When it comes to truly learning about someone’s personality, horoscopes are sorta cute, but the real reveal comes from the Game Boy games they immediately played on Nintendo Switch Online. You can tell a lot about someone from the ones they’re most attached to — games that, with a simple aesthetic and approachable mechanics, provide a veritable portrait of the self. With that knowledge in mind, you can even make recommendations to people that correlate with their taste in cartridges for Nintendo’s classic little pleasure toaster.
Since this is Crunchyroll, those recommendations are gonna come in the form of anime series. So if you’ve found yourself looking longingly at Game Boy games recently, here are some shows you’ll probably enjoy as well.
TETRIS - BLUELOCK
A Tetris fan doesn’t just enjoy the thrills of an inescapable precipitation of boxes, they relish it. To them, it’s like a David Cronenberg film where, in the future, love provides no value and people can only get their kicks being slowly crushed by arrangements of squares. That intensity carries over quite nicely to BLUELOCK, an anime about wannabe soccer stars that are driven into a sort of prideful delirium in their quest. Just as a Tetris player never gives up even when the screen is two-thirds full and a Game Over screen is imminent, a BLUELOCK character will ignore all obstacles and punishments in order to achieve their goals.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK’S AWAKENING DX - VINLAND SAGA
Now, to be fair, Vinland Saga is a little bit… heavier than Link’s Awakening. Link never really has to grapple here with the weight of revenge and how it can not only mire the soul of a person but drive community into ruin. That said, aside from all of the cool weaponry and action in each, they’re both entries that thrive on having a very graspable (and sometimes surprising) emotional core. LoZ games rarely need to have extremely deep, intricate themes because they paint with such beautiful broad strokes that the vibrancy comes innately.
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Vinland Saga is certainly more complicated, but the way it processes its treatise on masculinity, violence and redemption through a grand period piece action setting is awe-inspiring. Great examples of the diverse powers of a fantasy narrative.
GARGOYLES - WELCOME TO DEMON SCHOOL! IRUMA-KUN
Gargoyles is the kind of game that always surprises. You imagine it to be another simple action game for the Game Boy and what you get is a fun, detailed and often atmospheric adventure. The same goes for Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, a show that on the surface, and in its opening episodes, appears to be a flighty fish-out-of-water comedy. But over time, it transforms into something much bigger with characters displaying much more depth and connection than you ever would’ve expected at the start.
ALONE IN THE DARK: THE NEW NIGHTMARE - IN/SPECTRE
If there was ever a dark horse candidate for a Game Boy title on the Nintendo Switch Online, it would likely be Alone in the Dark. But despite it being a downsized Game Boy Color version of a PlayStation/Dreamcast game, it’s actually a pretty spooky and tough experience.
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In the same way, In/Spectre’s slow burn plots and focus on careful mood aren’t for everyone. But if you give it a shot, you might be impressed by a niche, but ultimately rewarding series.
GAME & WATCH GALLERY 3 - MOB PSYCHO 100
Game & Watch titles can be deeply addictive, the kind of thing you start playing in the morning, only to look up later to wonder where the sun went. And the variety they offer should be matched by an equally dynamic series, so if you like Game & Watch Gallery 3, try out Mob Psycho 100. Having recently wrapped up its third and final season, Mob Psycho 100 easily switches between paranormal fantasy, broad comedy and empathetic character studies. There’s something for literally everyone. If you want a series that never even comes close to falling into a rut or growing dull, check it out.
KIRBY’S DREAM LAND - ONE PIECE
Yes, I know you probably know what a Kirby is. And yes, I know you probably know what One Piece is. Odds are pretty good you’re watching it right now.
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But Kirby has always been perhaps the most underrated member of Nintendo’s offering of adventures, one that hides replayable complexity and breathless amusement under its round pink exterior. Discovering its many joys is very akin to that time you find out One Piece is far more than just “that long show about pirates.” You get to the Baratie and Arlong Park arc and realize “Oh, this might be the best thing ever.”
METROID II: RETURN OF SAMUS - CHAINSAW MAN
When you get into a Metroid game, there’s a chance you imagine being thrown into non-stop alien blasting and fantasy stakes. Similarly, if you watch the first episode of Chainsaw Man, you might think ripping up zombies in violent fashion is pretty much what the show is about. BUT you’d be wrong. Sure, there’s plenty of that in these respective stories, but while you might come for the action, you stay for the mood. Both series can alternate between a kind of brooding temperament and quirky discovery, allowing them to rise above the basic platformer existence they could’ve been in the wrong hands.
WARIO LAND 3 - DON’T TOY WITH ME, MISS NAGATORO
Sometimes, you want to have a little fun with a character who’s a little too rough around the edges. That’s Wario, whose Game Boy adventures rival that of his heroic cousin Mario, except with Wario’s brutish, but lovable flair.
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Similarly, Nagatoro, from DON'T TOY WITH ME, MISS NAGATORO, isn’t a nice person all the time. She’s often a demon child, a nightmare figure looming in Senpai’s horizon, threatening all who come into her path. She’s also funny, thoughtful, and oddly caring if you manage to survive her onslaught, so give her a chance if you enjoy crashing Wario through one of the best Game Boy games of all time.
SUPER MARIO LAND 2 - MY HERO ACADEMIA
Sometimes, you just need a game or an anime that feels familiar. That’s Super Mario Land 2 - if you’ve played a Mario platformer before, you know what you’re getting into. If you’ve watched a Weekly Shonen Jump anime before, you’re probably well aware of the commitment you’ll be making to My Hero Academia. And there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s often a complex satisfaction to be found in it. Just as you might want to unpeel Super Mario Land 2 to discover the ins and outs of its achievement, you might also be interested in how My Hero Academia eventually comes to investigate its own premise.
Which of these games have you played? What anime would you recommend based on these games? Let me know in the comments!
Source: Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!
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