20 Best WonderSwan Games Of All Time (Ranked)

Everyone is aware of the Recreation Boy Advance and the PSP. However earlier than them, many highly effective platforms have been vying for domination of the hand-held console market.

Bandai’s WonderSwan was considered one of them, as have been its successors – the WonderSwan Colour (2000) and the SwanCrystal (2002).

Its 16-bit central processing unit was highly effective, and its lengthy battery life was additionally essential to its relative success. It’s simple to see this household of consoles as the most effective retro handhelds of that period.

Regrettably, the WonderSwan line by no means made it out of Japan – so most of its video games would require a excessive degree of Japanese to actually get by way of all of them (or a minimum of some English patches).

On this transient rating, I attempted to give attention to video games anybody can get pleasure from with out studying Japanese – although some iconic narrative-heavy titles did make their approach in (for these of you who perceive the language and/or can discover patches).

20. SD Gundam Operation U.C. (2002)

If there’s one thing I like greater than mechas, it’s super-deformed mechas that seem like bobbleheads.

SD Gundam Operation U.C. is a side-scrolling shoot-em-up with minor RPG components that provides intense motion with nearly no relaxation time.

You’ll combat in opposition to different mechas and big spaceships with an vitality rifle and a sword for close-quarters fight.

The sport options an Journey Mode, a Taking pictures Mode the place you undergo the degrees one after one other, and a Vs. Mode the place you’ll be able to duke it out in opposition to the machine or one other participant.

It’s a bit unforgiving, but in addition profoundly fulfilling – and also you gained’t have to know an oz of Japanese to make it work.

19. Engacho! (1999)

Japanese builders haven’t any concern of the grotesque, and Engacho! is the prime instance of this pattern.

The sport’s goal is to make it by way of a grid board with out getting caught by considered one of 4 monsters – a flying butt, a drooling Mickey Mouse clone, a big-nosed dude dripping snot, and an armpit hair monster.

Regardless of this weird line-up, the sport is fairly partaking.

The enemies transfer in a single course everytime you take a step, and so they all have totally different patterns you’ll have to be taught with a purpose to survive.

18. Tane Wo Maku Tori (1999)

Typically, all you want is an easy idea to make an important recreation.

In Tane Wo Maku Tori, you’re tasked with guiding raindrops down vertical beams till they attain a flower seedling rising beneath. To do that, it is advisable to transfer the platforms connecting these columns, so the water drips down in the precise course.

It’s fairly simple at first. However the ranges get progressively extra demanding with the addition of hazards comparable to thirsty snails that’ll transfer round, making an attempt to drink your valuable water droplets.

Apart from its easy however addictive gameplay, the sport’s graphics are additionally top-notch for the period.

17. Hataraku Chocobo (2000)

A Chocobo is a big flightless chicken much like an ostrich that takes horses’ position on the planet of Closing Fantasy.

They’ve been a sequence staple since Closing Fantasy II.

I like these feathery beasts of burden, and I’ll play any recreation with the phrase “Chocobo” on it.

Translating roughly to “Working Chocobo”, Hataraku Chocobo is a Life Sim/Board Recreation the place you’ll information Closing Fantasy’s most well-known mascot as they go round finishing duties in change for objects.

Relying on the way you’re planning to get pleasure from these WonderSwan titles, you could be pleased to know that an English Patch was lately launched for this unbelievable recreation.

16. Golden Axe (2002)

This basic arcade side-scrolling beat-em-up will be performed on-the-go on the WonderSwan Colour.

Select between a dwarf, a burly barbarian, and an attractive amazonian warrior to duke it out in opposition to the Dying Adders and their minions in your option to raiding their citadel.

It’s the form of recreation you need to play after a tough day at work that’s left your mind exhausted. Simply boot up your WonderSwan and take your frustrations out on pixelated muscular males and their reptilian beasts.

15. Tetris (2002)

It’s Tetris! What else is there to say?

The graphics are good and colourful, the music is ideal, and fortunately for us Westerners – all of the menus are in English!

All of you Tetris nerds can be glad to comprehend it follows the “Tetris Guideline”. For the uninitiated, that’s the present record of specs The Tetris Firm enforces for all Tetris video games.

It ensures that the Tetriminos are the precise colours and that the taking part in subject grid is 10×40 (it solely seems to be 10×20 to maintain gamers on their toes). It even specifies the place precisely Tetriminos should begin falling from!

14. Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon (1999)

Hataraku Chocobo wasn’t the one WonderSwan recreation starring the lovely chicken.

Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon interprets to “Chocobo’s Thriller Dungeon” and it’s a port of the PlayStation recreation – now in monochrome 2D.

The sport follows a Chocobo as they discover a sequence of randomly-generated mazes, gathering objects that assist them get by way of every space, which they’ll lose upon being knocked out.

It’s a unbelievable Roguelike – and a lot better on-the-go.

There’s additionally an English patch for this one and it’s completely the one to play first.

13. Magical Drop (1999)

Aggressive Puzzle video games have been stylish again within the arcade days, however handheld platforms match these brain-training titles higher.

Magical Drop was launched initially on Neo Geo Arcades, the place it shortly grew to become an enormous hit. This WonderSwan model is a trustworthy port of the arcade unique.

The gameplay revolves round protecting a stack of falling bubbles from reaching the bottom. You do that by grabbing the underside sphere from one column and transferring it elsewhere to create a line of three or extra. Do that, and so they’ll pop.

12. Makaimura for WonderSwan (1999)

Followers of the basic Platformer/Run-and-gun Ghosts’n’Goblins franchise will little doubt love Makaimura for WonderSwan.

This handheld title is a remix of the primary three video games within the Ghosts’n’Goblins sequence, sticking carefully to the primary recreation’s formulation. This implies it lacks magic, double jumps, and aiming. It’s again to fundamentals!

Degree design is considerably improved from the unique, and it options some very difficult new bosses.

Possibly this elevated problem is why they determined to let gamers clear the sport in a single go somewhat than be set again to the primary degree to amass the required weapon to kill the final boss, Azrael.

11. Beatmania (1999)

I like Rhythm video games.

And as somebody who has a minimum of three totally different ones on their cellphone, I can let you know that they’re finest loved on handheld units.

Beatmania on the WonderSwan is a murals. Builders managed to make the tracks remarkably fulfilling for the system’s sub-par audio capabilities, and the inclusion of a small turntable peripheral with the sport was simply visionary.

The trouble put into this factor is staggering, even when they reused largely the identical tracks as a earlier Beatmania recreation. The tracklist is predicated on Beatmania third Combine.

10. Responsible Gear Petit 2 (2001)

Responsible Gear is among the Fighter franchises with probably the most distinctive fashion and character – and it’s additionally nice on the go.

This bite-sized title options lovely, super-deformed variations of 14 iconic GG characters going at it with the identical vigor as their common arcade counterparts. It additionally contains Fanny, a cute nurse with an enormous syringe weapon that’s unique to the Petit spin-off sequence.

Regardless of having stable visuals and an honest fight system, the sport has a horrible soundtrack made worse by the horrible audio high quality. It places a damper on an in any other case unbelievable recreation.

9. One Piece: Grand Battle Swan Colosseum (2001)

The WonderSwan was dwelling to many licensed anime video games due to Bandai’s good enterprise practices. And One Piece was particularly well-represented on the hand-held console.

My favourite amongst them is One Piece: Grand Battle Swan Colosseum. It options beautiful, colourful graphics with unbelievable element and a deep fight system in contrast to what you’d count on from a handheld title.

At first, your playable character roster is proscribed to 6 Straw Hat Pirates, however as you undergo the marketing campaign, you’ll unlock seven enemy pirates seen within the anime – together with the beloved Robin.

Not precisely the finest One Piece recreation on the market, however undoubtedly a retro treasure price taking part in for those who can.

8. Judgement Silversword: Rebirth Version (2001)

For these of you who love the adrenaline-pumping motion of shoot-em-up, Judgement Silversword on the WonderSwan is a no brainer.

This fast-paced recreation rewards taking part in aggressively and, in some circumstances, recklessly. One in every of its fundamental mechanics is utilizing your protect offensively in opposition to enemy ships to provide power-ups.

The sport additionally takes benefit of the WonderSwan’s capacity to be performed sideways for a extra comfy format.

With unbelievable graphics and fluid gameplay, it’s unbelievable to assume this recreation was created for a home-brew improvement competitors.

7. GunPey EX (2000)

Named after famed WonderSwan and Recreation Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi, GunPey involves remind us how addictive brain-teasing Puzzle video games will be on a handheld console.

The sport has you arranging tiles on a grid to show varied components of a line right into a single, steady stroke. Whereas easy in idea, the sport can get robust simply a few ranges in.

Apart from the marketing campaign, the sport options Countless Mode, Puzzle mode, and even a aggressive multiplayer mode.

GunPey EX contains color-based puzzles and extra refined gameplay on the WonderSwan Colour. However its black-and-white predecessor on the unique WonderSwan is simply pretty much as good.

6. Pocket Fighter (2000)

Generally known as Tremendous Gem Fighter Mini Combine in its unique arcade launch, Pocket Fighter is what occurs once you flip characters from Road Fighter, Darkstalkers, and different main Capcom franchises into lovely bobbleheads.

In a approach, it’s a center floor between Road Fighter and Tremendous Smash Bros.

The fight system is deep and fairly much like OG Road Fighter. But it surely additionally options objects that restore well being, elemental orbs you’ll be able to throw at enemies, and another quirks to maintain issues recent.

5. Blue Wing Blitz (2001)

Simply because the GBA had Fireplace Emblem, the WonderSwan had Blue Wing Blitz – a wonderful turn-based Tactical RPG happening lots of of meters up within the sky.

Somewhat than floor models, the participant is tasked with commanding warplanes on grid-based maps, making an attempt to take down the enemy’s aerial drive.

In contrast to FE the place all you are able to do in battle is watch, you will have a few choices in BWB.

These embody altering your altitude to keep away from harm or using evasive maneuvers.

One in every of this recreation’s most exceptional options have been its graphics, which might simply give any GBA recreation a run for its cash.

4. Puyo Puyo 2 (1999)

The sequel to the basic Puyo Puyo took an already thrilling and profitable recreation and made it even higher.

One of many fundamental new options have been the myriad customized guidelines that might be utilized to matches, which added way more selection to gameplay and made the title an instantaneous hit.

Its modes embody Single Puyo Puyo (story mode), Double Puyo Puyo (aggressive multiplayer), and Countless Puyo Puyo.

3. Closing Fantasy Remakes (2000-2002)

Somewhat than a single recreation, this spot goes to the many remakes of iconic Closing Fantasy titles that made it onto the WonderSwan, together with FF1, FF2, and FF4.

All of them function redone spritework for higher visuals, a unbelievable soundtrack (even regardless of the WonderSwan’s restricted capability), and lots of fixes for glitches and bugs reported on the unique video games.

Every of those video games has one thing that makes them distinctive and price revisiting.

For instance, the primary recreation switched issues up by letting you select totally different jobs to your characters, and the fourth installment has the most effective story in FF’s 2D period.

Granted, you’ll want a translated script or some severe Japanese proficiency to get pleasure from them totally. However for those who put in some elbow grease looking on-line you would possibly discover what you want.

2. Kaze no Klonoa: Midnight Museum (1999)

Klonoa was once my favourite glove-wearing mascot from again within the day.

It’s a disgrace they’ve pale into obscurity, however there’s at all times one thing new to uncover amongst its basic video games.

Most followers most likely haven’t tried Kaze no Klonoa: Midnight Museum, launched on the unique WonderSwan.

Regardless of that includes considerably downgraded visuals in black-and-white 2D, the sport retains Klonoa’s capacity to seize and throw enemies, in addition to the double-jump. The gameplay is generally the identical.

The title was the predecessor for the following GBA Klonoa video games, so for those who appreciated these, you must give this one an opportunity.

1. Mr. Driller (2001)

It could appear a bit easy in comparison with a few of our earlier entries. However few video games on the WonderSwan are as inherently enjoyable and addictive as Mr. Driller.

Plus, you needn’t know a single phrase in Japanese to totally get pleasure from it.

Because the lovely driller participant character, you’re tasked with drilling by way of a number of stacks of coloured blocks and attain the underside earlier than you run out of air. Matching coloured blocks will make it simpler, as will strategically choosing up oxygen refill tanks on the best way down.

In case you’re into the WonderSwan and haven’t tried Mr. Driller but, you’re sorely lacking out.