With the games industry going through layoffs and a ton of wasted money, it’s surprising to see Konami become something of a games preservation specialist. Now that we know Waner Bros. won’t be releasing that Wonder Woman game, it’s good to see Konami re-release Ninja Five-O, an underrated GBA classic. This isn’t even the first time Konami did this, as they made those excellent Castlevania GBA and DS collections.
Because of this gaming preservation, other companies should follow Konami and start re-releasing their GBA games on Switch. This feels weird since Konami has done many questionable things over the years, but it is undeniably good. Considering all of the classics from Nintendo’s beloved handheld, there are plenty of viable choices for a re-release.
For now, here are five titles that we think are worthy of this privilege:
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
You’ll see this side-scrolling brawler in many GBA game lists, and for a good reason: it’s an excellent title. Developed by the underrated Treasure, players control Astro as he takes on a ton of robots through an abridged version of the character’s story. Throughout the game, classic anime characters interact with Astro as he continues to beat up robots.
What carries Omega Factor is the fantastic combat, which never gets old and manages to use the GBA’s limited button setup to perfection. From crispy melee attacks to his finger lasers, it’s immensely satisfying to hit Astro’s move in this game. The visuals also look good to this day, and we’d love to see this gem from Treasure get a re-release.
Metal Slug Advance
Plenty of Metal Slug games are available on modern platforms so that this GBA release might seem like an odd option to some. However, this game differentiates itself enough from the pack to deserve some love. The installment gives your character a life bar, ensuring you won’t just get killed by one bullet from enemies.
Despite the life bar, this shooter is just as intense as previous installments in the game. You can take more hits, but that won’t mean much with the constantly respawning enemies. Luckily, you still have all your favorite weapons and vehicles from the SNK shooter, making this entry a must-have.
Gunstar Super Heroes
For good reason, we have another game from Treasure here: it’s super. SEGA has consistently shown love to its predecessor, Gunstar Heroes, so seeing Super not get that same affection is confusing. Honestly, this game is on par with that Genesis classic and even outdoes it in some ways.
Fans of Gunstar’s intense combat will know what to expect here. That means relentless enemies and tons of bullets coming from your various guns. Add the gorgeous pixel visuals, and we’re still shocked this game hasn’t gotten more re-releases.
Sword of Mana
This stellar remake of Final Fantasy Adventure/Adventure of Mana has some of the GBA’s best visuals, and we can’t believe it hasn’t been re-released more. While we’ve gotten a different Adventure of Mana remake for mobile and PS Vita, this GBA port is still better in some ways. Mainly the beautiful 2D visuals and streamlined story.
Considering how Square Enix has done decently with recent Mana entries, despite the Visions of Mana studio closing down, we think this is worth a second look. It might not be as in-depth as modern-day RPGs, but there’s nothing wrong with some basic hack-and-slash action.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
If you think the wartorn story of the original FF Tactics and the recent Final Fantasy XVI is a bit too depressing, Tactics Advance's much lighter tone should win you over. Centering around kids and a magic book, this tactical RPG gives fans a lighter tone while delivering big tactical battles.
Because there’s a magic storybook involved, the game can sometimes change up your win conditions. This adds some much-needed variety to the tactical RPG and will have veterans scratching their heads about how to win. All of that makes this a quintessential classic for tactical RPG fans.
So, those are the GBA games that need a re-release after Ninja Five-O. We could have included Pokemon here, but that would have been too obvious. If these games never get a re-release, there are other ways to play these classics.