pottermovieswere action platformers with puzzles. The GBA adaptation ofHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanwas different though as it was a turn-based RPG.Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsfor the Game Boy Color was also a turn-based RPG and then that was it untilHogwarts Legacyfor RPG adaptations.

The combat is similar toGolden Sunand the presentation which is surprisingly well thought out for a movie game. Puzzles can be solved via spells in the environment, again, similar to the ones found inGolden Sun.

6Lufia: The Ruins Of Lore

A Forgotten RPG Series Overall

Lufia: The Ruins of Loretakes place afterLufia 2: Rise of the Sinistralsand is the only entry on the GBA. Like most entries, it is turn-based with a few twists to the gameplay. Characters can be assigned classes that they can learn abilities from and keep across other classes.

There’s alsoa monster-catching mechanicin the game to add monsters to the party and there are a lot to collect. Players can even fuse with monsters temporarily for special attacks which is not a mechanic used in RPGs often.

Pokemon FireRedandPokemon LeafGreenwere the GBA remakes of theoriginal twoPokemongames. Like the other mainline entries on the GBA, these two have never made it onto a digital storefront. There’s only one platform that has featured past games digitally.

On the 3DS, players could purchase all 6 mainlinePokemongames on the Game Boy and Game Boy Color but now that eShop is closed for good. It would be a big nostalgia play if Nintendo ever releasedPokemon FireRed,Pokemon LeafGreen,Pokemon Ruby,Pokemon Sapphire, orPokemon Emeraldon the Switch or Switch 2 digitally.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memorieshas technically been re-released many times but only as its remade counterpart calledKingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories. First released on the PS2, it was recreated to look like the original game but still featured card-based gameplay.

While that is a better version for story lovers since it features voice acting, it’s not the best way to experience the game as a whole. The pixel art in the original GBA version is out of this world. Hopefully, Square Enix can port it to a digital storefront someday or perhaps remake it asan HD-2D gamewhich would be closer in scope to the GBA graphics than the polygonal versions on home consoles.

Sword of Manais another Square Enix game that is technically available on other platforms. It first came out on the Game Boy asFinal Fantasy Adventurewhich was calledSeiken Densetsuin Japan, the beginning oftheManafranchise.

Sword of Managoes through the same basic beats but adds a lot more story and two playable characters. Players can choose to be the male protagonist who has a stronger physical attribute or they can be the female heroine who is better with magic. The original game did get a more 1:1 remake viaAdventures of Manabut it too is trapped on old platforms via mobile devices and the PS Vita.

Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Handswas one of the most unique games to have ever been released on the GBA. There was a mini-solar panel attached to the cartridge which could capture sunlightneeded to fight vampiresand other monsters in the game. That’s probably why none of the three GBA games have left the platform.

However, fans have modded the game to make solar energy more viable through processed emulation. So, if Konami wanted, it is possible to resurrect this trilogy or even the DS spinoff that didn’t need real solar energy which is calledLunar Knights.

Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodisis an entry in theOgreseries that time has seemingly forgotten.Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, its predecessor, has been re-releasedon too many platforms to count since it launched on the SNES. It’s a worthy game deserving of every chance it gets but so is this lost GBA gem.

LikeFinal Fantasy Tactics Advance, the presentation is more kid-friendly despite some darker tones in the political story. Players can go through grid-based maps to fight tactical battles, collect soldiers, level up classes, and so on. It would be perfect on the Switch even in just its original form.