GBA's Hidden Gems

The Game Boy Advance has one of the strongest portable libraries of all time. Among them, however, are some games that very few talk about, despite their incredible legacies. Join us as we take a look at some of the best GBA games that haven't received their due.

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[lthc_hiryu]

"Mario Kart Super Circuit was trash"
Me, who's gotten 3 star ranks in every cup in the game: ok

[mesacboy]

Great first solo video Steve! Love the more chill and relaxed vibe of the whole thing, plus learned a lot too! I'm definitely gonna have to check some of these games out now

[OneOneTwo]

Astro Boy: Omega Factor looks insane. A Treasure game hueing closer to Mega Man?! Couldn't ask for any more than that!

[pixelbomb]

Dragonball: Advanced Adventure was and is one if my favorite GBA games. It covers the original Dragonball series up to the King Piccolo saga and plays like a beat em up during levels and a fighting game during bosses.

[Romidamn]

Oh, you mentioned my boy Sabre Wolf! I remember my parents getting it for me and I didn't want to play it because the box art was so lousy. Ultimately, it ended up being one of the most beloved games of my childhood.

[EnigmaBarry]

"Hamtaro Ham-Ham Heartbreak" and it's GBC predecessor "Hamtaro Ham-Hams Unite" are amazing. Nintendo put a lot of heart and effort into these games. They made a solid adventure title with great side content. You normally wouldn't expect this from a licensed game. The fact that Shigeru Miyamoto worked on Heartbreak really says how much love they had for the IP.
Also that second Mother 3 fake out was gold. Hopefully Nintendo gives us Virtual Boy Online! I can see the Nintendo Labo VR kits now.

[LillLizzert]

I've spent way too much time on Game & Watch Gallery Advance. Some of those minigames have aged better then others, but it's super addictive. Plus the game select idle cutscenes were such a nice novelty for me back then.

[ItsATMDrums]

More solo/shorter content I’m here for it! Much love and awesome to see this

[adeadphish]

Underrated gem I will die on the hill of: Sigma Star Saga. It is a 2D Shmup RPG with a colorful cast. Funny enough, it was a WayForwad game. Their next original title after the original Shantae on Game Boy Color and it seems like it was completely lost to time

[DarkIceKrabby]

Just a note, the Hello Fresh ad with Derrick is a good deal louder than Steve's audio for the video. I had to turn up the video to be able to hear Steve clearly, but then was somewhat blasted in the ears when the ad's audio came in. Not majorly so, but just something for you guys, and whoever is editing these videos to know for the future

[jimmyzeke]

Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis is one I've always wanted to play, but it's super expensive to buy used and hasn't been rereleased in any way to my knowledge. The same team developed Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which I'm a huge fan of.

[DPcom]

Speaking of Treasure, although its a remake, Gunstar Super Heroes is worth an honorable mention. I got very lucky and found it at the bottom of a clearance shelf for $10 in an F.Y.E. around the end of the GBA's life on the market. Worth every penny and then some.

[KaleZ]

Fantastic video! So many videos about “hidden gems” are filled with obvious cult classics, but this is a truly curated list filled with what seem to be bangers. I’ve only ever even heard of one of these. Great presentation style and some great gags, too!

[brunojenso]

'Mario Kart Super Circuit was trash' WOW!. I know it's not many people;'s favourite MK, but I could barely continue watching after that statement. MKSC is one of the BEST MKs for those willing to give it a chance. I've 3 Star'd everything, and the finesse you can achieve with the controls is astounding. The controls of later games were over simplified as bit too much. Only people who are not very good at racers would say such a thing. The game is astounding. I love it's art direction too.

[SilverChoc]

3:09 I remember how the DS port of Rayman Raving Rabbids was a platformer too, It had a very compressed version of 'Girls just wanna have fun' on the soundtrack if I remember correctly?

[tombystander]

Harvest moon friends of mineral town. Genuinely had a booklet of reciepes printed out as a teenager in a binder I used for the game as well as heart event times for the love interest

[lambiepie]

Man I feel like I missed out on SOOO much for this system. I had one late in its cycle and as a Mario kid, I mainly only got the Mario advance games and DKC remakes. Such a great console.

[Axecon]

A bit mainstream but people don't know that there was a Kingdom Hearts game on GBA - Chain of Memories (it was in fact the second game ever released in the series and the second chronologically)! Fun game!

[CJPV]

The GBA game I was most surprised by how good it was was Revenge of the Sith. A cool beat em up for regular levels, and a Punch Out style one on one pattern recognition system for bosses. I love that game.

[maxspecs]

Car Battler Joe is a surprisingly deep rpg that asks what if Medabots were high speed tanks with cannons and saw blades.