Yet another Sunsoft Looney Tunes-based Game Boy (Color) game? Back in the nineties, when the original Game Boy version of Looney Tunes was released, the label Sunsoft used to mean something. Something promising, something compelling. Something that guaranteed at least a little bit of quality. Sadly, as time passed by, and is the case here, Sunsoft’s steady stream of games started declining in greatness. Speedy Gonzales: Aztec Adventure is not to be mistaken by the 1993 Game Boy title Speedy...| Game Boy Color on Jefklak's Codex
Wendy: Every Witch Way - Great but Brief (and Pricey). 2001 was the year of the Game Boy Advance and the Gamecube—not the year of the Game Boy Color. Yet, a few developers did push on, including WayForward, who would eventually release the seminal 2D metroidvania-esque platformer Shantae a full year later, well beyond the lifespan of the GBC. Wendy is technically speaking a licensed game, but the license it is based on is not well-known. Even the GBC game itself is probably not well-known, ...| jefklakscodex.com
2023 has been an amazing year for games, and Nintendo’s wonderful Wonder is no exception. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first truly new 2D Mario game since the release of the New Super Mario Bros. (NSMB) franchise in 2006—that’s a stunning 17 years, for anyone who’s counting! When it comes to bringing back to life beloved 2D genres, Nintendo seems to be on a roll. Just like the recent Metroid Dread, Wonder scored wonderfully high among critics, and just like Dread, there’s very li...| Nintendo Switch on Jefklak's Codex
In March 1995, the previously white now turned pink sucking fluff ball named Kirby dreamed up a much improved Land installment for the Game Boy: Kirby’s Dream Land 2. It would be the third Kirby Game Boy game, but the second mainline game since 1993’s Kirby’s Pinball Land is one of the many spin-offs. In-between the Dream Land releases, the most important other entry is the NES console one titled Kirby’s Adventure, where the copy ability was conceived by Kirby’s father Masahiro Saku...| Game Boy on Jefklak's Codex
Masahiro Sakurai, the now legendary game designer responsible for the Smash Bros series, debuted with a very simple platforming game for casual players—a cheery and happy game, starring a certain round fluff ball called Kirby. Kirby was still white in 1992’s Game Boy cover, although that would change to the pink we are used to know in successive titles. The premise of the game is very simple: it’s a pick up and play game consisting of just five stages and its lifespan is even shorter th...| Game Boy on Jefklak's Codex
I’ve always been more of a Warner Bros fan than a Hanna Barbera one: Bugs and co. is, to me, a lot more recognizable than say The Flintstones or Scooby-Do. Or, for that matter, a slightly more obscure anthropomorphic bear with a green hat and a tie: Yogi Bear. I don’t have a history with the character(s) and have barely seen one or two episodes on screen when I was little. When approaching this game, I realize this can be either a very good or a very bad thing, as I won’t be viewing thi...| Game Boy on Jefklak's Codex
As yet another licensed platformer and watered-down port from the Genesis/MegaDrive original, I was a bit skeptic. Even though Looney Tunes was okay, it wasn’t great, and my low expectations turned out to be right: this game downright stinks. The review could end here, but since I already spent €12 too much on the game, I might just as well have a bit of fun by ranting here. As soon as you boot up the game, you’re greeted with a cheerful 8-bit interpretation of the Tom & Jerry main them...| Game Boy on Jefklak's Codex
Super Mario Land: Mario's Weird World Tour. Somehow, I never managed to beat the first installment of the Mario Land series when I was younger. My sister got the game bundled with her Game Boy, while I got the traditional Tetris and later on bought myself straight into Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins—which was and still is awesome on all accounts. The cover art boasts a compelling message: Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
Why on earth would you want to buy a Sesame Street game that’s clearly aimed towards kids? I can hear you thinking. Because there are surprisingly entertaining and excellent Muppet-alike games out there. Of course I’m talking about The Muppet CD-ROM: Muppets Inside—it even contains a DOOM map pack called The Kitchen Of Doom where you as the Swedish chef have to fight off angry vegetables: Elmo in Grouchland is everything Muppets Inside isn’t. It’s not funny, not pleasant to play thr...| Game Boy Color on Jefklak's Codex
Celeste: Strawberry Picking on Mountaintops. Does Celeste really need an introduction? I ascended the snowy mountaintop back in 2018 when the game initially was released but simply forgot to take notes. The game’s many secrets, extra modes, and achievements basically asks for a revisit, so I did, finger at the ready to take screenshots where needed. Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle: Jumpless Bunnies. Also known as the quintessential Game Boy earworm of my childhood, Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle is a very strange puzzle platformer from Kemco released not far from Nintendo’s first true mass-market handheld’s debut. Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
Coin Leap (Flame Game Jam 2023) by kurtome, bijanYou’ve landed on a mysterious island. Which...| You Are Here
Wario Land II. Four years after Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Nintendo treats us with another Wario Land Game Boy game, this time flashed onto a neat black color-enhanced cartridge. Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. After the events in Super Mario Land 2 (SML2) where Mario kicked out a fat intruder called Wario, the aggressor hatched a big plan for revenge: why not steal heaps of money to build a castle yourself? Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
Commander Keen For Game Boy Color. When I saw a Commander Keen cart for sale in last year’s nearby retro game show, I was shocked: how did this early nineties DOS icon make its way to the Game Boy Color? Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. The second Game Boy Mario Land installment is criminally underappreciated and that has to stop. I’m here to tell you that you owe it to yourself to breeze through this strange non-Mushroom Kingdom where everything you know about Mario is turned upside-down. Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
New Super Mario Bros: The First Cheerful One. After finishing New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the 3DS, I wanted to revisit the 2006 title that revived classic 2D Mario platforming: the original New Super Mario Bros. Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
New Super Mario Bros. 2: Catchy Coin Galore. In anticipation of the first truly new “wonderful” (hint) 2D Mario game in over a decade, it appeared like a good idea to revisit a few older entries in order to jog my memory as to why everyone—myself included—loves fooling around with that Italian plumber so much. I bought a copy of New Super Mario Bros. 2 (NSMB2) for my wife several years ago, just before the honorary state funeral of the 3DS, and never got around to trying it myself, he...| jefklakscodex.com
Looney Tunes Carrot Crazy: Eh, What's Up Game Boy Color?. In my search for decent Looney Tunes games on the Game Boy (Color) platform, I happen to come across an awful lot of bad games, especially in the year 2000, when Infogames launched their next major Looney Tunes assault called “Games for the next Mil-Looney-Um”, as seen in the following splendid ad: Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
Jazz Jackrabbit. Are you ready for this? POW! followed by a wonderful amalgamation of a Robert Allen’s tracker music mixed with a bright and colorful menu was more than enough to completely blow away nine year old Jefklak in 1994. Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
Pizza Tower: Cathartic Wario Crazyness. Nintendo’s big-butted antihero character Wario was one of the greatest things ever to grace on the Game Boy handhelds, as discussed in the Wario Land retrospective. Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com
Wario Land: a Retrospective. It’s been over 20 years since I last touched any of the Wario Land games. I vaguely remember them being one of the most exciting platformers I’ve ever played as a kid. However, thanks to my manic tidying itches, I sold most if not all Gameboy games I’ve ever owned. Thanks to a recent resurgence in retro game interest, I came across a Wario game for the Gameboy. The shopkeeper sold them all 4 and raised his brow when I wanted to pay. “You must be a big Wari...| jefklakscodex.com
Lode Runner: The Legend Returns Review. Core mechanics A concept almost as old as Pong, the Godfather of nowadays gaming. You climb up and down little ladders, collecting various forms of loot. And guess what - you’re being chased by blood thirsty (well yeah, sort of) eurhm, red humanoid shaped things. On your way through each puzzle, there are multiple ways of dealing with them. From digging a hole and watching earth grow as fast as it can, squashing the enemy, to picking up little and ver...| jefklakscodex.com
Looney Tunes: Variety in Tune Land. The name of the game, Looney Tunes, might confuse people, since it’s simply named after the popular cartoon show that began its highly successful renaissance in the late eighties. By the early nineties, there was no way to avoid Looney Tunes merchandising—including the obligatory Game Boy carts. While some games, such as Sylvester & Tweety, involve a specific character or two of the Looney Tunes cast, this game involves a more diverse set—albeit still...| jefklakscodex.com
Rayman Legends: The Not So Definitive Edition. Back in October last year, I picked up Rayman Legends for a very reasonable price at the local mall. The problem was, the inside was empty. Read more about that in questionable game publishing methods. Suffice to say I was annoyed. It took me until January to get out the box—and stupid download code—to finally give the game a try on the Nintendo Switch. Via Jefklak's Codex| jefklakscodex.com