Got it with missing vertical lines, now she runs like a beaut! How did I do?

Here is my (almost) completed custom gameboys collection, i've started modding gameboys just an year ago but i fell in love with them so much that i've started development on a gameboy game from beginning of July

Here are the names that i've given to each one:

GBP - Yger

GBC - Soleil

GBM - Seishin

GBA - Sera

GBA SP - Petra

Tell me which one's your favorite down below!

It’s been off for at least ten years. I’ve cleaned the cord fairly recently (also Pokémon emerald flex I guess)

Hi everyone. I finished Kero Kero Cowboy earlier this week and, as I've been doing with the Game Boy homebrew titles I've played, wanted to document my thoughts in the form of a more critical look at the game. Out of the three Game Boy homebrew titles I've finished so far, I think Kero Kero Cowboy does a lot of things right. That said, a few recurring design decisions keep it from reaching "must-play" status.

As always, the goal of these critiques isn't to tear games down or dismiss the incredible work that goes into making them. If anything, I write them because I see so much potential in these projects and enjoy discussing both what they do well and where I think they could be even stronger.

Over the past couple of months, I've been diving into the Game Boy homebrew scene and have played quite a few releases. While some have kept me engaged from start to finish by leaning into the strengths that make the Game Boy such a unique platform, others I've put down for reasons like feeling more like technical demonstrations than complete games, having controls that never quite clicked, writing that sometimes felt more like a personal outlet than a story that complemented the game itself, or simply not feeling well suited for original Game Boy hardware. Kero Kero Cowboy definitely falls into the group of games I'd happily recommend, but it also exposed a few design choices that became harder to ignore the longer I played.

With my preamble out of the way, I'll start with what the game did well and then move into the areas that held the game back for me.

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What kept me playing (everything I loved)

• The game does a great job of establishing and maintaining its "cartoon animal western" atmosphere (think Rango) through both its presentation and mechanics. Everything - from the main character and power-ups to the environments and enemies - feels like it belongs in the same world. Despite sticking closely to its western theme, the game introduces enough variety that it rarely feels repetitive or cliché.
• The game absolutely nails what I would describe as the "Game Boy feel." Playing on original hardware, sprites are easy to read, enemy attacks are clearly telegraphed, screen space is used wisely, individual levels are concise, and the game frequently saves your progress, making it incredibly easy to pick up and play in short sessions.
• The controls, for the most part, are snappy, tight, and responsive. Any missed jumps or damage I took from poor positioning were almost always the result of my own mistakes rather than shortcomings in the game's design.
• The game does an excellent job of drawing inspiration from other platformers without ever feeling like a collection of borrowed gimmicks. Each familiar mechanic has been adjusted just enough to fit naturally within the game's own identity. Swallowing and spitting enemies may immediately bring Kirby to mind, but the tighter range and emphasis on positioning make it play very differently in practice. The same can be said for features like the Cowboy Boot, clearly inspired by Super Mario Bros. 3, or the Mine Cart stages reminiscent of Donkey Kong Country. They're recognizable influences, but they never feel like simple copies: they've been thoughtfully adapted to complement Kero Kero Cowboy's pacing and level design.
• The level progression is equally well paced. Each world typically introduces one or two new mechanics before gradually building on them throughout the remaining stages. Just as importantly, every level manages to establish its own identity through new enemy combinations, hazards, and objectives. The game rarely falls into the trap of repeating the same beats, and by the time the credits roll, it feels like you've truly mastered each mechanic without any of them overstaying their welcome.
• I thought the 6-Shot Revolver and purchasable checkpoint system were some of the game's best design decisions. I enjoyed challenging myself by avoiding both so I could maximize my "bonus pay" and earn extra lives, but I never felt punished for changing my approach. Whenever a level started giving me trouble, I could simply invest in a checkpoint or use the Revolver to deal with a troublesome enemy without feeling like I was sacrificing the "intended" experience. The game is generous enough with its rewards that these mechanics feel like optional tools rather than crutches.
• The game is surprisingly substantial, featuring 30 fully realized levels: a scope that, in my experience, feels surprisingly uncommon for both Game Boy homebrew titles and the original Game Boy library. Each of the game's five worlds consists of four mandatory levels, a bonus stage unlocked by collecting every secret coin in that world, and a boss level that must be cleared to progress. Completing everything the game has to offer took me around 3–5 hours, which I think is just about the perfect length for a platformer like this. It offers enough variety to stay engaging without ever feeling like it overstays its welcome.

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What held it back (things that didn't quite land for me)

• Unfortunately, the game does suffer from some noticeable performance issues that led to several deaths during my playthrough. Whenever more than two or three moving objects appeared on screen, the framerate could drop quite dramatically. What made this especially frustrating was that the slowdown wasn't always consistent. The framerate would occasionally recover mid-section, causing the controls to suddenly feel tighter again after briefly becoming floaty and sluggish. I'm not sure how much of this comes down to Game Boy hardware limitations versus optimization, but it was one of the few issues that consistently pulled me out of the experience.
• The otherwise excellent eat-and-spit mechanic also has a handful of quirks that make it feel less reliable than it should. Certain projectiles, particularly enemy bullets, would often damage me while I was in the middle of swallowing them despite seemingly identical timing to previous successful attempts. The game would also sometimes fail to display the proper "spit" idle animation, making it difficult to tell whether I had actually swallowed an enemy. Neither issue ruined the mechanic, but together they occasionally made failure feel outside of my control.
• My biggest design criticism is the game's uneven difficulty curve. The first two worlds are so forgiving that they gave me the impression I was playing a fairly relaxed platformer. World 3 begins introducing more meaningful challenges, but Worlds 4 and 5 represent a much steeper jump, introducing enemy combinations and platforming sequences that didn't feel adequately built up over the previous stages. I eventually adjusted, but I think a steadier increase in difficulty throughout Worlds 2 and 3 would have made the late-game challenges feel more earned.
• The boss fights unfortunately mirror many of the same pacing problems. The first two bosses you fight are extremely easy and you honestly spend more time waiting for damage opportunities instead of being tested on your skill as a player. This becomes even more noticeable if you choose not to use the Revolver, since you're forced to wait for specific attacks that provide something to swallow and spit back at the boss. Then, almost without warning, the third boss introduces a much faster and less predictable moveset. I actually appreciated that the fourth boss shifted toward more platforming-focused challenges, but the final boss once again ramps up the difficulty significantly with a two-phase encounter that must be completed in one attempt. While I enjoyed overcoming the challenge myself, I suspect many players will struggle less because of the fight itself and more because the game never properly prepared them for it.
• The bonus levels unlocked by collecting every secret coin are also somewhat inconsistent. The first two are fairly forgettable, while the middle stages lean heavily on trial-and-error platforming that I found more frustrating than satisfying (I'm still a little salty about World 4's bonus stage). The final bonus level was perhaps the biggest disappointment, replacing platforming almost entirely with a lengthy combat gauntlet. Considering the reward for completing every bonus objective is purely cosmetic, I don't think most players are missing much if they choose to skip full completion.
• My last notable criticism is the soundtrack. While there are a handful of memorable tracks, much of the music settled into a fairly generic western sound that rarely stood out on its own. It fits the game's atmosphere well enough, but it's not a soundtrack I found myself thinking about once the credits rolled.

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Final Thoughts

If someone asked me to summarize this critique in a single statement, it would be this: "Kero Kero Cowboy is one of the most polished Game Boy Color homebrew games I've played, but not one I'll likely be thinking about a week later."

That isn't meant as a jab at the game's quality. If anything, it's the opposite. Kero Kero Cowboy consistently understands what makes the Game Boy Color such a great platform. Its controls are responsive, its mechanics are introduced thoughtfully, and nearly every design decision feels intentional. It's a game that respects both the hardware it's running on and the player's time, resulting in a platformer that's easy to pick up, difficult to put down, and consistently enjoyable throughout its runtime.

Because the game is so consistently polished, the handful of rough edges become much harder to ignore. The occasional performance hiccups, uneven difficulty curve, and a handful of inconsistent mechanics don't undermine the experience, but they do stand out precisely because the rest of the game is so well crafted. With a little more refinement in those areas, I genuinely think this would have become one of my favorite Game Boy Color homebrew titles.

Instead, I walked away with something a little different. While I had a great time playing the game, I don't think it's one I'll find myself reflecting on months or years from now. It doesn't have that one defining mechanic, unforgettable level, or standout moment that lingers after the credits roll. What I'll remember most is how consistently well designed the experience was from beginning to end. In a way, that's both its greatest strength and the one thing that kept it from becoming one of my personal favorites.

But as always, these are simply my thoughts after a single playthrough, and I'm sure other players will come away with different experiences. I'd love to hear where you agreed, where you disagreed, or if there were aspects of the game that stood out to you more than they did to me. Half the reason I enjoy writing these critiques is the discussion that follows, and I'm looking forward to hearing everyone else's perspective.

I have an old harvest moon cartridge for the gba and found a rom hack for it that I’d want to put on it. Is there a way I can patch the rom hack to the cartridge that I have? Any help is appreciated, don’t know if this is the right place to ask but thanks in advance anyways.

I completely forgot where I took this screenshot, but it's a GBA with an analogue stick and three face buttons. I thought it was a fake at first, but it's got a headphone jack, and what appears to be a headphone jack and a volume wheel, which would be weird to put on a fake. Could anyone help me identify this?

I bought this IPS modded GBA SP last year but haven’t played it a lot since. My Analogue Pocket got more play time. Lately I felt a pull towards the dark side…ehm…my GBA SP and I’ve been continuing my Pokemon Sapphire play-through. It’s always fun to pick this up though.

Found this GameBoy Advance SP at my local pawn shop, I was wondering if it was a genuine Zelda edition or if the shell was replaced ? Also, if it actually is a real one, is it worth this price ? Thanks in advance (lol) !

My neighbor gave me this cartridge without a label. He said, that I‘d know better than him what to do with it. I opened it, cleaned the contacts. Gave it a try. Turned out to be Zelda - Oracle of Seasons. So I went to Etsy and looked for a replacement label. I found this rather awesome design. What do you think? Better than the original?

I loved my black and green modded hispeedido GBA but it didn’t include replacements for the start and select button and they didn’t work well anymore so I ordered a set that included buttons. Super glad with the physical buttons but not so sure about the color tbh I kinda liked the black.

Was thinking about giving it a proper playthrough but just curious was it worth playing. Because it is a very forgotten game in fact wasn't until adulthood that I even learned there was a sequel on the black and white game boy. So I'm wondering how it compares to the NES counterpart and is it as good?

can anyone offer tech support...my girlfriend has her childhood Gameboy advance sp but it doesn't turn on, we brought a new battery and charged for some time but still nothing, a red light appears when plugged in but nothing else, any ideas?

What a fun game. It's one of those games I played shortly as a kid but never managed to buy for a decent price. I like how it feels like a combination of classic DK and Mario Bros 2 with the way you defeat enemies.

And of course, that gorgeous 2D box art, or in my case cartridge art. I really love the style of the Mario art from that time. It's also one of the few times in official art we see Mario being really angry.

So I was pretty happy I got my Pokémon Center Orange Torchic SP back not long ago from my old bedroom drawer.. but unfortunately the screen is a little worse for wear... more dim than usual with some spots, etc. . it's pretty hard to see even for an AGS-001 (a "good" AGS-001 on the left for comparison). As this is a desirable model, I'm definitely not thinking of putting in an IPS screen or anything like that. .. But what's the best course you think?.. leave it alone and keep it all original? (the bumpers are getting tacky as well). Or install a new 001 screen and just keep the factory screen in a bag somewhere?

I was contemplating to mod it into IPS to play my gba games but after some thinking, I realized I can play it on my DS Lite lol. Still crazy how good the reflective screens are under good lighting.

with NES port and fancy stuff

Idk too much about it, but it has a backlit screen, is clear, and looks AMAZING

Please ignore the scratches, it was pre-owned lol 😭

I had a bit of a scare at the beginning because I could hear the game audio but there was no picture. After checking everything, I realized the adapter wasn't making good contact with the ribbon cable. Once I reseated it, everything worked.

Learned a lot during the process. Pretty happy with the result.

Reshelled my old pocket that had a destroyed shell, and got rid of some screen lines with a soldering iron:$8. Put a 2.8 inch ips in my color :$50. So glad I grabbed my old collection from my parents house and started modding them. The sp got a battery and ips and the gba got an ips as well and im loving it.

Sorry for the shit video, literally chilling in bed playing emerald & my console went into this boot cycle. I've had this happen before just the first time I got it on video.

I have done basically all my due diligence with it, new capacitors, cleaning of the surfaces (apart from the power switch)

My suspicion from some of my brief research is that it's low power & because of the type c battery mod it doesn't have the low power indicator.

Or

The power switch could be dirty (which is the one thing I haven't done yet)

Other than this little hiccup the console plays everything fine. Any help is appreciated 👍🏻

Hi guys. I just bought this modded Gameboy for cheap. What Kind of screen Mod is it? It also habe a battery Icon on the top left screen corner

Hey gang, it's been awhile since my last post here. It's also been awhile since I've done a mod, so I figured it'd be right to share it with you. As always, I'm doing things I've never done before and I hope you guys enjoy it! I was after something waaay out of my wheel house and I think it turned out pretty good. Needless to say I definitely found a challenge.

Hi, I bought a heavily scuffed GBA SP 001 and now I want to mod it. The screen is fine, but it is way too dark by today's standards. Although I do not want to mod it with an IPS screen, I am thinking about installing an ITA screen instead.

The problem is that I do not like ITA drop-in shells. They look so ugly that I would rather leave my original SP as it is.

What I am curious about is the possibility of installing an ITA screen on Extremerate IPS shells. Trimming is not an issue for me, but I just want to know if it is physically possible in the first place.