by Back when the original Game Boy launched in 1989 (or 1990 if you’re in Europe), it set the world on fire with its practical portability and killer pack-in title, Tetris. However, Tetris is far from the only noteworthy puzzler on the system.
While many titles tried and failed to recapture its magic, there are a handful of puzzle games between the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance that stand out from the crowd. The odd part? A shocking number of them start with the letter “K.” Let’s check out a few of these “k”iller titles!
Klax (GBC and GBA)
Ported several times since its arcade debut in 1989, Midway’s tile-stacking puzzle game found its way onto both Game Boy Color and again on Game Boy Advance in a couple of different arcade compilations. Klax’s basic premise has you frantically catching a series of tiles rhythmically flipping their way down a conveyor belt and matching them by color in order to clear them from the screen. The difficulty ramps up as you progress through the game’s various waves. Once you reach one for the first time, however, you can choose to jump to that point later on. This introduces an addictive risk vs. reward mechanic where you have the opportunity to earn additional points for jumping to harder stages. The very definition of “easy-to-pick-up, hard-to-master,” Klax is a perfect blend of skill and luck that leaves you claiming “just one more round” as you chase ever higher scores.
Klustar (GBC)
What if in Tetris, you didn’t control the falling blocks, but all the others you had already so carefully situated? Surprisingly, that is the very twist of the sleeper Game Boy Color gem Klustar. While at first glance, it might just appear to be another cheap Tetris clone—and the irritating chiptune rendition of “Home On the Range” certainly doesn’t help inspire confidence in that department—the relatively simple twist on the formula is fresh and causes you to completely rethink the way you strategize. As the countless official iterations of Tetris across various consoles have revealed, it can be a tall task to make such a beloved classic feel just as new and exciting as the first time around. Against all odds, though, Klustar manages this monumental feat.
Kwirk (GB)
If you’re more in the mood for a top-down action puzzler closer to the likes of the NES’s Adventures of Lolo, Kwirk is a great pick-up-and-play title that provides more of a challenge. Created by the renowned developer Atlus and published stateside by Akklaim, Kwirk has players navigate its veggie characters through a series of labyrinthine rooms while bypassing turnstiles and moving blocks to clear the path to the staircase on the other side.
While this “kwirky” adventure provides more of a linear structure than many other games on this list, players still have the option to hunt for the highest score in “Heading Out?” mode or compete against a friend in “Vs. Mode”. Despite being an early offering for the original Game Boy, Kwirk delivers with plenty of head-scratching fun to keep even the most proficient of puzzle-game fans coming back for more (and besides, we could all use a reminder to eat our vegetables).
Kirby’s Star Stacker (GB)
Between the late 80’s and the early 90’s, puzzle games published by the Big N themed around their IPs were practically a dime-a-dozen, from Tetris Attack and Pokémon Puzzle League to Dr. Mario and Wario’s Woods. One that has largely been forgotten, however, is Kirby’s Star Stacker on the OG Game Boy and Super Famicom.
Unlike its Kirby puzzling cousin, Kirby’s Avalanche, Star Stacker is far more than just a reskin of a different game like Puyo Puyo. Instead, it offers gameplay that effectively fuses Dr. Mario with Panel de Pon as players match Kirby’s various animal buddies to clear blocks and take chunks out of Dedede’s health bar. While its resemblance to the likes of Tetris Attack might be deceiving, don’t be fooled—Kirby’s Star Stacker is a unique and top-tier Game Boy title that still holds up wonderfully in the modern era.
Kuru Kuru Kururin (GBA, JP and PAL)
For this last one, we’re moving outside the confines of the US to highlight a GBA gem native to Japan and Europe—Kuru Kuru Kururin. The first in its mostly Japan-exclusive franchise, this title is a bit more action-oriented than others on this list.
Kuru Kuru Kururin has players frantically navigate a spinning pole-like aircraft through a maze as quickly as possible without colliding with any walls. It is challenging, addicting, one-of-a-kind, and extremely replayable. The best part? Since the GBA is region-free, fans anywhere in the world are able to pick up a cartridge and enjoy the quirky Kuru Kuru Kururin on official hardware (or via Switch Online + Expansion pack). This is not one to be left overseas.
