Puzzle games and the Game Boy go back a long way, and the Game Boy Color gave them the one thing they were missing. Colored blocks are a lot easier to match when they are not four shades of green. The best ones were made for short bursts, a few minutes at a time.
Pokémon got a puzzle game of its own on the system, and some of these play like nothing else on it, including one cartridge you steer by tilting the whole handheld. Here are the 6 best Game Boy Color puzzle games.
6. Monster Rancher Explorer (1999)
Monster Rancher Explorer is a 2000 puzzle game developed by Graphic Research and published by Tecmo for the Game Boy Color. In Japan it was called Solomon, and that name is the real clue. It has the same gameplay as Solomon's Key, with Monster Rancher characters dropped in. You control Cox, who climbs through a series of levels in a tower. In certain levels you can open a bonus round and capture a monster to help you.
It came out in North America on October 24, 2000, a month after Japan, and the box did it no favors. One player put it best: "very overlooked because everyone thinks it is a Monster Rancher game." The few players who found it rate it highly. If you liked Solomon's Key, this is more of it with cuter monsters.
5. Mr. Driller (2000)
Mr. Driller started as a 1999 Namco arcade game, and it reached the Game Boy Color in 2000. You play Susumu Hori, the Mr. Driller of the title, and you dig your way to the bottom of the screen by destroying colored blocks. Blocks clear when four or more of the same color touch, which can set off chain reactions above your head. Your oxygen meter keeps dropping the whole time, and air capsules on the way down refill it.
It is often described as a mix of Dig Dug and Columns, and that is about right. Go Shiina, then a new hire at Namco, wrote the music. Players keep it on their short lists of essential Game Boy Color games. It is the best game here for killing ten minutes, and the worst one for stopping after ten minutes.
4. Toki Tori (2001)
Toki Tori is a puzzle platformer developed by Two Tribes and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Color. You play a small yellow chicken who has to rescue his brothers and sisters, who are still in their eggs. Each level gives you a limited number of tools, and you have to gather up all the eggs in a single run within a time limit. The later levels usually have only one specific way to collect them all.
The tools have names like the Freeze-o-matic and the Snail Sucker, which sets the tone nicely. Two Tribes later acquired the rights and remade it for WiiWare and Steam, and a sequel, Toki Tori 2, followed in 2013. Players who know the original keep recommending it to anyone who likes puzzles. It is the one on this list that makes you stop and plan.
3. Pokémon Puzzle Challenge (2000)
Pokémon Puzzle Challenge is the second Pokémon game in the Puzzle League series, made by Intelligent Systems. It came out in North America on December 4, 2000. You swap two blocks side by side to line up three or more of the same color, and the blocks above fall into place, which can set off chain reactions. In Challenge mode your combos send garbage blocks to the computer's screen while it does the same to you.
The small screen forced some changes. The grid is only 6x9 blocks instead of the usual 6x12, and you cannot see your opponent's grid, just a small meter showing how close they are to losing. It is themed after Pokémon Gold and Silver, with remixed music from those games. IGN gave it its Editor's Choice award, and players count it among the must-play Game Boy Color games.
2. Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble (2000)
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble came out in Japan on August 23, 2000 and in North America on April 9, 2001. You don't control Kirby directly. The cartridge has an accelerometer built in, and you guide Kirby to the goal of each level by tilting the Game Boy Color the way you want him to roll. The story is classic Kirby: King Dedede wants to steal the stars from the night sky, and Kirby rolls through a series of mazes to get them back.
The cartridge has a unique shape and a translucent pink color in honor of Kirby. It was the sixth best-selling Game Boy Color game in Japan, with 563,914 copies sold, and it came back on the Nintendo Classics service on June 5, 2023. Players who list their favorite Game Boy Color games keep naming it. Play it sitting down, though. A bumpy bus ride is not your friend here.
1. Tetris DX (1998)
Tetris DX was a launch title for the Game Boy Color in October 1998. Unlike the 1989 Game Boy version, it adds color, new gameplay modes, saved games and multiplayer over the Game Link Cable. Marathon is the classic game, and Ultra and 40 Lines put a twist on it. The VS game is the one that will have you playing for hours.
The saved games matter more than they sound. For the first time, your best scores stayed on the cartridge after you switched it off. Critics praised the new modes, and many called it one of the best games on the Game Boy Color. Players recommend it more than any other Game Boy Color puzzle game, and it is still the one to start with.
Which one to play
There you have it, the whole list of the best Game Boy Color puzzle games. It is a short list, but there is not a weak game on it.
If you are not sure where to start, play Tetris DX. If you want something that still feels new, pick Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. For a fast versus game, Pokémon Puzzle Challenge is the one. If you like to stop and think, Toki Tori will test you. And for a hidden pick, try Monster Rancher Explorer and ignore the name.
