Top 10 Game Boy Advance games by the Russian community

Hello friends! As you understand, no encyclopedia that covers a gaming console can avoid at least partially discussing the games released for that console.

We decided not to describe all the games in a row but conducted a survey among the Russian-speaking community and compiled our top games. But more on that later.

Once we came across a very interesting lot on Italian eBay:

Game Boy Advance lot on eBay

On the top left, you can see an extremely rare Flash2Advance Ultra cartridge, which had an amazing feature. It had two buttons: pressing one saved the game (at the point where you were in the game), and pressing the other loaded the game to the saved point (such features appeared on flash cartridges much later).

While sorting and arranging the consoles in a drawer, we came across an interesting piece of paper (it was included with the console in the photo above):

This is the top 10 Game Boy Advance games according to the members of the Mario Club Europe. And this picture inspired us to ask you about your favorite games and compile a top 10 list of games from the Russian-speaking community.

Friends, almost all of these games can be bought on AliExpress, so we have included links for their purchase!

Video Review

TOP 10 games according to the Russian community

The voting took place in three stages. First, you suggested all your favorite games. Then we voted together and selected the top 10 games. However, many games had the same number of points, so we conducted a third round of voting where you could only vote for one game. This is how we built the final top.

The honorable 10th place goes to the game Pokemon: LeafGreen.

Pokemon: LeafGreen

Pokémon LeafGreen is the third generation of Pokémon, released for the Game Boy Advance console.

The Pokémon series is one of the most famous from Nintendo. One could say that the plot is the same in all games: a young boy (or girl) gets their first Pokémon and battles in GYMs, earning badges for victories. Once they collect 8 badges, the hero participates in the final championship and becomes the champion of the region. But the game is much deeper.

Typically, between competitions and badge collection, you: save the world, find legendary Pokémon, defeat the main villain of the game, and all this time, your in-game friend will annoy you.

The combat system of the game seems very simple at first. Pokémon have 6 stats: attack – defense / special attack – special defense / health and speed. Pokémon gradually grow in levels, and the stats are distributed automatically. It seems simple until you start delving deeper. It turns out that stats are influenced by the Pokémon's nature, there are STAB abilities that depend on the Pokémon's type, and there are hidden stats like IV and EV. In the end, it turns out that the Pokémon you played through the game with is nowhere near as strong as a properly trained Pokémon with well-chosen abilities.

What I personally like, starting from the third generation of games, is that Pokémon can be transferred to any other game. That is, you can transfer Pokémon from this game to Pokémon Sword on Nintendo Switch.

Pokemon: LeafGreen

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Combining 8th and 9th place: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon / The Lost Vikings

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

Count Dracula has risen, and evil will reign supreme if he is not stopped. As Nathan Graves, you will hunt down the count, using your whip and various special items to destroy his minions. Fight your way through Dracula's castle and rid the world of his evil once again.

In honor of the games in this series, a genre was even named – Metroidvania. On one hand, Castlevania is a simple RPG where you level up, kill bosses, and eventually beat the game. But it's not that simple. In this game, there is a large castle with many hidden rooms and areas (like a maze), but they will open not as the character's level increases, but as you find something. Either a bonus that gives some additional movement, or the character gets some ability, or simply if you miss something due to inattention. All these searches and character development make the game extremely engaging. Everywhere, there are hidden bonuses or cool items. The bosses are very cool and sometimes difficult. And there are not just one or two endings in the game. Moreover, the most common ending, which every beginner usually gets, is not even half of the game.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

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The Lost Vikings

Three Vikings, Erik the Swift, Olaf the Stout, and Baleog the Fierce, have been abducted by Tomator, an evil alien Croutonian ruler who collects unique life forms for display in his gallery.

This is one of the coolest puzzles for Game Boy Advance consoles. You control 3 Vikings, each with their own unique abilities. One can jump, another can fight, and Olaf can glide down. Each level is a puzzle, and the goal is to get ALL the Vikings to the end. On some levels, you can get stuck, which makes the game even more engaging and interesting.

The Lost Vikings

Unfortunately, it is not available on AliExpress. To play it on GBA, you need to buy a flash cartridge and download the ROM image of the game from the internet.

7th place - Pokemon: Emerald

Pokemon: Emerald

Pokemon: Emerald is an expanded version of Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire.

One interesting feature of this version is the ability to perform an injection that unlocks all the secret islands with legendary Pokémon.

Pokemon: Emerald

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6th place - Pokemon FireRed

Pokemon FireRed

Pokémon FireRed is an alternative version of Pokemon Leaf Green. Initially, all versions of Pokémon games were released in two variants. The only difference is that each game has a different set of Pokémon. The developers wanted you to trade Pokémon with your friends (by the way, this is why some Pokémon only evolve through trading).

Pokemon: FireRed

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Sharing 5th and 4th place Advance Wars / Castlevania: Aria of Sorrows.

Advance Wars

This is an interesting turn-based strategy game. In Advance Wars, you fight against computer AI. In a series of battles, submarines, battleships, infantry, tanks, helicopters, and other weapons are involved. On the maps, players can capture buildings to increase financial resources and repair damaged units.

Advance Wars

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Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

This is the best Castlevania for Game Boy Advance. We highly recommend you try it.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

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3rd place - Metroid: Zero Mission

Metroid: Zero Mission

The second game, after which the Metroidvania genre was named. The game is made on similar principles to Castlevania but in a completely different setting. Personally, I like it less than Castlevania, but the top from the Russian community showed that Metroid is very popular.

Zero Mission returns Samus to her first battle with Mother Brain, expanding the storyline and actions from the original Metroid game. With updated visuals, new puzzles, and cutscenes revealing Samus's personal story.

This game can also be linked to Metroid Fusion to unlock special bonuses.

Metroid: Zero Mission

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2nd place - Metroid: Fusion

Metroid Fusion

Metroid Fusion is a direct sequel to Super Metroid from 1994. The game begins when Samus Aran returns to the planet SR388 to assist a research team. While on the planet's surface, Samus is infected by a previously unknown parasite, designated as X. The X parasite nearly kills Samus, but fortunately, she is saved by a vaccine made from a Metroid she saved on Zebes.

Metroid Fusion

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1. And first place, drumroll, The Legend of Zelda Minish Cap

The Legend of Zelda Minish Cap

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is a top-down action-adventure game that tells the origin story of the evil Vaati from "Four Swords".

The sorcerer Vaati turns Princess Zelda into stone. Only tiny creatures, the Picori, can help lift the curse.

Since only a child can see them, the task of saving the princess falls to Link. He sets out to find the four elements needed to repair the Picori sword, which can lift the curse.

The Legend of Zelda Minish Cap