Noobow

Noobow is deceptively great: it’s a Game Boy game based on a license (the eponymous Noobow, mascot for a line of cute merchandise), but, ah, it’s made by the masters at Irem, and it’s a clever puzzle platformer. There are no HUD elements or any onscreen direction, but you’re nevertheless encouraged to keep an eye on your surroundings when you come upon the next little roadblock. Various items are littered around the world, and it’s your job to waddle Noobow over and use the item, either for obvious means, like creating a platform, or more trickier ones, all in the interests of completing a rather adorable goal at the end of a stage. The video shows all of this (and the nice music! Of course!), and you can see it’s a prime example of unique design for the platform, and something rarely seen for years since.