There are so many small studios working on Game Boy games at the moment that it is easy to lose track of how these projects are progressing. Most of these developers do it out of love for the Game Boy and gaming more generally. These aren’t official releases, so there’s no big money involved, yet we are still having a very healthy ‘post-life’ for the Game Boy. I think it is the fact that the cartridges are so iconic (even though most gamers use ROMs, not physical carts), and the games are 8-bit, that make Game Boy titles so appealing. Small games that can be made in GB Studio have opened the doors to many people becoming developers, yet the standard of games is still very high. With Itch.io becoming a go-to place for gamers to play small independent titles, many people would rather play their 8-bit games on a Game Boy rather than their PC, Chromebook,or tablet.
Recently, I’ve been playing a number of homebrew games for Game Boy. A few weeks ago, I made an article that included short reviews of recent Game Boy homebrew games. Here is episode 2. Some of the games covered may be demos or early builds, so if you’re interested, keep checking their Kickstarter or similar pages for updates on full releases.
There’s nothing to do in this town
This role-playing game has a guy explore his local street and engage in trading missions. These missions lead to changes and new dialogue from the various shops and apartments. From these interactions, you then engage in another trading sequence. That is pretty much the gameplay. The title describes it as a town, but in reality, it is a small street with maybe 5 locations. That isn’t to say it’s a bad thing. The story that is told through the experience is engaging, although it has a depressing tone. The title doesn’t outstay its welcome, as it can be beaten in less than an hour.
To beat it, you engage in all the trading sequences. This game should be played for the story, theme, and tone. It very much has an early noughties feeling of dullness and boredom, which is partly what the game is about. The writing is good, but I dont actully remember much of the experience, and I played the whole game. If you like strange, grungey tones in games, give this one a go.
Blackcastle
This is a title that I could play all day. It plays a lot like Super Mario Land and is just as addictive. However, it is a lot more difficult. You play as a little guy who starts off firing straight missiles, then gets a power-up that gives the projectile an arch. It is up to you to decide which one is better, and then avoid the upgrade if you decide that way.
The title has simple but challenging platforming. As you play you start to realize what sized gaps you can and cant make, and this all comes to judging when and where to take an enemy out, to put you in a position for a good jump. It is the difficult jumps in combination with constant enemy attacks that make the game difficult and probably add to making it addictive. I’ve died a lot in this game, but it’s so addictive that I just keep coming back to it. It is a simple ‘grey’ title. No Color is involved in the game. At least that means it will play on the DMG and Game Boy Pocket. The title is highly recommended for those who like challenging platformers.
Lightseeker
This game is one of those where you start at a hub and then enter dungeons where you battle enemies and get as far as you can before death. I think the term is either Roguelite or Roguelike. Lightseeker is one of these games and does a great job at keeping the player coming back to try another run. There are classes to choose, and despite being 8-bit, the graphics do well to evoke a medieval fantasy world. This one has a physical version that you can purchase here.
These kinds of games aren’t among the genres that I regularly play. The idea of losing all progress every time I die just puts me off. However, it is great for the game boy library that these types of role playing games are in development. Lightseeker is fun, looks good, and has many of the tropes of the genre. If you enjoy this kind of game, it is worth giving it a go.
Fydos Magic Tiles
This title is a puzzle game where you match 4 similar-shaped and coloured tiles to complete a row. Those tiles then disappear, you earn points, and you get more space on the board, which gives you more time to complete rows. If the tiles reach the top of the screen, you fail and have to try again from the start. The gameplay is addictive but simple. You could compare it to Dr Mario and Tetris. It is probably more similar to Dr Mario than Tetris. The game is a Game Boy rather than a Game Boy Colour game, but the presentation is good, and the graphics are clear and do their job. As far as simple falling block puzzle games go, you can’t go wrong with Fydos Magic Tiles. It is a simple and addictive game.
While high scores aren’t saved, the game has a three-tier choice of music. The sound roughly matches the description, Funky being one of the options and my favourite of the choices. Once you get a hang of how the game works its easy to get multiple lines in quick consecutive order which feels good, similarly to how getting a few lines of Tetris at the same time feels good. If you crave some classic puzzle action, you can’t go wrong with Fydos Magic Tiles.
Wing Warriors
Wing Warriors was released some time ago, but as I hadn’t covered it with a full review I thought it would be good to cover it here. A vertical shooter that has origins as a Sega Master System homebrew effort, it was eventually ported to the Game Boy, and then the Game Boy Color. It even has a physical version that can be purchased here. Incidentally most of the games covered in both episodes of homebrew round up have or will have a physical release of some form.
Wing Warriors has three different choices of characters. You play as flying creatures rather than mechanical ships. The environments are well done, and the game can handle multiple objects and explosions on screen at once. High scores can be saved, and the presentation is stylish and top quality. In terms of production values Wing Warriors has the highest on this list. The game is also difficult, and you have to be a nimble flyer and top shooter to get through the later stages. However, the game is short and if you’re not a hardcore fan of vertical shooters there won’t be much here for you to enjoy.
Final Thoughts
Well, that’s it for another episode of homebrew roundup. My favourite game on this list was Blackcastle, but we covered a lot of different genres here, and every one of these games has aspects and features that are a lot of fun. We didn’t cover any visual novels this time. The homebrew scene gets many text-based adventures and visual novel-like games so maybe expect one or two in the next episode. By next month, or the month after, I’m sure that a whole new batch of Game Boy homebrew games will be loose in the wild. Happy Gaming.
BongoBongo123 is an avid Zelda fan who also likes the odd game of Smash. His interests in gaming are broad but he loves a good Metroidvania or action RPGs.