While it’s been a good 20 years (woof) since the GameBoy and GameBoy Color were discontinued, the handheld has been seeing a development resurgence thanks to a little program called GB Studio. Originally released by UK developer Chris Maltby, GB Studio offers an accessible means for indie developers to create GameBoy games with little to no programming knowledge. In addition to being useful for fledgling developers, GB Studio has also seen popularity with game jams, wherein individual developers or small teams must create games within a short time period while following specific thematic or design criteria. GB Studio has become increasingly prolific, to the point where McDonald’s commissioned a group of developers to create Grimace’s Birthday, a tie-in platformer game to celebrate their purple mascot’s birthday and possibly cursed milkshake. Games created in GB Studio can easily be played through itch.io on a web browser, but since they’re compiled as .gb or .gbc files, these games can also be played on emulators or on original hardware through flashcarts. Publishers like Incub8 Games are also releasing a few GB Studio games on limited-edition physical cartridges for collectors. Given the development possibilities for a retro console, I played through a handful of different games.

Deadeus

Deadeus is a horror/adventure game developed by -IZMA-, a UK-based illustrator. The game focuses on an unnamed boy who lives in a tiny village. The boy has a prophetic nightmare that everyone in the village will die in three days, and he sets out to see if the upcoming apocalypse can be prevented. The boy can explore his village, talking to various NPCs and picking up items, all the while learning about the village’s mysterious connection to the titular god, Deadeus. The game has 11 endings that vary depending on the boy’s actions. For example, the boy can literally sleep through the end of the world or accept the end from the village’s mountaintop alongside the neighborhood girl. Or, the boy can get involved with the local mysterious underground cult, and the atrocities they commit in the name of Deadeus. 

Rather than the more stereotypical jump-scares-and-gore horror affairs, Deadeus works within the constraints of the GB hardware and focuses more on an unsettling atmosphere in contrast to the cutesy sprites. -IZMA- does a lot of really cool horror-themed artwork, and it really shines throughout, particularly in the boy’s nightmare sequences, as well as the scenes depicting Deadeus himself. Stoo Busby’s chiptune compositions for the game, especially with the overworld music changing between days, adds to the game’s environment. What I appreciated most about Deadeus was the tone of most of the endings; without major spoilers, I’ll say most of the endings maintain a somber and bittersweet tone overall. Deadeus has an overall strong execution that works well with the GB Studio limitations.

Deadeus can be downloaded from -IZMA- ‘s itch.io page. Physical cartridges can be purchased from Incube8 games, and the game is also playable on Evercade through the Indie Heroes Collection 1 cartridge.

A Cat & His Boy

A Cat & His Boy is an adventure game developed by howdy riceball (a great name). In the midst of his parent’s divorce and a possible subsequent existential crisis, Leif, a young boy, feels downtrodden and misunderstood. Leif’s cat, Midnight, takes it upon himself to cheer Leif up. Midnight can explore Leif’s house, complete some small chores, locate some lost mouse children, and beat Leif’s mom’s high score in a mini game.

Originally created for a game jam, A Cat & His Boy is a short game but a very sweet experience. It vaguely reminded me of the old Humongous Entertainment game, Fatty Bear’s Birthday Surprise, with both games dealing with its non-human protagonist going on a little adventure behind the human’s backs. Their respective adventures are also for the purpose of making their human owners happy. A Cat & His Boy is also apt at using the limited environments to set a tone, from Leif’s bad report card being posted on the fridge, to the depressing state of Leif’s mom in her bedroom. As Midnight completes certain tasks, Leif eventually emerges from his room and his mood noticeably cheers up. Ultimately, the game emphasizes the relationship between Leif and Midnight, and having the support of a pet during difficult times.

A Cat & His Boy can be downloaded from howdy riceball’s itch.io page.

Hauntsfield

Hauntsfield is an adventure game by Canadian artist Allie MacAlister (AllieMackie). Taking place in the titular town, the local denizens, mostly modeled after common horror monsters, are gearing up for their annual festival. The player controls an unnamed human farmer, whose pumpkins are stolen by the Squash Fiend on the eve of the festival. After confronting the socially-awkward Fiend, the farmer agrees to assist the Fiend in putting together a care basket in apology to Hauntsfield’s residents for the festival. The farmer’s job is to fulfill errands for the townsfolk in exchange for supplies for the Fiend’s care basket.

Hauntsfield is best summarized as “a long series of fetch quests”, but not in a bad way. AllieMackie’s pixel art is absolutely adorable and the game has the aesthetics of a cutesy children’s TV show. It’s a simple adventure game, but it does a good job showing off the town and its unique characters, from the sassy scarecrow Ambrose to the town’s hilariously smug plague doctor mayor. Hauntsfield is a very lovely game, and its combined simplistic nature with great art and music design make for a delightful experience.

Hauntsfield can be downloaded from AllieMackie’s itch.io page.

Michael the Ant Thumper

Michael the Ant Thumper is an action/adventure game developed by CompyCore Games. As an aside, this is the only game on my list that is a full-on GameBoy Color game, in contrast to the other palette-limited games. Michael, local beleaguered CEO, sets off on what should be an average day at the factory with his trusty Thumpers (they’re just boxing gloves). Unfortunately for Michael, the area is plagued by ants, of both the regular and fire variety. Michael has to punch his way through the ants to return to his factory, all the while fielding obnoxious phone calls from his pal, Lewis.

Michael the Ant Thumper is a genuinely hilarious little game. It has little cutscene interstitials thanks to a custom tool the developer created, usually whenever Michael answers his phone. Most of the game’s great humor is a mix of the cutscenes, dialogue, and the environmental objects you can examine, like Lewis putting an empty pizza box back in his fridge, or the silly office workers’ notes. The actual action parts of the game are pretty barebones, but the game is so short it doesn’t really matter, though I appreciate it as something new from the usual GB Studio adventure game fair. The game does have multiple endings but thankfully they’re all easy to get in a short time. Michael the Ant Thumper, in general, is really fun and quirky.

Michael the Ant Thumper can be downloaded from CompyCore’s itch.io page. 

Melon Journey Pocket

Melon Journey Pocket is an adventure game by Poppy Works. If the name sounds familiar, Pocket is a prequel to Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories, and it’s also a “remake” of the original RPG Maker version of Melon Journey from 2012.  In Pocket, the player can choose to play as either Cantaloupe or Honeydew (from what I can tell, the character selected doesn’t majorly affect the game). Following a nasty storm after a camping trip, the non-selected character goes missing, and it’s up to their friend to locate them. The player spends much of their time in Hog Town, chatting with the townspeople, and completing favors in exchange for information.

Similar to Hauntsfield, Pocket is a simplistic fetch quest based game. Many of the NPCs in Hog Town are quite eccentric, like the exclusively water-dwelling Ocean Pup or the hoarder Bear Who Saves Everything, who has plenty of items shoved into his house. The game has a particular wry sense of humor that I can only compare to Undertale, which makes for a fun combination with the cute graphics. Of note, the game’s soundtrack was remade with the help of PROTODOME, a UK-based chiptune artist with the greatest personal website I’ve ever seen. Pocket is a delightful experience and made me very eager to play Bittersweet Memories in the future.

Melon Journey Pocket can be downloaded from Poppy Works’ itch.io page. Limited Run Games also briefly released a physical cartridge for the game.

I’m only scratching the surface of GB Studio games, with the dearth of little gems already on places like itch.io and plenty of in-progress and upcoming releases on the horizon. There’s some weird charm to being able to grab a few of these games online for a dollar or two, toss them on my Miyoo Mini’s SD card, and play them in bed. While most of these games are on the short side, it’s a nice change of pace to finish a game in a couple of sittings here and there. I’ll definitely be following the various GB Studio releases for the foreseeable future and I’m excited to see what these developers can do.