Every Square Enix Game On The Game Boy Advance, Ranked

Square and Enix merged on April 1, 2003, to become Square Enix. Before the merger, both sides had developed games on the Game Boy Advance which lacked the Square Enix logo. For example, there was Chocobo Land: A Game of Dice, Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko’s Great Adventure 2 – Mystery Dungeon, and Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart.

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Then there was Final Fantasy Tactics Advance which was developed and published by Square in Japan but rebranded under the Square Enix title when it was shipped to North America. Since that was made first under just Square, it, and the other examples, don’t count. Separate from those early games, Square Enix developed or published eight games on the GBA and here they all are ranked on quality.

8

Torneko’s Great Adventure 3 Advance

A Shopkeeper’s Final Run

• Developers: Chunsoft, Matrix Software
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Released: June 24, 2004 (GBA Version)
• Platform: GBA

Torneko’s Great Adventure 3 Advance is a demake of the PS2 game, Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko’s Great Adventure 3 – Mystery Dungeon. It’s the final spinoff starring Torneko who first appeared as a playable party member in Dragon Quest 4: Chapters of the Chosen.

All three Torneko-based games are roguelikes. Players will go into dungeons, fight monsters for loot, and continue the grind. The port to the GBA was a wise choice as portability can help with the grind in a roguelike. It was never released outside of Japan and there is no English fan patch for it.

7

Vigorous Slime Dragon Quest: The Shocking Tail Squad

A Top-Down Action Adventure

• Developer: Tose
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Released: November 14, 2003
• Platform: GBA

Vigorous Slime Dragon Quest: The Shocking Tail Squad is the rough translation of the first game’s title in the Slime Morimori series. Of the three out there, North America only received the second title on the DS, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime.

There have been no fan translations for the game, making it tricky to recommend to non-Japanese readers. However, there isn’t a lot of text and the action-based gameplay is easy enough to pick up. The best part about the game is the pixel art though which looks good for a GBA game and it’s just adorable too.

6

Final Fantasy 1 & 2: Dawn Of Souls

Two Classics Reimagined

Final Fantasy 1 & 2: Dawn of Souls collected the first two games into one package. This wasn’t the only time they were collected though as the PS1 had Final Fantasy Origins. That was the first time Final Fantasy 2 was made available outside of Japan. While the remakes were good for that collection, Final Fantasy 1 & 2: Dawn of Souls smoothed over the rough patches.

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The pixel art was much cleaner, there were additional bonuses, and it ran better without the trouble of disc-based loading. They may not be the most story-heavy games in the series, but they are still easy to pick up and play and this collection is the definitive way to experience them.

5

Final Fantasy 5 Advance

Advancing The Job System

Final Fantasy 5 Advance reduced the party size from Final Fantasy 4 to a small crop of four. The game made up for this by implementing a Job system to make progression more interesting. Players could learn new Jobs in Final Fantasy 5 from the elemental crystals in the world from mages to ninjas to strong warriors.

Final Fantasy 5 was another game introduced to North America via a PS1 collection, Final Fantasy Anthology. Final Fantasy 5 Advance was a much better introduction though which helped with loads of other things and it too is the definitive way to play the game.

4

Final Fantasy 4 Advance

A Dramatic Step Up In Story

• Developer: Square Enix
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Released: December 12, 2005 (NA GBA Version)
• Platform: GBA

Final Fantasy 4 Advance is not the best way to experience this original SNES classic as it was fully remade for the DS after this. Still, the GBA version is a solid entry in one of the more popular entries in Japan.

It was the first game to push the story forward and offered many characters to join and leave as the game progressed. From Cecil going from dark to light to Rydia time-skipping into an older body, there are many memorable bits. It also featured a five-party system which hasn’t happened often in the franchise.

3

Sword Of Mana

The Original Mana Game Remade

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Systems

Released

December 1, 2003

Developer(s)

Brownie Brown

Publisher(s)

Square Enix
, Nintendo

Sword of Mana is a remake of Final Fantasy Adventure which was the first Mana game in the series. This one fixes a lot of issues with the original like making the action flow better between melee and magic. There’s a bit more story too but not so much that it gets in the way of the exploration loop.

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Players also had the opportunity to choose two different characters, which hasn’t been done in any other versions of the game. It’s a shame that remakes like this are closed behind walls because it has never been made available outside of the GBA which is why it ranks so high as it is unique.

2

Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories

It’s In The Disney Cards

Action RPG

Digital Card Game

Systems

Released

December 7, 2004

Developer(s)

Square Enix
, Jupiter

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories was remade for the PS2 which was a good version as is the remaster that came after. However, the pixel art cannot be outdone in the original. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the rest of the cast have never looked better.

At the time, fans were split because this sequel retread old ground sort of like a demake of the first game. The card combat also may have thrown fans for a loop but over time this entry has received more respect. Riku’s storyline, the aforementioned great pixel art, and the introduction of Organization 13 can be thanked for raising it.

1

Final Fantasy 6 Advance

An Ambitious End To The SNES Era

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Final Fantasy 6 Advance

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Platform(s)

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Released

April 2, 1994

Developer(s)

Square Enix
, Square
, Tose

ESRB

e

No matter what console or portable Final Fantasy 6 ends up on, it’s going to rank high. It was the grand finale of the SNES era of Final Fantasy which improved the story, characters, world, music, battle system, and more. Squaresoft pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable experience and Final Fantasy 6 Advance just heightens what was already fantastic.

It did fix some minor issues like the script and added in some cut content too like the Kaiser Dragon boss battle. It’s a must-play for sure for anyone who wants to jump into the series new but it can be hard to find this version admittedly.

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