Handheld consoles, by their very nature, have never been the most technically impressive consoles around. In order to fit gaming experiences on such a small portable device, some concessions need to be made, and throughout gaming history, this has meant that handheld consoles don't really offer the most visually spectacular experiences. That being said, just because a handheld console doesn't have the best tech inside, that doesn't mean it can't produce some of the best-looking games of its generation, and that's certainly true for the Game Boy Advance.
The third mainline generation of Game Boy consoles, the Game Boy Advance released in 2001 and brought the world of 32-bit graphics to the handheld market. While the GBA was still very much limited by its hardware, it still managed to produce some of the best handheld games ever made, both in terms of gameplay mechanics and in terms of art direction. There are still a handful of GBA games that look just as excellent today as they did almost 20 years ago.
The Most Visually Impressive Game Boy Advance Games
One of the most popular Game Boy Advance games ever made also happens to be one of the best when it comes to visuals. Released 20 years ago, Metroid Fusion still looks incredible today. Pushing the handheld console to its very limits, Metroid Fusion features some of the most crisp textures on the console, with each character and boss model having refined, textured edges. The environmental design in Metroid Fusion is also top-notch, with each area of the game being distinguished naturally by differences in lighting and particle effects. Metroid Fusion is vibrant, sleek, and undeniably one of the best-looking handheld games ever made.
Rather surprisingly, Wario Land 4 also deserves a top spot on this list. An interesting detail about Wario Land 4 is that Metroid Fusion actually runs on the same graphics engine, albeit a heavily modified one. And that makes a lot of sense when players take a second to realize just how great Wario Land 4 actually looks. Offering some of the most vibrant backdrops of any handheld side-scroller, Wario Land 4 oozes with color and charm, with enemy designs popping perfectly against a well-lit backdrop. Wario Land 4 manages to capture the charm of the mainline Mario series perfectly while still adding its own unique twists along the way.
Released in 2001, the underrated Golden Sun RPG is another example of a phenomenal-looking Game Boy Advance game. Heavily inspired by other top-down RPGs like Final Fantasy, Golden Sun sees players explore a world filled to the brim with magical enemies and mystical areas, each captured beautifully by the game's impressive lighting and shadow system. From a top-down perspective, each character is given a charmingly vibrant sprite, and when in battle, those sprites become incredibly detailed character models that simply shouldn't belong on the Game Boy Advance.
While Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories may not be the most realistic-looking game on the Game Boy Advance, it's the title's cartoon-y visuals that keep it looking so great today. Putting bright and vibrant colors at the forefront, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories manages to capture the exaggerated, stylish art direction of the series' mainline entries, and the genius use of lighting and shadows gives each battle background an impressive amount of depth and detail. Pair this with some delightfully cute character sprites and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories easily stands as one of the best-looking Game Boy Advance games ever made.