When it comes to Mario games from the 8-bit and 16-bit era, most fans will reminisce about the good old days on the NES and SNES. They can often forget about the staggering number of games on the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Most of them were simpler in design since the portable systems had limitations.
Still, there are plenty of titles that were also of console quality on both the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Let’s look at both sides of the spectrum in this ranking of the games with Mario specifically in the title. Also, these games must all have Mario starring in the game or he at least has to be a supporting player. So, games like Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 or Yoshi are out.
7 Mario’s Picross
Mario’s Picross is one of the hardest puzzle games on the Game Boy. Picross, in general, is a tricky game to master in video games. Sometimes it can be fun to bash one’s head against a riddle like this though. Hard puzzles can strengthen the mind, so it’s kind of like gaining experience in an RPG.
There is not much Mario involved in the gameplay besides puzzles eventually leading to Mario-based art getting unearthed. Still, it is a worthwhile investment for puzzle fans at least and one can never have enough of those on portable systems.
6 Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario is a much easier puzzle game that can be fun for a wider range of players initially. Like the NES version, Mario has hung up his plumbing tools and put on a doctor’s lab coat instead. His goal is to rid the world of viruses via comically large pills.
The gameplay is a lot like Tetris wherein these pills must be aligned to virus colors. Don’t be fooled but the cute aesthetics of everything though. The further players get, the harder Dr. Mario will become.
5 Mario Tennis
Camelot is a developer that a lot of Nintendo fans probably associate with the Golden Sun series more. They are a great RPG developer even though they may be more niche than Square Enix. It turns out they know how to make more than RPGs though because Mario Tennis is a solid tennis game.
The game even has some RPG elements to keep things interesting for players on the go. The console versions of Mario Tennis probably get more notoriety since multiplayer is a big reason why these sports spinoffs sell well. Still, as a pure video game, there is no other better tennis game on the Game Boy.
4 Mario Golf
Camelot also developed Mario Golf and it fits better with the core concept of the Game Boy: portability. Sure, it can be fun to play through tennis matches, but going through holes in golf is just more appealing. Camelot nailed the mechanics in this game to make it easily accessible for all ages.
Again, like Mario Tennis, perhaps the console versions are better for some who like big-screen multiplayer for Mario Golf. There is no denying the allure there, but this game still kicks butt decades later. Golf, overall as a concept for video games, excels on portable devices like the Game Boy.
3 Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe falls somewhere between a remake and a port of the original Super Mario Bros. game. The graphics are slightly better than the NES original, but they are nowhere near as good as the 16-Bit upgrade found in Super Mario All-Stars. The coolest addition to the remake is the colors of everything which really pop on the Game Boy Color.
Mechanically, it even controls better on the Game Boy Color compared to the SNES remake. There are extras too, such as new modes and levels. The sad part is that it’s hard to access now, but maybe it will one day come up on Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy library.
2 Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land was the Game Boy’s equivalent to Super Mario Bros. on the NES. It was a spinoff but felt like a mainline game. However, it is much weirder in scope than the first game and resembles Super Mario Bros. 2 more.
For example, players begin in Egypt and then travel all over the globe in search of a new princess, Daisy. Another weird example is that fire falls bounce like rubber, unlike the Fire Flower power-ups in the rest of the Mario series. Like that original title, it is hard as heck to complete, but some fans prefer their platformers to be absolutely brutal.
1 Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
The first game was a good proof of concept but Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is like the formula being fully realized on the Game Boy. It is like the leap to Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES for many reasons. One, there is now an open world to explore with tons of levels on each map.
Unlike Super Mario Bros. 3’s world, players get to choose where they begin. The controls were also a lot more sound, and it’s simply easier to see Mario now on the screen. This belongs in the pantheon of great console Mario games and even surpasses a lot of them. Thankfully, players can experience how great Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is on Switch and is indeed a must-play way beyond anything else on here.