Collection essentials #148: Game & Watch Gallery (Game Boy)

A while back I showcased three Game & Watch units in this series. They were standalone LCD games that pre-dated Game Boy, and they were simplistic but pretty fun. With the Game Boy, an entirely new generation was getting into handheld gaming. Nintendo had the great idea to make Game Boy titles where you could play these old Game & Watch games, which a lot of these ‘90s kids probably weren’t even aware of at the time.

This is the first such Game & Watch compilation released in the US, and it contains four games, which isn’t a lot considering how many Game & Watch titles existed, but this was not going to be the last such compilation anyway. And Nintendo didn’t simply stick the old titles onto a Game Boy cart, but the four games have a reimagined “modern” mode, with all new graphics featuring Mario characters and tweaks to gameplay as well. Very cool.

Now, some compromises had to be made for this version too. For one thing, the Game Boy does not have an LCD screen, so the developers had to draw sprites that imitated the original LCD images. Also, some Game & Watch units had two screens, so those games seem particularly compromised (though still plenty enjoyable) when played on Game Boy.

Nothing tops playing the authentic Game & Watches themselves, but compilations like these are really cool especially when they have new content. An easy pick for the essentials list.